For the past 11 seasons of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Mac has worked tirelessly to be accepted. As the self-appointed Sheriff of Paddy’s Pub, played by show creator Rob McElhenney (who turns 39 on Thursday), Mac sees himself as imperative to the bar’s operations, both for his perceived physical strength and martial arts prowess. He’s also regularly ridiculed by the rest of the gang, though to be fair, the gang’s subject of ridicule is pretty much a moving target. Still, despite Mac’s lack of self-awareness, he always believes that he’s doing the right thing. So, let these quotes from Mac MacDonald be there to help you during all those moments where you mean well — even if it’s not readily apparent, or appreciated, by those around you.
“No, it’s not a joke! You remember Genesis? Book two, verse three: And he breatheth into the nostrils of Adam on the first day and it was good.”
Only Mac would awkwardly insert himself into a personal conversation about a sensitive topic with a mangled Bible quote solely out of his need to seem devout. As ignorant as he comes off here, you can tell he genuinely believes words like “breatheth” and “nostrils” were written in the Old Testament. The lesson here is that your sincerity can sometimes (but not always) make up for your general lackluster knowledge.
“Silly? Dennis, that sounds downright dangerous.”
After Dee (Kaitlin Olson) questions why both Mac and Dennis need to come to her apartment to borrow an oversized bowl, it turns out they’re both prepared with a list of reasons. While the list starts out with the obvious “it’s more fun,” it’s when Dennis (Glenn Howerton) speculates that, at some point, one of them could get into a jam, you see that Mac’s readiness to be there for his best friend is practically a reflex. It’s this kind of well-meaning attitude that will help define you as a good friend.
“Look, every great crew in history has followed that basic dynamic, right? Looks, brains, wildcard — think about it! The A-team did it. Scooby Doo did it. The Ghostbusters did it!”
One of Mac’s shining moments came when he tried to break down the looks/brains/wildcard archetypes to Dennis, Charlie (Charlie Day) and himself, while totally selling them on his idea with the help of a few pop culture references. It’s so impressive that he’s even allowed to keep the mantle of brains of the group before it inevitably reverts back to Frank (Danny DeVito), making Mac the de facto muscle of the group, a role which he’s also happy with. It goes to show that when you’re earnestly trying to show some leadership, it really pays to know your audience and what they want to hear. Also, a well placed Ghostbusters reference will go a long way.
“…our friendship would be a real home run.”
Mac’s obsession with Phillies’ second baseman Chase Utley is one of his most strange and endearing running gags. It’s perhaps best summarized by his reaction to Dee as she reads a copy of the letter he’d sent to Utley over and over again, confidently proposing that the two should hang out sometime and have a catch. The real icing on the cake, though, occurs when Mac — while in traffic court — pantomimes the letter’s closing line, stating that their friendship would “be a real home run.” It’s the perfect line to use when you need to show just how determined you are to make a new friend.
“Charlie, this is our opportunity to prove to people that we are to be respected. No one is more respected than dudes in prison, right?”
If there’s one thing Mac wanted more than anything, it was his father’s love — though the respect of others would come in a close second. While he had neither, he honestly thought he had a chance to earn both when his father tried to convince him and Charlie to smuggle heroin into prison for him. A crime? Of course, but he just wanted to make his father happy.
“Charlie, make a move. Just tell her you wanna bang her.”
Mac’s less than romantic approach is a bit too direct and lacking in charm, but to him, it’s a helping hand to a friend who needs a nudge forward in his love life. Mac really is Cupid in this scenario.
“Smoke some cigarettes, the smoke will suffocate the bacteria in your stomach.”
This one isn’t quite as wisdom-y as the time Mac advised that you shouldn’t put trash in an open wound, but in a tense moment in his friendship with Dennis, he’s making an effort to advise him after he swallowed some apple seeds and failed in his attempt to throw up. On a molecular level, this is a sweet moment that reminds you that even if you’re fighting, your friends are still going to be your friends whenever the tension subsides.