Eric Forman is the hilarious and sarcastic main character of the sitcomThat ’70s Show, and because of that, he has several quotable lines. The show follows Eric and his group of friends in the 1970s as they let loose and endure the trials of high school and romance.Eric Forman is full of sassy quips, especially those aimed at his close friends and his father, Red (Kurtwood Smith). Like howRed Forman’s iconic quotesand jabs are projected towards him, Eric usually responds with the same gusto.
That ’70s Showaired for eight seasonsfrom 1998-2006, with the original series containing 200 episodes. In 2023, Netflix developed a spinoff titledThat ’90s Show, revolving around Eric and Donna’s daughter. While Topher Grace’s Eric only makes a cameo in the first episode of the spinoff, it relies a lot on the original’s iconic sass, jokes, and characters. InThat ’70s Show,Eric and his friends have many hilarious momentsand quotes that make the original show a well-liked early 2000s sitcom.
That ’70s Show: 15 Best Quotes, Ranked
Throughout all eight seasons of That ’70s Show, there were multiple amazing quotes from its characters that were both funny and emotional at times.
10"Fez, Tell Us What Happened. And Don’t Be Afraid To Use Colorful Words Like Sweaty, Or Fondle, Or Forbidden."
Season 5, Episode 22
In the aforementionedThat ’70s Showepisode, the foreign exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) reveals he had a disturbing sexual dream about Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), another member of the group. Everyone teases Fez relentlessly for the contents of his subconscious. Eric’s line is a jab at Fez, acting interested in his dream but making fun of the implications of his romantic attraction towards Kelso.Delivered in Eric’s typical dry manner, the quote seems serious but is used to mock Fez and the typical description of a sexual encounter.
Kelso is as disturbed by the dream as Fez. He even begins to question his own sexuality after hearing the contents of the dream, wondering if he actually is heterosexual. This query is only a blip in the show’s timeline and doesn’t recur later in the series, but Eric’s quip makes it memorable.
9"You Dance With Mary Jane, You Get Your Toes Stepped On. That’s Right. Consequences, My Friend."
Season 2, Episode 1
In theThat ’70s Showepisode “Garage Sale,” the Forman family holds a yard sale to earn some extra money. With nothing to sell, rebel Hyde (Danny Masterson) makes laced brownies to help out. Unknowingly, the adults eat the brownies, getting them high and acting funny. The teens don’t know how to handle the adults without exposing the truth about the brownies. Eric says this iconic line to scold Hyde, referring to the drugs as “Mary Jane” and saying his super-giddy father is “high as a kite.”
In this outing, the roles of parent and child are reversed, asEric scolds Red, while his father watches in a stupor. The subdued demeanor is comically compared to Red’s normal, high-strung, and annoyed self. The episode even has a segment with the adults all sitting in a circle being high, filmed in the style typically reserved for the teens' smoking sessions. Eric’s mom, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), is also in the circle, laughing hysterically and enjoying the high.
8"Mmm.. Bacon…"
Season 6, Episode 1
In a funny accent, Eric uses this line to mock his father’s new diet. Kitty informs Red that he should no longer eat egg yolks or bacon; instead, he has to eat ham. Despondent,Red looks at Eric across the breakfast table, who is eating bacon.Never missing a moment to taunt his father, Eric shows he is savoring his ability to eat fatty meat in theThat ’70s Showepisode.
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Eric repeats this line several times, making sure Red and the audience know what he’s eating. His pronunciation gets sillier and more dramatic with each reading. This scene well demonstrates the small ways that Red and Eric try to get under each other’s skin, hitting him where it hurts.
7"You Only Think She’s Hot Because She’s Made Of Hellfire."
Season 5, Episode 3
In thisThat ’70s Showepisode, Hyde plans to tell Kelso he is dating his ex-girlfriend, Jackie (Mila Kunis). Eric attempts to talk Hyde out of this plan and to get him to stop dating Jackie, whom he dislikes. AfterEric refers to Jackie as the devil, Hyde responds that he can’t help but like her because she’s hot. Eric doubles down on the metaphor, saying that she’s hot because she’s “made of hellfire.”
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Eric and Jackie often have a sibling-like antagonistic relationship towards each other.Eric often says mean thingsto Jackieand talks badly about her when she’s not present. Somehow, it is very similar to his relationship with his sister Laurie. It’s a weird character trait that, while funny, often makes Eric hard to love. Jackie is not always kind, but he definitely paints her in a bad light, often unfairly.
6"And I Wish I Was An Octopus, So I Could Put Eight Feet In Eight Different Asses."
Season 6, Episode 12
In thisThat ’70s Showepisode, a therapist visits the Forman home to try to help reduce Red’s stress levels. While Kitty panics that it will reveal she’s at fault, the episode is full of hijinks and a comedic ending. One of the therapist’s activities is havingRed and Eric roleplay as each other, hoping that they might be able to solve their problems through acting.
Eric Finally Making Red Proud Was His Perfect That ‘90s Show Return
That ’90s Show’s season 1 premiere features a perfect moment in which Eric’s greatest fears come true when making his father Red proud of him.
Red makes some initial jabs at Eric’s sass. Then, when pretending to be his father, Eric delivers the said octopus line. This is indirect reference to Red’s infamous threatsabout kicking people’s asses. This is one of the few “foot-in-ass” jokes not told by Red over the series. By the end of theThat ’70s Showepisode, the stress specialist determines that Eric is the cause of Red’s frustrations.
5"Because You’re Breaking Up The Band, Yoko!"
Season 5, Episode 2
In theThat ’70s Showepisode, just before Kelso finds out about Jackie and Hyde’s relationship, Eric tries to get them to stop seeing each other. Fearing Kelso’s reaction, he begs them to stop hooking up and let things remain the same. WhenJackie asks why Eric cares, he quickly tells her she’s"breaking up the band,“meaning the friend group will fall apart after the news spreads.
The Beatles broke up in the early 1970s, making it an appropriate reference that the teens would have been aware of.
This line is a reference to Yoko Ono, who many accuse of breaking up The Beatles because of her relationship with John Lennon. The Beatles broke up in the early 1970s, making it an appropriate reference that the teens would have been aware of. However, the line is delivered so quickly and comically that it’s easy to miss, especially if watching without subtitles.
Season 7, Episode 1
After the events in theThat ’70s Showseason 6 finale, Eric is at home with his parents. Red begins to question what Eric is going to do with his life. He asks about his son’s plans for moving out, Donna, and getting a job. To each of these questions,Eric gives a quick and concise answer of “I dunno"as he focuses on his breakfast.
Finally, Red bluntly asks what Eric plans to do with his future, to which he lengthens his response to this iconic quote. Because of Eric’s attitude and general apathy, Red refuses to feed him until he comes up with a new life plan.The rest of theThat ’70s Showepisode is about Eric figuring out what he wants to dowith his life with the help of his friends.
3"Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Kelso Nailed Your Sister.”
Season 7, Episode 10
In theThat ’70s Show,Kelso begins to date and sleep with Hyde’s sister, becoming a sore spot for Hyde. Though he tends to handle it okay, he can’t help but lash out at the group after they tease him mercilessly because of it. After Hyde’s quip, Eric replies, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but Kelso nailed your sister,” turning the jab into a schoolyard taunt.
Eric and Fez roast Hyde several timesduring this episode, usually using the word “nailed.” They are determined never to let Hyde forget what Kelso did. Hyde gets a little bit of his own medicine, as he is usually the wise-cracking one who laughs at others. So the crew misses no opportunity to make fun of Hyde, even though he’s technically not.
2"God, What Did You Have For Breakfast This Morning? Carnation Instant Bitch?”
Season 4, Episode 5
By this point inThat ’70s Show,Eric and Donna have broken up and taken jabs at each other. The comments range from funny to a little too personal and uncomfortable. When Donna defends Fez from Eric’s mean comments, he delivers this iconic line. It is clear he is struggling to think of anything to retortand says the first thing he can think of.
Eric’s insult is a reference to the Carnation Instant Breakfast brand, which was a popular product at the time. It is clear it is not a very clever insult, especially since Eric bails at the end and just calls Donna a curse word. The stupidity of the line is part of Eric’s charm, which shows that, despite trying to be mean, he’s really quite a nerd underneath who can’t come up with anything smart.
That ’70s Showis available to stream on Peacock and Sling.
1"I Love… Cake."
Season 2, Episode 7
After Donna tells Eric she loves him, he panics. Just as he is about to respond that he loves her too, he pivots and confesses his love of cake. Obviously, this creates conflict in the episode, as everyone agrees thatEric’s response was dumb and inappropriate. Eric has to find a way to make things right with Donna before the damage is irreparable. Later in the episode, Fez tells Eric another great line, exemplifying the priorities of a teenage boy. According to Fez, “Cake is good, but you cannot have sex with cake.”
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Eric has many great quotes inThat ’70s Show, but this particular line is so iconic that it is even the title of the episode. It’s also a reminder of how important this moment is in the history of the well-beloved sitcom. Quotes like these exemplify the quick humor and absurd situations that often come up inThat ’70s Show— something that is known for, and that its spinoff hopefully follows, assumingThat ’90s Showmoves forward with season 3. Eric Forman and his dorky quips are some of the funniest and most iconic parts of the original series.
That ’70s Show
Cast
That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s.
