You have to understand how bad I wanted to be a comedian, how much I loved doing it. I still can't believe I get to do this for a living and have people come up and want to see me.
Bill BurrRead
You start in bars and then restaurants, then you want to get into comedy clubs where you feature, then you headline, and once you sell out clubs you're into theaters. I've been able to get there, and it's cool to do that.
Interpretation
Success in comedy comes through progression and hard work.
In this quote, Bill Burr describes the typical journey of a comedian from performing in small venues like bars to achieving the prestigious status of headlining theaters. It emphasizes the importance of dedication, persistence, and the gradual steps needed to reach higher levels of success in one's career.
In practice
In a motivational speech about pursuing dreams in the entertainment industry.
You have to understand how bad I wanted to be a comedian, how much I loved doing it. I still can't believe I get to do this for a living and have people come up and want to see me.
I've battled with that type of stuff, but what I've found is that by doing stand-up, I've actually learned about depression and how to combat it. I don't have clinical, but I've definitely had my bouts with it.
I was in NYC during 9/11; it happened on a Tuesday, I was on stage Thursday. It was a small crowd, but it took about 10 days and comedy clubs were packed.
When I'm up there, I'm just thinking that I've got to make them laugh or they won't show up next time.
I used to think you had to live this miserable life and that that would make you funnier, but you don't. The misery will come. The misery will find you.
You have to show up at 7 in the morning and be on like it's 9 at night. It's a skill. Some comics run from it, and they hate doing it, but the comics that are pros understand how important it is, and they get good at it.
I always say: a run in the morning is like eating a fruit a day - it chases he doctor away. It is good for your mind.
Work with the raw material you have, namely you, and never let up.
We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.
Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity.
Know why people run marathons? …Because running is rooted in our collective imagination, and our imagination is rooted in running. Language, art, science; space shuttles, Starry Night, intravascular surgery; they all had their roots in our ability to run. Running was the superpower that made us human — which means its a superpower all humans posses.
It's easier to stand on the sidelines, criticize, and say why you shouldn't do something. The sidelines are crowded. Get in the game.
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