Humor is just another defense against the universe.
Mel BrooksRead
I don't believe in this business of being behind, better to be in front.
Interpretation
Striving to lead rather than follow is key to success.
Mel Brooks emphasizes the importance of taking initiative and being proactive rather than simply following others. In the competitive landscape of life and business, being in front signifies leadership, innovation, and a willingness to forge one's own path rather than lagging behind.
In practice
During a team meeting, I shared this quote to encourage my colleagues to take the lead on new projects.
Humor is just another defense against the universe.
Look, I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully, or you're not alive.
You got to be brave. If you feel something, you've really got to risk it.
Hope for the Best. Expect the worst. Life is a play. We're unrehearsed.
If you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy and colorful and lively.
We want to get people laughing; we don't want to offend anybody.
When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.
I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.
Up until the time I was 14 years old, I was sure that I was going to be a big-league baseball player. But that dream came to a rude awakening when I got cut from my high school baseball team.
If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.
You need to live a little bit outside your comfort zone because you can be even more than you dream of.
I fall, I stand still... I trudge on. I gain a little... I get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victory.
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