The Big Bang Theory: Leonard's 5 Best Pieces Of Advice (& His 5 Worst)
Leonard Hofstadter is one of the wiser characters on The Big Bang Theory that is capable of getting along with just about anybody. Raj couldn't talk to women for a long time, Howard was too creepy and outlandish to have around, and Sheldon was socially awkward. Leonard, on the other hand, was friends with most of the people he became close to and was able to help anyone that needed it.
Leonard has given advice to all of his friends at one point or another but not all advice is treated equally. Sometimes Leonard's direction can be self-serving while other times they can be nonsensical. But even so, Leonard appears to like helping his friends when they need him. It's up to his friends, however, to actually take his advice.
10 Best: Face Your Emotions Head On
When Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler broke up the first time around (you know, when Amy was just a girl that was also a friend...), he began to lose himself. He started adopting cats and spending most of his time cuddling them instead of doing equations on his whiteboard. It was very unlike Sheldon.
Leonard realized that Sheldon was essentially mourning the loss of Amy. He told Sheldon that he had to embrace what he was feeling in order to come out stronger on the other side. Leonard's words didn't resonate with Sheldon as much as his mother's did but it was still excellent advice.
9 Worst: The Advice Penny Never Asked For
After dating Leonard and befriending Bernadette and Amy, Penny felt inspired to further her education. She began taking a history course with hopes of eventually taking more courses and getting her degree. Leonard was proud of Penny but was also worried for her.
She had a paper due in her next class and he gave her some advice to get a good grade. But when she didn't show him the end result, he became nervous. He ended up going into her computer and editing her entire paper without her consent. It would seem that even with his advice, her paper wasn't up to par.
8 Best: Don't Quit Your Job Without Having Another Job Lined Up
The entire reason Penny moved to California was to focus on her acting. But when her acting wasn't going anywhere, she realized she was waiting tables more than going on auditions. With a little guidance from Sheldon, Penny quit the Cheesecake Factory to put 100% of her time into acting. There was just one small problem: she was already in debt and could barely afford her apartment. She needed a job. Leonard called her and told her that it would be silly to have no job with bills still coming in every week, but Penny ignored him. She continued with acting until she financially couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to move on.
7 Worst: Don't Tell Another Person What To Do In Their Marriage
It was shocking when the world found out that Penny had been secretly married to her ex-boyfriend, Zack, for years without her knowledge. She was under the impression that the Las Vegas weddings were a joke, which was exactly why she and Zack did it.
But come Thanksgiving, Penny found out her marriage was, in fact, real. Leonard was tortured knowing that Penny agreed to marry Zack but refused to marry him. He advised her on what to do to get out of the marriage but his advice was far too pushy. It was a moment where he was doing more harm than good.
6 Best: Expose The Frauds (And Come Out On Top)
In the 12th season, Sheldon and Amy were very close to winning a Nobel Prize but two scientists stood in their way. They were making a name for themselves in the public eye and Sheldon and Amy were left behind. But once it came out that the two scientists were frauds, Leonard's advice was cut-throat. He was going to take the two scientists down for their fraudulent behavior so that his friends could win the Nobel in peace. Penny was taken back by his advice but liked where he was coming from.
5 Worst: How To Lose Penny
It's hard to imagine Stuart as confident and outgoing, but that's exactly what he was in the earlier episodes. He had the courage to not just flirt with Penny but to ask her on a date — and she accepted! Stuart wanted to make a good impression on Penny, so he turned to Leonard. He asked Leonard how to win over Penny, and instead of giving him honest answers, Leonard told Stuart lies to make the date go sour. The two didn't last very long and one could say that Leonard is to blame.
4 Best: Take Care Of Your Finances
In a way, Leonard is much more than Penny's best friend and husband, Leonard is her personal accountant, cheerleader, and biggest motivator. When Leonard does well, Penny wants to do well. Penny wasn't great with her finances and didn't earn a lot when she was a waitress. The megabucks didn't start rolling in until she was working as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Nevertheless, Leonard tried advising her when it came to finances but it never ended well. They fought about it in "The Financial Permeability" and when they were vacationing with Sheldon and Amy at the cabin in the woods. As much as Penny hated talking about it, she needed Leonard's help.
3 Worst: You Have To Be "Smart" To Be Considered Datable
Not only did Leonard give Penny non-solicited advice for her history paper but he also suggested that she should go back to school.
When Leonard and Penny first began seeing each other, Penny was nervous that the two were too different; that she wasn't smart enough to be with someone like Leonard. To prove her point, Leonard showed up at her doorstep with college pamphlets and suggested that she attended. After his rambling advice, penny slammed the apartment door in his face and left.
2 Best: How To Keep Sheldon Happy
Everyone was thrilled when Amy and Sheldon decided to finally live together. They were moving in across the hall and were both excited and nervous for their new adventure. To prepare herself, Amy asked Leonard for some advice since he knew Sheldon the best. Leonard's advice sound elementary but it was actual advice that Amy could have totally used (like always keeping snacks in the car in case he got hungry).
1 Worst: Don't Stick Up For Yourself
Now, Leonard never specially told Penny not to stand up for herself but he did imply that she should remove herself from the articulate conversation.
In the episode, everyone is on the roof looking at the night sky when Penny suddenly sees a comet. No one believes Penny but she turned out to be right. Sadly, Raj took all the credit when it came time to report the comet. He never once brought up Penny's name. Instead of leaving the situation alone or supporting his wife, Leonard's advice proved that he supported Raj. Penny soon became mad at both men and Leonard began backtracking everything he said but it was too late.