Best Friends quotes: Unagi, lobsters and the left phalange

It's no wonder, then, that Friends quotes are constantly being dropped into conversations, memes and GIFs by fans around the world. But which are the greatest of all time?

Below, we've rounded up a selection of our favourite lines from Friends – listen out for them on your next rewatch and let us know what you'd add to the list!

24. "They don't know that we know they know we know." - Phoebe

Phoebe and Rachel's cheeky pranks on their secretly loved-up pals Monica and Chandler reached a daring peak in a memorable season 5 episode, which saw the gang engage in some seductive psychological warfare.

23. "Monday: One day. Tuesday: Two day. Wednesday: When? Huh? What day? Thursday: The THIRD day." - Joey

This bizarre rhyme was coined by Joey as he harassed Chandler to get him an important audition. For some reason, it's been burned in our brains ever since.

22. "It's so exhausting, waiting for death." - Phoebe

The quirkiest member of the coffee house gang was "kinda bummed" when her psychic told her she had one week left to live – cue this classic line, which feels ripped from the cynical Brit comedy playbook.

21. "Isn't that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?" - Rachel

Rachel was in for a nasty surprise when she attempted a grand romantic gesture for Ross, only to discover he'd fallen for a fellow academic named Julie (Futurama's Lauren Tom). Cue this classic line.

20. "You don't own a TV? What's all your furniture pointed at?" - Joey

The gang were all too happy to attend a palaeontology conference when they learned it was taking place in idyllic Barbados – but Joey was still unsettled by some of the people he met there.

19. "I'm the holiday armadillo!" - Ross

Ross was never far from surreal hijinks, but donning an armadillo costume (complete with booming voice) to teach his son, Ben, about Hanukkah has to be one of the strangest – and most iconic – in the entire show.

18. "See? He’s her lobster." - Phoebe

The will they/won't they romance between Ross and Rachel is one of the defining features of Friends – even if some fans feel they make a pretty lousy couple. Phoebe never doubted their eventual fate.

17. "We were on a break!" - Ross

Alas, there were plenty of ups and downs along the way, with an argument over whether Ross and Rachel were, in fact, on a break when he slept with someone else rearing its head in several seasons.

16. "Joey doesn’t share food!" - Joey

Although it's one of numerous character traits that doesn't line up with what has been shown previously, this season 10 addition to Friends has been widely accepted as canon. That chocolate cake did look good, to be fair.

15. "Oh. My. God." - Janice

Chandler's on-again off-again girlfriend Janice is the only guest character to appear in each and every season of Friends, with her entrance usually accompanied by this legendary catchphrase.

14. "... and yet, I never run into Beyoncé." - Chandler

Perhaps Chandler's best comeback to said catchphrase came in season 10 episode The One Where Estelle Dies, with this punchline ageing remarkably well as Beyoncé's star has only risen since.

13. "Joey ate my last stick of gum, so I killed him. Do you think that was wrong?" - Chandler

Chandler's nerves were frayed during an attempt to quit smoking, leading to this unexpected gem that stands out for just how random it is – and, of course, Matthew Perry's pitch-perfect delivery.

12. "Why can't parents just stay parents, you know? Why do they have to become people?" - Rachel

Occasionally, the show would hit you with a genuinely profound thought, such as this one.

11. "You threw my sandwich away? My sandwich? MY SANDWICH?" - Ross

In his gloriously chaotic post-Emily era, Ross was ordered to take time off from work after unleashing a tirade on his boss, who had (rather rudely, it must be said) eaten his Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.

10. "Today, it’s like there’s rock bottom, 50 feet of crap, then me." - Rachel

We've all been there, right?

9. "I'm fine! I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, 'cause really, [deep voice] I'm fine." - Ross

Another great episode for fans of an unhinged Ross comes in season 10, where he struggles to process the idea of Rachel and Joey being in a relationship.

8. "Ah, love. L-O-V-E love. L is for life! And what is life without love?" - Ross

The natural reaction is to host a double-date dinner party, which makes for hysterical viewing – but the highlight has to be this spontaneous acrostic poem, which surely belongs on a greeting card.

7. "Something is wrong with the left phalange." - Phoebe

Phoebe's long-used pseudonym came in handy in the final season as she attempted to stop Rachel from flying to Paris. Regina would be proud.

6. "Guys can fake it? Unbelievable! The one thing that's ours!" - Monica

Friends never shied away from discussions of sex, with countless pre-watershed broadcasts requiring some harsh edits.

5. "I try to go four times a week, but I've missed the last... 1,200 times." - Chandler

Chandler sums up how most of us feel about our gym memberships.

4. "This year was supposed to be great. Well, it's only the second day and I'm a loser." - Ross

A commonly meme'd line each and every New Year, this line comes from the farcical episode in which Ross dons leather trousers for a date. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

3. "Unagi." - Ross

When Ross boasts about the state of total awareness he achieved from years of karate (pronounced "karat-ay", of course), it leads to a contest of wills between himself and two unlikely rivals: Phoebe and Rachel.

2. "Seven!" - Monica

Monica gives Chandler a visceral lesson on the seven erogenous zones.

1. "Pivot!" - Ross

An ill-fated attempt to carry a new sofa up several flights of stairs ends in Ross barking the same order at his friends again and again, prompting Chandler to respond: "Shut up! Shut up! Shut arrgghh-up!" Comedy gold.

Friends is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.