In The Simpsons, Lisa Simpson, the middle child of the family, is often the straight man when it comes to the show's comedy. A genius at just eight years old, Lisa does not possess the same ignorance or naivety that most of her family or other Springfield residents possess.
Like the other Simpsons characters, Lisa does have her own unique brand of zaniness to her character that sets her apart from others. When Lisa has a humorous observation or gets into her own trouble, the lines she comes out with are some of the funniest on the show.
"I Am The Lizard Queen!"
When Aunt Selma takes Bart and Lisa to the Duff Beer-sponsored Duff Gardens theme park, Lisa mistakenly drinks the "water" from The Little Land of Duff, a parody of Disney's It's A Small World ride. Selma later finds a drunken Lisa held by security, proclaiming herself to be lizard queen.
It's an unusual sight to see Lisa not being the straight man of her family's wacky dynamic. Seeing her worse-for-wear from drunkenness is an instantly memorable scene, making it one of Lisa's most quotable moments.
"Shut Up, Brain! I've Got Friends Now. I Don't Need You Anymore."
When the new swimming pool at the Simpson household becomes a hit with the neighborhood kids, Lisa becomes more popular than ever with her classmates. Lisa realizes through her intelligence that the kids are only paying attention to her because of the pool, but elects to ignore it.
The show's ability to blend humor within its heartfelt moments helps seal its status as one of the best animated sitcoms of all time. Lisa-centric episodes often provide the most tear-jerking scenes in the show due to the sad situations Lisa goes through in the plot line, but never neglected the Simpsons style of humor that made its name.
"You're Like Christopher Columbus. You Discovered Something Millions Of People Knew About Before You."
Marge feels pretty proud of herself when she discovers how to use the internet, and informs her family of her pleasant discoveries. Lisa responds to her with a rather backhanded compliment.
This witty remark can only really be made by Lisa out of the Simpson family. Her rather dry humor and intelligence (especially in academic subjects like history) give her a strong observational outlook on her family's peculiar behavior.
"I Can See Through Time."
When Apu comes to stay at the home, the Simpson family tries some spicy food made by Apu based on his Indian culture. The food is a little spicier than what they're able to handle, leaving Lisa in a moment of existential crisis.
This Simpsons quote became a meme thanks to the hilarious screencap from the scene and the perfectly bizarre remark about tasting spicy food. The quote can frequently be seen over social media, used in response to an internet user's other-worldly experience.
"Why Do I Get The Feeling That Someday I'll Be Describing This To A Psychiatrist?"
In the episode Dead Putting Society, long-time rivals Homer and his neighbor, Ned Flanders, pit their sons against each other in an intense game of mini-golf. Bart and Todd both withdraw the competition in a truce, but Homer and Ned both mow the lawn in their wife's clothes in defeat, causing Lisa to make this remark.
Lisa is often the black sheep of her family, or even the town, due to her intelligence and unwillingness to conform. This quote from the episode is also widely used online, thanks to Lisa's perfect response from the pettiness and bizarre behavior of her family and neighbors.
"An Absence Of Mood Swings And Some Stability In My Life."
In the episode "Simpson and Delilah", Homer becomes rockets up the career ladder after he cures his male-pattern baldness and impresses his boss Mr. Burns. After receiving a huge paycheck from work, Homer asks Lisa what gift she would like. At first she responds with the above but immediately perks up when Homer suggests a pony instead.
What makes Lisa a great character is that while she possesses an other-worldly intelligence that makes her smarter than the surrounding adults, she is still very much a little girl that enjoys feminine things. Lisa can often bear the emotional brunt of the surrounding craziness, but she still loves ponies.
"What’s The English Equivalent For [Drools Like Homer]? I’d Say… Transcendent."
When Homer becomes a restaurant critic for a local newspaper, his writing skills aren't up to much. Homer then recruits Lisa to eloquently put his often-nonsensical thoughts on food into words for a review.
It is rare to see Lisa act in an unintelligent way, so seeing her impersonate her father's famous drooling in such an accurate way makes for a hilarious scene. Her bond with Homer and her ability to get through to him is often as heartwarming as it is funny.
"I’ll Pump ‘Em So Full Of Sap They’ll Be Blowing Their Nose With A Pancake!"
In the episode "Girly Edition", Bart and Lisa both become news anchors at a children's news show, something Bart uncharacteristically outshines Lisa in. Bart excels at reporting emotional news stories, and Lisa attempts to copy him, with disastrous results.
Lisa often delivers her funniest lines in rare instances where she loses her cool. Her intelligence makes her jokes some of the most quick-witted lines in the show.
"We’ve Inherited Quite A Budget Crunch From President Trump."
In a flash-forward scene set 30 years in the future, a successful Lisa becomes President of the United States. In her first meeting with her cabinet members in the Oval Office, she launches a plan to clean up the economy after the previous presidency of billionaire businessman Donald Trump.
This quote is well known now for having eerily predicted the future, as Donald Trump would become president 16 years after the episode aired. This prediction shows how sharp the wit Simpsons jokes can be, with its finger firmly on the pulse of pop culture making it able to satirize it years ahead of its time.
"Nothing You Say Can Upset Us. We’re The MTV Generation... Ehh."
In the episode "Homer's Triple Bypass", Homer attempts to break the news to his family that he is going to undergo important and dangerous heart surgery. He is surprised that his kids aren't too nervous to receive big news, prompting a surprising reveal from Bart and Lisa.
Bart and Lisa rarely agree on things, but when they do, they have a very funny dynamic. Although out of touch with Lisa's usual intense caring for things, the silliness makes the joke work.