“Why Andy’s the best friend I got in the whole world, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s the best sheriff too. All them things I said; for example, his using the squad car for personal reasons. Sure, he was delivering groceries to Emma Watson because she was too sick to get down to the market, and that’s just one example of the thing’s Andy’s done for the folks in this town. I could give you a lot more. You gotta understand, this is a small town. The sheriff is more than just a sheriff. He’s a friend, and the people in this town, they ain’t got a better friend than Andy Taylor. As far as Andy knowing his job, I’d just like for you to take a look in the record book, Mr. Jackson. You know there ain’t been a major crime committed in this town thanks to Sheriff Taylor? The only ruckus you’d ever have in Mayberry is if you tried to remove him from office.
Then you’d have a riot. You asked me if Andy runs a tight ship, Mr. Milton. Well, no he don’t. But that’s because of something that he’s been trying to teach me ever since I started working for him, and that is, when you’re a law man and you’re dealing with people, you do a whole lot better if you go not so much by the book, but by the heart. I guess maybe that’s kinda hard for some of you to understand. I don’t know. It’s all I got to say.”
―Barney (about Andy)[src]