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This 1 Quote From ‘The Office’ Proves What Kind of Person Michael Scott Is
The Office is a series chock-full of memorable quotes, like Dwight Schrute’s (Rainn Wilson) “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ and if they would, I do not do that thing,” or Jim Halpert’s (John Krasinski) “I am about to do something very bold in this job that I’ve never done before: try.” But beyond a shadow of a doubt, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott is the undisputed king of The Office quote, and one of his most memorable sums up the character more than any other, and it’s from Season 2’s “The Fight”: “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”
This Quote from ‘The Office’ Sums Up the Dichotomy That is Michael Scott
In “The Fight,” Jim goads Michael and Dwight into an office fight after learning Dwight has a purple belt in karate. Dwight takes Michael down quickly with two stomach blows, and knocks his ego down with it. He insists on a rematch at Dwight’s dojo over lunch, and invites the entire staff down to watch. It’s a debacle, with the fight devolving into something someone might see in an elementary school playground. Nevertheless, Michael comes out on top, prompting Dwight to change his emergency contact from Michael to “the Hospital.” But to make amends, Michael promotes Dwight from “Assistant to the Regional Manager” to Dwight’s coveted position of “Assistant Regional Manager.”
In the context of the episode, the quote makes perfect sense. He doesn’t want to be seen as being lesser than or disrespected by Dwight in any way, yet he comes up with a bogus promotion as a means of getting back into his good books. Feared, and loved, in 20 minutes. And in the context of the series, the quote sums up the dichotomy that is Michael Scott. On the one hand, he wants to be the boss, the authoritarian where his word is the final word. His constant hostility towards Toby (Paul Lieberstein), for even the slightest challenge to his edicts, or his attitude toward Idris Elba‘s Charles Miner, whose no-nonsense approach to management and cost-cutting measures is decidedly at odds with Michael’s, shall we say, laissez-faire management style and, worse, his desire for a big fifteenth-anniversary party for himself.
Michael Scott summed himself up perfectly without even knowing it.
On the other hand, he wants to be respected and accepted by people, even loved. When he’s tasked with a new, inexpensive health care plan for the office, he hands the decision off to Dwight, simply because he doesn’t want to be the bad guy, and when Dwight, inevitably, goes too far, Michael tries to smooth it over by promising the entire office a surprise, which he never delivers. Feared and loved, two extremes that rarely go hand in hand, especially for someone who’s often too incompetent to be an effective boss, and too Michaelish at times to be respected and loved. “I want people to be afraid of how much they love me” is the perfect summation, then, of those two extremes, which in his mind he’s already married with earnest optimism.
Michael Scott’s Most Memorable Quote Isn’t the Only Time He’s Said the Same
It isn’t the only time that Michael has said the same thing, proving that the quote isn’t a one-off but a legitimate belief. In the pilot, Michael says, “I think that pretty much sums it up… I found it at Spencer Gifts” while holding up a “World’s Best Boss” mug. The fact that he bought it for himself is in line with wanting to put it out in the world that he is someone who is acknowledged as being a leader, and loved for it. A quote from “Fun Run” speaks directly, again, to his need to be loved… but not liked: “Do I need to be liked? Absolutely not. I like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. I have to be liked, but it’s not like this compulsive need to be liked, like my need to be praised.”
The thing is, Michael can achieve that balancing act, when he’s being the real empathetic and caring leader he is beneath the bombast and buffoonery. Going to Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) art show when no one else, including her fiancé, bothers to come. Creating and hosting the Dundies, ensuring that each one of his staff feels recognized and valued. Making savvy business moves to ensure his team’s jobs are safe, like securing a deal with HammerMill to sell their paper in “The Convention.” It’s in these moments that people should be afraid of how much they love him, for it’s in these moments that he earns it. That’s what she said.
