History Main / ItsThePrincipleOfTheThing

* A minor arc in ''Webcomic/LeftoverSoup'' involves an irate customer who demands to have a coupun honoured even though it's actually a coupun for a different story than the one he's in, and refuses to back down because it's the principle of the thing. TheRant involves the snarky observation that it's funny how people's principles always seem to be solely about getting what they think they're owed - you never hear about someone ''giving up'' something because it's the principle of the thing.

* Reversed by WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck in "My Little Duckaroo": "After all, it isn't the principle of the thing, it's the money."

* In ''NotEnoughRings'', Sonic says this when Tails asks him why he's running against a high-powered fan's air-current in Oil Ocean Zone.

* Johnny Gargano's reasoning for saving Rich Swann, who he despised, from the Premier Athlete Brand after their '[[NoHoldsBarredContest End Of Evolution]]' [[GimmickMatches match]]. Gargano hadn't been winning much lately and was trying to get back to the way he was before and realized like Swann or not, the man he used to be would not tolerate [[EvenEvilHasStandards the Brand's sleazy stunts]], especially since they had the audacity to pull one ''right in front of him''.
* At the tail end of 2014, Havok was about to lose a title shot against knockouts champion Wrestling/GailKim when she attacked her before their match and separated Kim's shoulder. Despite being told be Wrestling/{{TNA}} trainer she was in no condition to compete and director of wrestling operations Wrestling/KurtAngle insisting Gail had no obligation to defend her title, Gail insisted on having the match to show Havok could keep her down. Havok won the belt in the resulting match, unsurprisingly.[[/folder]]

* In ''Theatre/TheGoldenApple'', Ulysses and the boys are playing baseball when Helen, whom they have sworn to protect, flies away with Paris to Rhododendron, but they consider it nothing to get angry over. Menelaus and the old men of Angel's Roost are outraged at their lack of honor, and remind them of their oath. Ulysses accuses them of "distorting the principle of the thing," but the old men echo this phrase back at him, and urge vengeance on Rhododendron.

* A ''GarfieldAndFriends'' episode featured a [[spoiler:phony]] police officer giving Jon a speeding ticket. Considering the size of the speed limit sign, Jon refused to pay and told Garfield and Odie it was not for the money but for the principle. Garfield told Odie that, whenever somebody says something like that, it's for the money.

** MARK IT ZERO!

[[quoteright:200:[[http://www.urbanjunglecomic.com/?p=323 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urban_jungle_principle.jpg]]]]

* In the ''{{Doug}}'' Episode "Doug Takes the Case," The RichBitch Beebe Bluff's radio is stolen, and her father wants the criminal found, even though she could easily afford a new one, because "It's The Principle Of The Thing." [[spoiler:It's later revealed, however, that it wasn't really stolen...it fell out of Beebe's locker and broke, and she tried to cover it up by saying someone took it.]]
* Reversed by DaffyDuck in "My Little Duckaroo": "After all, it isn't the principle of the thing, it's the money."

* In the ''{{Archer}}'' episode "Bloody Ferlin" when Archer, Ray and Cheryl go to West Virginia to visit Ray's homophobic brother, they pretend Cheryl is Ray's wife. Ray is disgusted when he finds out his brother wants to sleep with his fake wife.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/TheBigLebowski'', the dynamic between the Dude and Walter epitomizes the trope, with bad things endlessly happening to the chronically laid back and mellowed out Dude, and slightly demented Vietnam veteran Walter convinces him time and again to go on insane and half-cocked quests for revenge and reparation.
** MARK IT ZERO!
* D'Artagnan in ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'' takes issue with [[TheDragon Rochefort]] insulting his horse.
* Robin's response, word-for-word, in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' when Achoo tries to stop him from fighting Little John over a bridge toll by hopping over the two-foot-wide creek and pointing out "This ain't exactly the Mississippi here!"
* Outright mocked by Porter in ''Film/{{Payback}}''. He only wants his $70,000 (his cut of the heist that his partner stole), no more, no less. No, it's not the principle of the thing, and don't ask him again, you're going to make him get all misty.
[[/folder]]

* D'Artagnan in ''TheThreeMusketeers2011'' takes issue with [[TheDragon Rochefort]] insulting his horse.

* Outright mocked by Porter in ''{{Payback}}''. He only wants his $70,000 (his cut of the heist that his partner stole), no more, no less. No, it's not the principle of the thing, and don't ask him again, you're going to make him get all misty.

* In MegaTokyo, after several rounds of [[HeroicBSOD BSODs]], Yuki says that Tohya called her a monster, but that it's nothing compared to what she (Yuki) did to her ([[spoiler:dropping her in a crowd of unfamiliar people then running away]]). Kobayashi, on the other hand, invokes this trope briefly before Yuki stops him.

* In the ''{{Doug}}'' Episode "Doug Takes the Case," The RichBitch Beebe Bluff's radio is stolen, and her father wants the criminal found, even though she could easily afford a new one, because "ItsThePrincipleOfTheThing." [[spoiler:It's later revealed, however, that it wasn't really stolen...it fell out of Beebe's locker and broke, and she tried to cover it up by saying someone took it.]]

* ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' had a particularly vicious one: Dewey wins a hole-in-one at the 18th hole of a mini-golf course; according to the rules, that entitles the golfer to a free game. But according to Dewey, the owner of the place didn't give him the free game because the bell didn't ring. In Dewey's mind, and as he explains in as many variations as possible to his dad, it's not a big deal; getting the hole-in-one was good enough for him. But Hal acts as if to say, "This is a huge deal! I know how upset you are about losing this. That golf course is gonna pay for ripping you off!" Hal's comments are along the lines of, "You ''have'' to feel this way, Dewey! Justice must be served!" Eventually, HilarityEnsues, and it's all Hal's fault.
* [[FawltyTowers Basil Fawlty]] and [[Series/{{House}} House]] are well known for their constant need to make every problem far worse than necessary because they want to prove a point or won't swallow their pride.
* {{Frasier}} took this to epic levels. Once he and Niles pulled into a parking garage, realized they had forgotten something, and turned around to exit. The attendant charges them $2.00 for the one minute they were in there (The fee is $2.00 for every fraction of a half-hour). Frasier adamantly refuses to pay, refuses to let Niles pay for him, and even refuses to let another driver behind him pay. Somehow Frasier believed that he was "standing up" against this "injustice", when obviously he was being petulant and downright rude. Finally Frasier relents and agrees to pay the $2.00, whereupon the attendant tells him that the fee is now $4.00 because he stayed over a half hour protesting. Frasier floors the gas and charges through the gate.

* In ''TheBigLebowski'', the dynamic between the Dude and Walter epitomizes the trope, with bad things endlessly happening to the chronically laid back and mellowed out Dude, and slightly demented Vietnam veteran Walter convinces him time and again to go on insane and half-cocked quests for revenge and reparation.

* Robin's response, word-for-word, in ''RobinHoodMenInTights'' when Achoo tries to stop him from fighting Little John over a bridge toll by hopping over the two-foot-wide creek and pointing out "This ain't exactly the Mississippi here!"

If it's Daniel and not Emma who goes nuts, then he is merely obeying the LawOfDisproportionateResponse. Often goes hand-to-hand with the FrivolousLawsuit.