Context

This line is spoken by Sergeant Hans Schultz, played by John Banner, in the TV show Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971).

Hogan's Heroes is all about a group of Americans fighting Germans during World War II… from inside a Nazi prison camp. Huh?

See, Hogan and his fellow POWs regularly trick the German officers on the base into letting them help the Allied cause by sending information or helping folks escape. Sure, it's a little far-fetched, but, hey, it's a comedy.

One of the ways they keep from getting caught is by bribing the bumbling Sergeant Schultz. Instead of reporting rule-breaking to his commanding officer, Sergeant Schultz will declare that he knows nothing when he learns about suspicious prisoner activities. He sometimes switches it up with "I see nothing!" or "I hear nothing!" but one thing's for sure—this is the know-nothing-est Nazi of all time. And that's saying something.

Where you've heard it

Whomever you've heard saying this is in a serious state of denial. It sounds sort of suspicious to us, actually. You might want to investigate further.

Additional Notable References:

• On Fawlty Towers, Manuel protests "I know nothing," even though Basil Fawlty really wishes he wouldn't.
• Unlike Sergeant Schultz, Jon Snow doesn't say this about himself, but other people sure do.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

On one hand, you're quoting a Nazi. But on the other hand, it's a comedy and you are being self-deprecating. We're gonna say this line is pretty low on the pompousness scale.