25 Office Space Quotes on Following Your Purpose & Passion

These Office Space quotes we’ve compiled will make you giggle while making you reflect on your career and life choices.

Often, we’re swept with the flow of life and end up working jobs we thought we liked. However, as we age, we slowly realize that life is not all about work—especially work we don’t enjoy.

This is the same dilemma that Peter faced in Office Space. He was so fed up with the kind of work he was doing and his working environment. Peter just wanted to quit and live the life he wanted to live.

Peter’s realizations drastically changed how he approached his tasks. This, then, made up for a hilarious movie that will make you giggle at the absurdity of it all. But, you will also rethink your choices in life and work.

So, if you want a meaningful movie packed with funny lines, Office Space is just for you. We’ve gathered our favorite quotes we’re sure you’ll love!

Continue here.

And don’t forget to check out these Napoleon Dynamite quotes and Clerks quotes.

Best Office Space Quotes

1. Peter Gibbons: “I gotta get out of here. I think I’m gonna lose it.”

Preppy Server: “Uh oh. Sounds like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays.”

2. “We don’t have a lot of time on this Earth! We weren’t meant to spend it this way! Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms, and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements!” – Peter Gibbons

3. Michael Bolton: “Peter, you’re in deep shit. You were supposed to come in on Saturday. What were you doing?”

Peter Gibbons: “Michael, I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything that I thought it could be.”

4. Samir Nagheenanajar: “No one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It’s not that hard. Nayee-Nanajar. Nayeenanajar.”

Michael Bolton: “Yeah, well, at least your name isn’t Michael Bolton.”

Samir Nagheenanajar: “You know, there’s nothing wrong with that name.”

Michael Bolton: “There was nothing wrong with it—until I was about 12 years old, and that no-talent-ass-clown became famous and started winning Grammys.”

5. Peter Gibbons: “Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you’d do if you had a million dollars and you didn’t have to work. And invariably, what you’d say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars, then you’re supposed to be an auto mechanic.”

Samir Nagheenanajar: “So what did you say?”

Peter Gibbons: “I never had an answer. I guess that’s why I’m working at Initech.”

6. Peter Gibbons: “So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that’s on the worst day of my life.”

Dr. Swanson: “What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?”

Peter Gibbons: “Yeah.”

Dr. Swanson: “Wow, that’s messed up.”

7. “I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from 9 to 11. I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she’s filing, then I should be able to listen to the radio while I’m collating, so I don’t see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from 9 to 11.” – Milton Waddams

8. Peter Gibbons: “You’re gonna lay off Samir and Michael?”

Bob Slydell: “Oh yeah, we’re bringing in some entry-level graduates, farm some work out to Singapore; that’s the usual deal.”

Bob Porter: “Standard operating procedure.”

Peter Gibbons: “Do they know this yet?”

Bob Slydell: “No! No, of course not! We find it’s always better to fire people on a Friday. Studies have statistically shown that there’s less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week.”

9. Bob Slydell: “If you would, would you walk us through a typical day, for you?”

Peter Gibbons: “Yeah.”

Bob Slydell: “Great.”

Peter Gibbons: “Well, I generally come in at least 15 minutes late, ah, I use the side door—that way Lumberg can’t see me, heh—after that I sorta space out for an hour.”

Bob Porter: “Da—uh? Space out?”

Peter Gibbons: “Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I’m working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I’d say in a given week, I probably only do about 15 minutes of real, actual, work.”

10. Bob Porter: “Looks like you’ve been missing a lot of work lately.”

Peter Gibbons: “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say I’ve been missing it, Bob.”

Office Space Quotes for a Sneak Peek Into Your Favorite Scenes

11. “Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment.” – Nina

12. “No! Not again! Why does it say paper jam when there is no paper jam? I swear to God, one of these days, I’m just going to kick this piece of shit out of the window.” – Samir Nagheenanajar

13. “Y—excuse me. You—I believe you have my stapler?” – Milton Waddams

14. “Oh, and remember, next Friday is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.” – Bill Lumbergh

15. “Well—well, look. I already told you: I deal with the goddamn customers, so the engineers don’t have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can’t you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?” – Tom Smykowski

16. “I’m going to need those TPS reports—ASAP. So, if you could do that, that would be great.” – Bill Lumbergh

17. “I can’t believe what a bunch of nerds we are. We’re looking up money laundering in a dictionary.” – Peter Gibbons

18. Peter Gibbons: “You see, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy; it’s that I just don’t even care.”

Bob Porter: “Don’t—don’t care?”

Peter Gibbons:” It’s a problem of motivation, alright? Now, if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don’t see another dime, so where’s the motivation? And here’s another thing, I have eight different bosses right now.”

Bob Slydell: “I beg your pardon?”

Peter Gibbons: “Eight bosses, Bob.”

Bob Porter: “Eight?”

Peter Gibbons: “Eight, Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That’s my only real motivation: not to be hassled—that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.”

19. “Not right now, Lumbergh; I’m kinda busy. In fact, look, I’m gonna have to ask you to just go ahead and come back another time. I got a meeting with the Bobs in a couple of minutes.” – Peter Gibbons

Office Space Quotes That You Will Speak to Your Soul

20. “Hello Peter, what’s happening? Um, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and come in tomorrow. So if you could be here around nine, that would be great. Oh! Oh, and I almost forgot—ah, I’m also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too, okay? We—ah—lost some people this week, and we sorta need to play catch up.” – Bill Lumbergh

21. Peter Gibbons: “Well, see, they wrote all this bank software, and, uh, to save space, they used two digits for the date instead of four. So, like, 98 instead of 1998? Uh, so I go through these thousands of lines of code and, uh—it doesn’t really matter. I—uh—I don’t like my job, and I don’t think I’m gonna go anymore.”

Joanna: “You’re just not gonna go?”

Peter Gibbons: “Yeah.”

Joanna: “Won’t you get fired?”

Peter Gibbons: “I don’t know, but I really don’t like it, and I’m not gonna go.”

Joanna: “So you’re gonna quit?”

Peter Gibbons: “Nuh-uh. Not really. I’m just gonna stop going.”

Joanna: “When did you decide all that?”

Peter Gibbons: “About an hour ago.”

Joanna: “Oh, really? About an hour ago—so you’re gonna get another job?”

Peter Gibbons: “I don’t think I’d like another job.”

Joanna: “Well, what are you going to do about money and bills and—.”

Peter Gibbons: “You know, I’ve never really liked paying bills. I don’t think I’m gonna do that, either.”

Joanna: “Well, so what do you wanna do?”

Peter Gibbons: “I wanna take you out to dinner, and then I wanna go back to my apartment and watch Kung Fu. Do you ever watch Kung Fu?”

Joanna: “I love Kung Fu.”

22. “Hey, Peter, check it out, Channel 9; it’s the breast exams!” – Lawrence

23. “Well, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Just take a look at my cousin; he’s broke, don’t do shit.” – Lawrence

24. Nina: “Now, Milton, don’t be greedy. Let’s pass it along and make sure everyone gets a piece.”

Milton Waddams: “Yeah, but last time, I didn’t receive a piece. And I was told—.”

Nina: “Just pass.”

Milton Waddams: “I could set the building on fire.”

25. Samir Nagheenanajar: “I’m not going to do anything illegal.”

Peter Gibbons: “Illegal? Samir, this is America!”

Have You Ever Felt the Same Way as Peter Gibbons Did?

Life can feel hectic and boring at the same time, and we don’t blame you for feeling that way. Our tasks seem never-ending when we’re caught up in everything we have to do at work. However, even with all the busyness, if we don’t like what we do, life feels dull and unpurposeful.

This will make you unmotivated to excel or do anything. You’ll feel like you just want to quit and start living your life outside of work. For Peter in Office Space, this realization is life-changing.

It’s not wrong to want a change in career or lifestyle. However, unlike Peter, we must not act rashly and simply stop working or paying rent. We must take our time, resolve our issues, and avoid burning bridges.

Office Space might be a comedy on the outside, but it’s a relatable movie that speaks to anyone doing something they don’t enjoy. So, remember to find your passion, as it will guide you to your true purpose in life. Following that, we hope this list of quotes was a good starting point for you to live the life you were meant to live!

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.