# Schrute Facts > Schrute Facts is a 2011 image-macro meme featuring Dwight Schrute from The Office, debunking common beliefs with his signature "False" and pedantic corrections. Schrute Facts is an image macro series built around Dwight Schrute from NBC's The Office, where a common saying or belief gets presented as a "fact" before Dwight's signature "False" shoots it down with a pedantic, overly literal correction. The format first appeared on Reddit on April 15, 2011, after being created on Quickmeme[9], and spread rapidly across meme generators and social platforms through 2012. Actor Rainn Wilson leaned into the joke by recording a charity video where he debunked inspirational Facebook quotes in full Dwight mode[3]. ## Origin Dwight Schrute's tendency to correct figurative language has been a defining character trait since The Office debuted in 2005. The character, based on Gareth Keenan from the original British series[4], is a know-it-all survivalist with an extremely literal worldview who regularly deems others' statements "false" and rebuts them with real-world logic. Image macros pairing Dwight's face with actual show quotes appeared online as early as February 2011[1]. The specific "Fact/False" format arrived on April 15, 2011, when an anonymous user created an image on Quickmeme and posted it to Reddit[9]. The caption targeted The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," with Dwight's rebuttal declaring that humans only need water and food to survive[9]. The post gained quick traction and kicked off a wave of imitations. - **Platform:** Quickmeme (creation), Reddit (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (original image macro creator) - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview The meme features a portrait of Dwight Schrute, the uptight paper salesman played by Rainn Wilson on NBC's The Office[1]. In the show, Dwight routinely corrects other characters' casual expressions by taking them at face value and pointing out why they're technically wrong[5]. The image macro borrows this habit: the top text states a well-known idiom, song lyric, or motivational phrase as if presenting a factual claim, and the bottom text begins with "FALSE" followed by Dwight's hyper-literal correction. The comedy relies on the gap between the emotional intent of the original saying and Dwight's cold insistence on factual accuracy. ## How It Spread The format caught on fast. By July 2011, the meme blog Runt of the Web ran a collection titled "Dwight Schrute Knows Best" that pushed the series to a wider audience[2]. Galleries and roundups followed on eBaum's World[6], Uproxx[8], and BuzzFeed[7]. By February 2012, the numbers told the story: more than 300 submissions on Reddit, over 14,000 on Quickmeme, and roughly 280 on Memegenerator[5]. ## How to Use The Schrute Facts format follows a simple two-part structure: 1. **Top text:** State a well-known saying, song lyric, motivational quote, or common belief as if presenting a fact. Examples include "love is all you need," "laughter is the best medicine," or "home is where the heart is." 2. **Bottom text:** Begin with "FALSE." Then add Dwight's correction, an aggressively literal interpretation that strips away the metaphor. The correction typically uses formal, almost clinical language. ## Cultural Impact The biggest crossover moment came in September 2012 when Rainn Wilson appeared in a video for Malarious, a charity collaboration between CollegeHumor and Malaria No More[11]. In the video, Wilson read inspirational quotes from Facebook users' profiles and debunked them in Dwight's signature style, drawing coverage from outlets like Mashable[3]. Wilson was fully on board with his character's meme status. During a 2012 Reddit AMA on r/IAmA, a user asked what he thought about Dwight becoming a meme. His answer: "I love that Dwight is a bobble-head, a graffiti, a meme and an icon of weirdness for a generation. So thankful to the fans for making Dwight a legend of TV," adding that he would "always be known for Dwight and I'm fine with that"[1]. ## Fun Facts - The Dwight Schrute bobblehead, first introduced in April 2006, became the highest-selling item in NBC Universal Store history by 2008, well before the Schrute Facts meme existed[1]. - Google searches for "schrute facts" predate the image macro by over a year, going back to February 2010, possibly driven by a Dwight Schrute trivia quiz on Sporcle[10]. - Rainn Wilson originally auditioned for the role of Michael Scott, describing his attempt as a "terrible Gervais impersonation," before casting directors redirected him to Dwight[4]. - The Malarious charity campaign that featured Wilson's meme-inspired video included over 30 celebrities across 24 videos[11]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Schrute Facts? Schrute Facts is an image macro meme featuring Dwight Schrute from The Office, where a common saying is presented as a "fact" and then shot down with a hyper-literal correction beginning with "FALSE"[1]. ### Where did Schrute Facts come from? The format originated on Quickmeme and was first posted to Reddit on April 15, 2011. The original caption responded to The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" by pointing out that humans need food and water to survive[9]. ### What does Schrute Facts mean? The meme plays on Dwight Schrute's in-show habit of correcting figurative language with pedantic, literal interpretations. It's buzzkill humor applied to feel-good sayings and common expressions[2]. ### How do you use Schrute Facts? Pick a well-known saying or inspirational quote for the top text. Add "FALSE" at the bottom, followed by Dwight's overly literal correction. The bigger the gap between the sentiment and the correction, the funnier it works[9]. ### Is Schrute Facts still popular? The format peaked in 2011-2012 but is widely recognized as a classic image macro from that era. Dwight's face and the "FALSE" catchphrase are still instantly recognizable to fans of The Office and meme culture[3]. ### Does Rainn Wilson like the Dwight Schrute meme? Yes. In a 2012 Reddit AMA, Wilson said he loved that Dwight had become "a meme and an icon of weirdness for a generation" and expressed gratitude to fans for making the character a TV legend[1]. ### What was the Malarious video? In September 2012, Rainn Wilson appeared in a CollegeHumor video for the charity Malaria No More, reading Facebook users' inspirational quotes and debunking them in Dwight's style. The video was covered by Mashable and other major outlets[3]. ### What's the difference between Schrute Facts and Dwight Schrute Knows Best? Dwight Schrute Knows Best is an earlier variant that pairs Dwight's image with actual quotes from the show. Schrute Facts uses the specific "Fact/False" template with original user-created corrections[2]. ### How many Schrute Facts memes were created? By February 2012, there were over 300 submissions on Reddit, more than 14,000 on Quickmeme, and roughly 280 on Memegenerator[5]. ### Was there interest in Schrute Facts before the meme? Google search data shows queries for "schrute facts" as early as February 2010, possibly driven by a Dwight Schrute trivia quiz on the website Sporcle[10]. ## References 1. [Rainn Wilson Proves Your Facebook Quotes Are False [VIDEO] | Mashable]() 2. [The Dwight Schrute Knows Best Meme]() 3. [The Office's Rainn Wilson Loves That Dwight Has Become A Meme]() 4. [Schrute Facts - Know Your Meme]() 5. [The Office (American TV series)]() 6. [Rainn Wilson]() 7. [Dwight Schrute]() 8. [Viral – UPROXX]() 9. [The Dwight Schrute Meme Gallery | eBaum's World]() 10. [Schrute meme | quickmeme]() 11. [The Best Of The 'Schrute Facts' Meme]() 12. [Profile: Dwight Schrute Quiz]() 13. [Home | Malaria No More]() 14. [MTV | Homepage - Shows & Schedules]() 15. [Schrute - love is all you need false you need wate..]() 16. [Quotes Archive - TV Fanatic]() 17. [Rainn Wilson Proves Your Facebook Quotes Are False [VIDEO] | Mashable]() 18. [Malarious]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/schrute-facts Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library