You Know What They Say

"A-ha, here's the problem, too many toasters! You know what they say: All toasters toast toast!"

— Mario, Hotel Mario^note Toasters actually toast bread, though you can toast toast if the toast was initially under-toasted.

A Stock Phrase.

"You know what they say: [insert witty, important, or nonsensical proverb here]"

When referring to a specific group, refer to You Know What They Say About X...

When the character refers to himself saying something, regardless of whether or not he actually does in the series, the trope is It's Like I Always Say.

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Examples:

Comic Books

• In the "Torn" arc of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run:
  Emma: Well, you know what they say— (Kitty abruptly pulls her through the floor) Aah!
  Kitty: "Aah"? They say "aah"? You are pathetic.

Fan Works

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: What Came After: Popplio on doing the right thing:
  Popplio: Well, you know what they say. When you see a Giratina crying because he only has raisin cookies, buy him chocolate chip ones and give him a hug.
  Alesia: ...That's a saying?
  Popplio: It is now!

Film

• The Boondock Saints
  Doc: You know what they say: People in glass houses sink sh-sh-ships.
• Shooter
  Jack Payne: You know what they say is the first thing that a man feels when he shoots a civilian?
• The Devil Wears Prada
  Nigel: You know what they say. Tiny man. Huge ego.
• In Cannibal! The Musical, there was a scene where the town's drunken sheriff informs Packer that he's going to be hung at sunrise, then adds "You know what they say about sunrise?", awkwardly pauses for a moment, and just wanders off. According to the commentary, the actor (who actually was drunk) had just forgotten his line and walked off camera - Trey Parker opted to leave it in because he decided that it was funnier than the actual punchline.
• In The Room (2003) :
  Johnny: You know what they say: love is blind.
  • Anyway, how is your sex life ?
• In Airplane! :
  First Jive Dude: Hey, you know what they say: see a broad to get dat booty yak 'em...
  First Jive Dude, Second Jive Dude: ...leg 'er down a smack 'em yak 'em!

Literature

• Deconstructed a couple of times in Discworld novels:
  • Both Sam Vimes in Feet of Clay and William de Worde in The Truth wonder who "they" actually are, and why anyone should listen to them.
  • A recurring line in Men at Arms is "You know what they say about dwarfs." Lance-Constable Cuddy, who's a dwarf, eventually protests that he doesn't. When someone does tell him, he doesn't understand it anyway. Yes, dwarfs are well-endowed. Some of them have lots of gold.

Live Action TV

• The Office
  • "Traveling Salesmen"
    Michael Scott: You know what they say. Fool me once? Strike one. Fool me twice? Strike three.
• Two and a Half Men episode "Shoes, Hats, Pickle Jar Lids"
  Courtney: You know what they say: when you assume... you're just a bitch.
• NCIS has two variations on the You Can't Make an Omelette... saying:
  Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Well you know what they say, Jen. Can't make an omelette unless you break a few eggs.

  —"Under Covers"
  Officer Ziva David: Well, you know what they say. You cannot make an omelette without breaking a few legs.

  —"Knockout"
• Smallville episode "Leech":
  Jonathan Kent: You know what they say: Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
• Friends:
  Chandler: You know what they say, ask your slippers a question...you're going crazy.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Blood Ties"
  Willow Rosenberg: Well, you know what they say: The bigger they are...
  Anya: The faster they stomp you into nothing.
• Gilmore Girls episode "Lost and Found":
  Lorelai: You know what they say.
  Luke: No, what do they say?
  Lorelai: Never ever date a guy who owns a single bed...it means he's not open to a commitment.
• The Golden Girls: "You know what they say: you can lead a herring to water, but you have to walk really fast or he'll die."
• That '70s Show episode "Bye Bye Basement"
  Leo: You know what they say, Rome was built in a day.
• The Wire episode "Game Day"
  Det. James 'Jimmy' McNulty: Well, you know what they say: "Stupid criminals make stupid cops."
• CSI: NY really likes this one.
  • "Zoo York": Lindsay is sifting through tiger dung for human body parts.
    Dr. Evan Zao: You know what they say: It's a dirty job but...
    Det. Lindsay Monroe: The rookie's gotta do it.
  • "The Box": Mac is interrogating an uncooperative suspect.
    Reggie Dunham: You know what they say, right? Mind's a terrible thing to waste.
    Det. Mac Taylor: So's my time.
  • "The Party's Over" Mac answers Lindsay's question as to why the suspect and the victim would've had contact.
    Det. Mac Taylor: You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer - and if that doesn't work, kill 'em.
  • "Command+P": Used in two unrelated scenes.
    Det. Jo Danville: [about a gun created with a 3-D printer] You know what they say: every act of creation is an act of destruction.
    ME Sid Hammerback: [on giving away his fortune] Well, you know they always say you can't take it with you.
• CSI: Miami
  Horatio Caine: You know what they say. You lie down with the Devil, you wake up in Hell.
  • On another episode:
  Caine: You know what they say, Frank (puts on sunglasses)...speed kills.
  YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA--
• Hannah Montana episode "Miley, Get Your Gum"
  Robbie Stewart: You know what they say, every now and then even a blind pig snorts up a truffle.
• The Sopranos episode "Cold Cuts"
  Anthony 'Tony' Soprano Sr.: You know what they say: Revenge is like serving cold cuts.
• Angel
  • "Heartthrob"
  Darla: Well, you know what they say... life's full of surprises.
• Burn Notice: "Yeah well, you know what they say about holding a snake by the tail, Mike."
• Prison Break: "You know what they say about weather in the midwest: if you don't like it, wait an hour."
• Played with on Sports Night:
  Dan: You know what they say.
  Casey: About what?
  Dan: About money won.
  Casey: What do they say?
  Dan: I don't know. I'm asking.
  Casey: They say it's twice as sweet as money earned.
  Dan: How come you said 'what do they say'?
  Casey: It was an alley-oop pass. I was dishing you the ball.
  Dan: You were. And I completely missed it.
  Casey: I was there for the putback.
  Dan: I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it anyway.
  Casey: That's right.
  Dan: Because I didn't know the expression.
• Mason tries and fails this in an episode of Glee.
  Mason: You know what they say about cheerleaders!
  Jane: What do they say?
  Mason: *Beat* G-good things, mostly...

Music

• Lady Gaga's video for "Telephone": "You know what they say: Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger."
• Mika's "Lollipop"
  "I was walkin' with my mama one day
  When she warned me what people say:
  Live your life until love is found
  Cause love's gonna get you down."
• Rebecca Lynn Howard's "Forgive": "You know what they say / Forgive and forget, re-live and regret."

Theatre

• In Spamalot, Patsy says this line to a depressed King Arthur. Arthur apparently does not know what they say.

Video Games

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Parodied; if you talk to a Smug villager while he's fishing, he might say "You know what they say about fishing, right?" He then follows it up with "Well, please tell me, because I can't catch anything!"
• Hotel Mario does this in the second hotel when Mario stumbles upon a room full of toasters that have been causing blackouts in the entire hotel, to which he makes this legendary comment:
  "Ha-ha, here's the problem, too many toasters! You know what they say, all toasters toast toast!"
• Shadow the Hedgehog has the Egg Breaker boss fight (Eggman in a Mini-Mecha). The version of this boss fought in the Mad Matrix level says "You know what they say! The more, the merrier!" when he sends bombs out in all directions. Every time he uses this attack. And he often uses it many times in succession.
• Just Cause 3 gives us this from Rico: "You know what they say about a guy with a big statue...

Webcomics

• Played with in Girl Genius.

Western Animation

• Parodied in an episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy: Edd and Eddy are discussing some problem, and Ed, who was not involved in the conversation, chimes in with "You know what they say," and then immediately goes back to poking around in his locker, ignoring the other two. An awkward pause ensues for a few seconds while they wait for him to finish.
  • In "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ed," Ed pretending to be Eddy gives us:
  Ed: You know what they say, Double D. (he shoves Eddy's mouth to an opened pipe on the side.) "If you're thirsty, take a drink."
• The Simpsons
  Homer: You know what they say — sometimes you have to break the rules to free your heart.
• Phineas and Ferb
  Roger Doofensmirtz: You know what they say, "You can't be T'd off once you've T'd off'." Heheh...that was very funny...
  Heinz Doofensmirtz: What?? Who says that?
  Roger Doofensmirtz: You know, They. Those guys over there. (points to a pair of Creepy Twins saying "You can't be T'd off once you've T'd off.") Creepy, right? I've been trying to ditch those guys all day!
  • Bonus? Their names are actually They.
  • Doofenshmirtz did it once.
  Heinz: You know what they say about taking the easy way.
  Vannesa: What do they say?
  Heinz: I could tell you, but that would be taking the easy way and you know what they say about that.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: In "Fake It 'Til You Make It", Rarity suggests a new outfit might give Fluttershy the confidence to run Rarity's Manehatten boutique while Rarity herself is at a big fashion show in Canterlot.
  Rarity: You know what they say, "clothes make the pony!"
  Fluttershy: Um, who says that?
  Rarity: You know, "them".
• Ready Jet Go!: In "Mindy's Weather Report", Mr. Peterson claims that 'they' say "Clear skies in the morning - hurricane warning".

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