Quotes from Mel Brooks

You got to be brave. If you feel something, you've really got to risk it.

Dom DeLuise was a big man in every way. He was big in size and created big laughter and joy.

Any man's greatness is a tribute to the nobility of all mankind, so when we celebrate the genius of [Leo] Tolstoy, we say, "Look! One of our boys made it! Look what we're capable of!"

Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made.

My mother is very short - four-eleven. She could walk under tables and never hit her head.

I was born on the kitchen table. We were so poor my mother couldn't afford to have me; the lady next door gave birth to me.

Everything starts with writing. And then to support your vision, your ideas, your philosophy, your jokes, whatever, you've gotta perform them and/or direct them, or sometimes just produce them.

One day, God said 'Let there be prey.' And he created pigeons, rabbits, lambs and Gene Wilder.

I always thought it was great to be able to make people feel better. It was a little like being God.

Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance.

Immortality is a by-product of good work.

Anybody can direct, but there are only eleven good writers.

Coleman Jacoby and Arnie Rosen won an Emmy and Mel Brooks didn't! Niezsche was right! There is no God! There is no God!

Humor is just another defense against theuniverse.

Hope for the Best. Expect the worst. Life is a play. We're unrehearsed.

Good taste is the enemy of comedy.

He who hesitates is poor.

It's talent. Either you got it or you ain't.

As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.

Well, you know, 'Spaceballs' is a weird combination, because it's a simple, sweet little fairytale, and it's crazy and out-there and making fun of and taking apart sci-fi, 'Star Wars', and 'Star Trek'.

I like Chris Rock. He's dangerous.

I'll accept bad taste in a minute, as long as there's some great comedy minds and performances.

But I have bad taste with a deep fount of intellectuality.

If you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy and colorful and lively.