Who Said It: Napoleon or Michael Scott?

Fans of the American remake of The Office (2005–2013) find a satisfying discomfort in watching Dunder-Mifflin paper czar Michael Scott (Steve Carell) demonstrate profound ignorance and a near-total lack of knowledge of social cues. Any wisdom imparted is typically by accident.

Surprisingly, it can be difficult to separate Scott’s musings from those of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor who was no stranger to awkward sentiment himself. See if you can match the quote to the ruler in the quiz below.

Despite marshaling armies, Napoleon was rather clumsy when it came to expressing himself to wife Joséphine. His letters to her were often ripe with cringe attempts at emoting (“Your tears rob me of reason”).

There was at least one episode in the emperor’s life that could have provided an Office plot. In 1807, Napoleon embarked on a rabbit-hunting excursion. Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of rabbits were released from cages and expected to run for cover while Napoleon and his men stalked them. But the bunnies were shockingly aggressive, running toward their adversaries. Napoleon eventually had to retreat to his carriage. Later, it was discovered that the rabbits were tame, not wild, animals—and they hadn’t been fed that day. It seems they expected Napoleon to serve up lunch.

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