History Main / WisdomFromTheGutter

* Zoro, an ex-pirate hunter, in ''OnePiece'' is the one to impart knowledge about how a pirate should behave within a crew. Aspects regarding respect, roles and trust are brought up by him when the Straw Hats had some inner conflict, as seen in Davy Back Games and in Water 7. Interestingly, Zoro only does this when Luffy, the Captain, isn't the one voicing this out or is also participating in the turmoil. It's the kind of action a First Mate would take, if the crew ever had one; Zoro's position is considered analogous to one, even if he is never referred to as such.

* DiveKick's Uncle Sensei is a mix of this and CrazyHomelessPeople, his most glaring examples of tapped wisdom from his training and being 10 year champion [[spoiler:till Mr. N's actions causing disqualification]] is whenever he speaks towards [[VideoGame/SaintsRow Johnny Gat]] and his own [[https://twitter.com/unclesensei twitter account]]

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* In ''Theatre/YesVirginiaTheMusical'', Scraggly Santa is responsible for both pointing Virginia in the right direction in her quest to prove Santa Claus is real, but also plants the seeds for Frank Church to give her a positive answer in the interest of inspiring.

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* The country song "Moments" by Emerson Drive, where the narrator gets life advice from a homeless man.

* The Series/ArrestedDevelopment song "Mr Wendal" suggests this about the titular homeless man referred to.
-->''Now that I know him, to give him money isn't charity\\
He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes''

* The Franchise/NationalLampoon adventures of O.C. and Stiggs has the 'sociopathic problem teens' taking advice from Wino Bob, who lives in the oleander bushes behind the liquor store...mostly advice on what kind of liquor to take on a date.

* VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment features striking examples.

You don't expect your average homeless person to want to talk, much less have a lesson they're prepared to teach you (that somehow specifically addresses your problem.) HookerWithAHeartOfGold and KingOfTheHomeless are often a source of this.

* The Creator/NationalLampoon adventures of O.C. and Stiggs has the 'sociopathic problem teens' taking advice from Wino Bob, who lives in the oleander bushes behind the liquor store...mostly advice on what kind of liquor to take on a date.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheOffice'', Michael was surprised to receive relationship advice from a stripper, while Benjamin Franklin turned out to be "kind of a sleazebag."

** This kind of becomes their thing in later movies. In ''Film/ChasingAmy'', Silent Bob despite [[TheSilentBob only speaking two sentences]] [[Film/{{Clerks}} in as]] [[Film/{{Mallrats}} many films]] gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Holden, and Jay has the idea to confront the bishop in ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. This is then wonderfully [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in ''Film/ClerksII'', as when Dante looks to him for advice, he's got nothing and it's [[TheSlacker Randall]] who has the great idea.

** This kind of becomes their thing in later movies. In ''Film/ChasingAmy'', Silent Bob despite [[TheSilentBob only speaking two sentences]] [[Film/{{Clerks}} in as]] [[Film/{{Mallrats}} many films]] gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Holden, and Jay has the idea to confront the bishop in ''Film/{{Dogma}}''. This is then wonderfully [[SuvertedTrope subverted]] in ''Film/ClerksII'', as when Dante looks to him for advice, he's got nothing and it's [[TheSlacker Randall]] who has the great idea.

* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', at the end of the legendary questline, as Wrathion is furious over [[spoiler:Varian ending hostilities with the Horde rather than utterly destroying them after Garrosh's defeat]], Tong, who has remained silent until this point, calls him out, saying that [[spoiler:the Alliance and the Horde may be enemies, but they grow stronger because of each other, just like the mantid and the pandaren did]]. Wrathion says that Tong is "just a waiter," and leaves in a huff, though.

* When Brendan Fraiser gets incarcerated in the remake of ''Film/Bedazzled2000'', his cellmate gives him some advice which ultimately saves his soul. [[spoiler:Ever-so-slighty justified because said inmate is actually [[DivineRaceLift God]].]]

* After the heroes figure out that selenium is the weakness of the alien menace in the film ''Film/{{Evolution}}'' (through [[SolveTheSoupCans a completely arbitrary deductive method]]) they wonder just where they're going to get enough selenium to save the day. It's the comic relief idiots that reveal the answer (selenium is the active ingredient in [[ProductPlacement Head & Shoulders shampoo]]). When asked by their disbelieving biology professor how they knew ''that'' when their final coursework essay was entitled, "Cells Are Bad", they point out how silky and dandruff-free their hair is.

* A RunningGag on ''The Armstrong and Miller Show'' features a Northern window cleaner expounding at some length on, eg. the crisis in the Middle East and presenting a plausible solution - "but what do I know?"

** Then again, not necessarily so suprising, considering he has [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech "seen the fall of empires and the murder of millions"]], [[http://www.misfile.com/?date=2008-05-08 as suggested here]]. Problem is, he's still a lazy bum.

* Kimblee from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' gives Roy and crew a nice little lecture during the Ishvalan war on accepting the fact that as a soldier, you are killing people, and there's no way around it, so [[TheDeadHaveNames you'd better remember their faces;]] [[DueToTheDead they'll never forget yours.]] [[JerkassHasAPoint He has a point.]] He brings up a lot of good points on philosophy and morality, and the nature of duty, respect, and personal integrity. None of this changes the fact that he's a psychopath that LovesTheSoundOfScreaming.

* In ''Film/TwentyFourHourPartyPeople'', Tony Wilson gets a pep-talk from [[Creator/ChristopherEccleston a bum on the street]] who claims to be the philosopher Boethius. Tony later repeats this quote word for word during a broadcast of ''WheelOfFortune'' he's hosting, and the director of the episode (played by [[TheCameo the real Tony Wilson]]) promptly instructs the editor to cut around that tedious bullshit.

* ''Film/BruceAlmighty'' features this -- although justified, [[spoiler:as the homeless man providing Bruce with pithy yet wise messages morphs into [[MorganFreeman God]] at the end.]]

When this trope can be relied upon in VideoGames, it's InfallibleBabble.

* In ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'', New York has turned freezing cold due to climate change and power failure. Using his wisdom from years on the street, a homeless man teaches a rich boy how to use paper to insulate himself from the cold.