Quotes About Comedy

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

The only thing we don't have a god for is premature ejaculation... but I hear that it's coming quickly.

Humor is just another defense against the universe.

I have always been a huge admirer of my own work. I'm one of the funniest and most entertaining writers I know.

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.

Tragedy is when I stub my toe. Comedy is when you fall into an open manhole and die.

Comedy is protest. It's "I beg to differ," if you're fancy, or if you're Jewish, "Hey, listen to this!

We laughed hard at real stories of tragedy. It had to be real and it had to be funny. Somebody getting hurt was wonderful. Later, as the 2000 Year Old Man with Carl Reiner I explained the difference between comedy and tragedy: If I cut my finger, that's tragedy. Comedy is if you walk into an open sewer and die.

Even though it seems foolish and silly and crazy, comedy has the most to say about the human condition. Because if you can laugh, you can get by. You can survive when things are bad if you have a sense of humor.

All I can say is that in my case comedy was keeping the joy of a happy childhood going strong.

Comedy made me friends, big friends to protect me from bullies. I made them laugh, and you don't hit the kid that makes you laugh.

If I cut my finger, that's tragedy. Comedy is if you walk into an open sewer and die.

But let's get back to Melvin Kaminsky.

A lot of people don't realize that without a valley, there is no peak. Without information, there is no joke. You've got to set things up.

When writing for other comedians, someone once told me, "I want to make it my own." I'd say, "Look, the jokes are written. The relationships are written. First, do it as written. Later you can make it your own." A lot of people don't realize that without a valley, there is no peak. Without information, there is no joke. You've got to set things up.

There's only one true test of a comedy, and that's outright laughter. I don't care how beautiful the lighting is, how superlative the script is, how wonderful the performances are. If you're making a comedy and the audience isn't falling down, holding their bellies, screaming with laughter, you've probably got a failure. First laughter and then everything else.

My wit is often characterized as being Jewish comedy. Occasionally, that's true. But for the most part to characterize my humor as purely Jewish humor is not accurate. It's really New York humor. New York humor is not just Jewish humor. It has a certain rhythm. It has a certain intensity and a certain pulse.

In every classic comedy duo, from Laurel and Hardy to Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis, in order for the exchange to work, the quality of the straight man had to be as dynamic as that of the funny guy. Carl was the best at this. I

Anytime I could make Carl laugh, I knew I had a winner.

I've worked with many great people in my life, but there will never be another Carl Reiner.

Comedy brings religious persecutors, dictators, and tyrants to their knees faster than any other weapon.

I think Peter Falk had one real eye and one glass eye, and having one eye was probably better for shooting pool than having two.

Comedy is a very powerful component in life. It has the most to say about the human condition because if you laugh you can get by. You can struggle when things are bad if you have a s sense of humor. Laughter is a protest scream against death, against the long good bye. Its a defense against unhappiness and depression.

Surprise is one of the most universally accepted formulas for humor. A joke is a story, and a surprise ending is usually its finale.