“Wisdom” might not be the first word that comes to mind when thinking about The Brady Bunch, but it definitely encompasses the wide-ranging life lessons that the six Brady kids — and their parents! — learned over the course of five seasons.
The series follows Mike Brady (Robert Reed) and his second wife, Carol Martin (Florence Henderson), both of them widowed, and their ragtag crew of kids from previous marriages— Greg (Barry Williams), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Peter (Christopher Knight), Jan (Eve Plumb), Bobby (Mike Lookinland), and Cindy (Susan Olsen) — as they all come together and learn how to exist as a blended family. The family’s housekeeper, Alice (Ann B. Davis), offers up plenty of wise-cracking opinions along the way.
Storylines often follow the typical sitcom formulas: competition amongst the siblings (“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” is a trademark line from middle sister Jan); love and dating; and doing well in school. The series aired from 1969 to 1974, and thanks to heavy syndication, inspired spinoffs, reunion specials, spoofy feature films, and more (HGTV’s A Very Brady Renovation, anyone?).
It was later criticized for failing to address some of the bigger social issues happening at the time, such as the Vietnam War, the rise of feminism, and calls for racial justice. But The Brady Bunch was focused on the microcosm of one family and its quotidian happenings from the start, intending to provide some lighthearted family entertainment during a tumultuous time in American history.
Here, we’ve highlighted 13 pearls of wisdom offered up by members of the Brady family over the years.
If there's anything I can't stand, it's a perfect kid. And SIX of 'em, yecch!Alice Nelson
Alone, we can only move buckets. But if we work together, we can drain rivers.Mike Brady
Sometimes you can help a sad little heart with a happy little tummy.Alice Nelson
I’m not a snitcher; I just tell it like it is.Cindy Brady
You ask a foolish question, you get a foolish answer.Alice Nelson
Cindy, you don’t ask a boy to call you. You get them to call you.Marcia Brady
Boys are tricky.Jan Brady
It’s pretty hard to fix a broken heart.Marcia Brady
Cindy, you know by tattling on your friends, you’re really just tattling on yourself. By tattling on your friends, you’re just telling them that you’re a tattletale. Now is that the tale you want to tell?Mike Brady
Women are different, we'll just sit calmly and work everything out.Carol Brady
Jan, a real friend likes you for who you are, not what's on your face.Mike Brady
I am a little Sunflower; sunny, brave and true. From tiny bud to blossom, I do good deeds for you.Peter Brady
I don't have to be logical; I'm a mother.Carol Brady
Featured image credit: AF archive/ Alamy Stock Photo
