For nine years, we followed the life of Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother. We saw him deal with disappointment and heartbreak, all while still believing he would eventually meet that one perfect woman to share his life with. During that time, he gave us some great moments; some of them silly and fun, some of them deadly serious. Being that today is Josh Radnor’s birthday, let’s explore some of the scenes and quotes that made Ted Mosby such a memorable character.
When he struggled through his first day as a professor:
You could hardly blame Ted for being nervous; it was his first day teaching a class, and he had a lot to worry about. Would his students be receptive to his message? Was he better off approaching things as an authoritarian, or as the laid back “cool guy” type? Naturally, he goes back and forth from each style multiple times in the span of a few seconds. This makes sense; throughout the series, we understand that Ted is a neurotic, indecisive guy (which, to be fair, is also why we like him), and it plays out in the most embarrassing way possible.
His speech to his future wife:
If there’s one thing we learned about Ted Mosby over the years, it’s that he’s a hopeless romantic. That comes through when he gives this speech to The Mother, 45 days before he would have originally met her. After years of seeing Ted get all mushy and lovey-dovey, this was the apex of his character. Honestly, it’s hard not to tear up a bit during this speech.
His failed attempts at beatboxing:
Okay, enough of the heavy stuff. Let’s focus on one of the more lighthearted aspects of Ted’s character. He thinks that drinking bourbon makes him an incredible beatboxer. The reality is that his beatboxing only sounds good to him (bourbon will do that to you). His actual, awful beatboxing is hilarious, but what we learn from the first part of this scene is that while Ted Mosby is a terrible beatboxer, Josh Radnor is actually an excellent one.
When he gave this essential piece of advice:
Ted is the type of person who’s willing to lay everything on the line, and this quote sums up his philosophy better than any other. The show followed his pursuit of love, and the risks he was willing to make for it. Plus, with inspirational advice like this, if Ted fails as a professor, he could always get a new job as a motivational speaker.
When he dealt with this harsh reality:
We’ve established what an utterly hopeless romantic Ted Mosby is, but he can only be an unrelenting optimist for so long. Ted dealt with a lot of disappointment and heartbreak over the course of the show. As we found out, even after he met The Mother and settled down with his family, her death was the most tragic blow of all. Ted’s romantic optimism is a big part of why his character is so likable, but it would be unrealistic if he was totally happy and lovey-dovey all the time, so lines like this do a good job of keeping his character grounded in reality.
Bonus: The Blue French Horn
Okay, maybe this isn’t a moment where you loved Ted or the writers (or maybe it is), but it’s such a Ted gesture that it had to be on the list, even as a bonus.
