A lot of things come in threes: Charmed sisters, Destiny’s Child and Harry Potter protagonists come to mind. Trios have become the subject of a Twitter meme ever since Ariana Grande dropped a new song, “thank u, next,” the lead single from the singer’s upcoming fifth album of the same name. The song is an ode to everything Grande has learned throughout her dating life.
One line, in particular, has Grande singing: “One taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain.” The line has sparked an internet meme that harnesses the power of three and has people assigning “love,” “patience” and “pain” to three separate images. Some of the memes come from queer-friendly favorites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlie’s Angels and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
One taught me love, one taught me patience, and one taught me pain. Now I’m so amazing. pic.twitter.com/Sz19khGZjm
— Ryan Bloomquist (@ryanbloomquist) November 4, 2018
one taught me love. one taught me patience. and one taught me pain. pic.twitter.com/fnMgaBhhWG
— connor (@holepics) November 5, 2018
one taught me love
one taught me patience
one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/mJQ6x58Mdk— benji (@benarmishaw) November 5, 2018
one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/jcPkfsmHH4
— Ayo Edebiri (@ayoedebiri) November 5, 2018
him: “you look like you have a lot on your mind”
*me trying to decide which ex showed ariana love, which one showed her patience, and which one showed her pain*
— ⋆krys⋆ (@krystab_) November 5, 2018
one taught me love, one taught me patience and one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/XXZma559TG
— elizabeth (@peeanofreek) November 5, 2018
One taught me love
One taught me patience
One taught me pain pic.twitter.com/mZQXNe11TO— Marcuth (@marcusmagnus22) November 5, 2018
one taught me love
one taught me patience
one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/Uxt9UuTZ4o— The Gunpowder Thot (@Philip_Ellis) November 5, 2018
One taught me love. One taught me patience. One taught me pain. pic.twitter.com/hgh40HnT2m
— DoH (@DeeOhAytch) November 5, 2018
one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/XRaSnLZIll
— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) November 5, 2018
one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain pic.twitter.com/9KcdPBAs4O
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) November 5, 2018
While it might be time to say “thank u, next” to your ex, it’s certainly not time for the meme to end.
Mathew Rodriguez
Mathew is a staff writer at INTO. His work has appeared in Mic, Slate and Complex. He loves "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Flannery O'Connor and female rappers and is working on a memoir.
