Things To Say Meme
Terrible advice, delivered with total confidence.
Post it today. Everyone gets it, nobody's tired of it.
The Things To Say meme is an ironic list of deliberately terrible lines to say to someone, like a teacher, a partner's dad or a job interviewer, posted next to a photo of a cool-looking celebrity or TV character. It started on TikTok in mid-August 2026, spread to Instagram Reels by the end of the month, and the Things To Say meme won Know Your Meme's Meme of the Month for September 2026.
What does Things To Say Meme mean?
The Things To Say meme is a parody of hustle-culture and alpha-advice posts. It looks like a list of tips for winning over a teacher, a partner's dad or a job interviewer, but every line is written to make the conversation go as badly as possible. The joke in every Things To Say meme is the confidence: the photo shows a cool-looking man who seems like he could pull it off, and the advice is a disaster.
A Things To Say meme titled "Things to say when meeting her dad" might list lines that get you shown the door in under a minute. One aimed at a teacher might suggest announcing that you'll be grading yourself this year. The list is the punchline.
Why did Things To Say Meme take off?
The Things To Say meme spread because it retargets in seconds. Swap the teacher for a boss, an in-law or a dentist and the list writes itself. It's also cheap to make: a photo, a title and a numbered list, posted as a slideshow.
Timing helped. Know Your Meme's explainer described a broader return of hustle-culture memes on Instagram and TikTok, and when readers voted the Things To Say meme September's top meme, the announcement called it a welcome return to that classic style. The irony of a Things To Say meme is easy to read, too: the cooler the man in the photo looks, the worse his advice gets.
Where did Things To Say Meme come from?
The Things To Say meme started on TikTok. On August 17, 2026, a creator posted a slideshow of crude "things to say" to a partner, and it passed 1.7 million views in a month. Know Your Meme, which added its entry on September 9, says Things To Say memes took off in late August, when people began writing lists for other audiences.
Two posts set the template for Things To Say memes. On August 30, a version about meeting a partner's dad, set next to a photo of Matthew McConaughey, passed 1.1 million views in a week. The next day a job-interview version passed 2.2 million views in a week, and the Things To Say meme jumped to Instagram Reels.
Know Your Meme files the Things To Say meme in its Sigma Grindset and hustle-culture series.
- The earliest known Things To Say meme, a TikTok slideshow of ironic lines for a partner, gets more than 1.7 million views in a month.
- A Things To Say meme about meeting a partner's dad, with a Matthew McConaughey photo, passes 1.1 million views in a week.
- A job-interview version passes 2.2 million views in a week, and Things To Say memes spread to Instagram Reels.
- A Know Your Meme explainer, republished by Yahoo, ties the Things To Say meme to a return of hustle-culture memes.
- The Things To Say meme wins Know Your Meme's Meme of the Month for September 2026 with 11.6% of the vote.
Popular versions of Things To Say Meme
Things To Say memes for her dad
One of the first big Things To Say memes targets a partner's father. Each line is built to make the first meeting worse. Other versions aim at moms and a spouse's parents.
The job-interview Things To Say meme
This Things To Say meme takes the joke to work: confident lines that would end an interview on the spot.
Dr. House at the doctor's office
On September 5 an Instagram Things To Say meme aimed at doctors used Hugh Laurie as Dr. House from House M.D. and passed 69,000 likes in four days. It showed the format works with fictional characters as well as celebrities.
Fandom targets
Fans moved the Things To Say meme into their own worlds, with lists for King Asgore from Undertale and a Warhammer-style chaos lord, alongside everyday targets like Uber drivers and puppies. Know Your Meme's entry collects them, including some crude ones.
How to post Things To Say Meme on TikTok
- Pick who you're talking to: a teacher, her dad, your boss.
- Title your Things To Say meme "Things to say to [them]" and write a numbered list of lines that would go terribly.
- Set it next to a photo of a confident-looking celebrity or TV character and post it as a TikTok or Reels slideshow.
Questions about Things To Say Meme
What does the Things To Say meme mean?
The Things To Say meme is a parody of hustle-culture advice. The list looks like tips for winning a conversation with a teacher, a partner's dad or a boss, but every line is designed to make it worse, and the cool celebrity photo sells the joke.
Where did the Things To Say meme come from?
The Things To Say meme came from a TikTok slideshow posted on August 17, 2026, which got more than 1.7 million views in a month.
What was the original Things To Say meme?
The original Things To Say meme was a crude TikTok slideshow of ironic lines to say to a partner, posted on August 17, 2026. Later versions that spread widely aimed at tamer targets, like dads, teachers and job interviewers.
Who is the guy in the Things To Say meme?
There isn't one guy in the Things To Say meme. Posts use different cool-looking men, often Matthew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio or Hugh Laurie as Dr. House.
Is there a Things To Say meme template or generator?
There's no official Things To Say meme template or generator. The format is simple to build by hand: a photo of a confident celebrity or character, a title like "Things to say to your teacher," and a numbered list, posted as a TikTok or Instagram slideshow.
How do I make a Things To Say meme?
To make a Things To Say meme, choose a target, write "Things to say to [them]" as the title, then list lines that would go terribly, written with total confidence. Add a photo of someone who looks like they'd pull it off and post it as a slideshow.
Did the Things To Say meme win Meme of the Month?
Yes. Know Your Meme readers voted the Things To Say meme September 2026's Meme of the Month with 11.6% of the vote, announced on October 2, ahead of Chile Memes at 8.4% and "Let's Groove" edits at 7.4%.
Is the Things To Say meme real advice?
No. The Things To Say meme is intentionally bad advice, Know Your Meme says, in the tradition of Advice Dog.
What memes is the Things To Say meme like?
Know Your Meme compares the Things To Say meme to Advice Dog, which paired a dog with terrible advice, and to the Rare Fish investment memes. It also files it with hustle-culture formats like Let's Get This Bread and We Are Not the Same.
Why is the Things To Say meme so popular?
The Things To Say meme is easy to remix for any audience and easy to read as irony. It arrived as hustle-culture memes were coming back on Instagram and TikTok.
Sources
What changed on this page
Updated Oct 15, 2026
- Page published with dated sources.
- Page expanded: origin story, popular versions and more questions, with sources.
- Added the original picture, as it went round online.
- Tightened the page to the site's 1,200–1,600-word standard; no facts changed.
Things To Say MemeThe original
