I'm probably my biggest critic. I worry that if you spend any quality time reveling in good things then karma will slap you upside the head, so I try to stay as even keel as I'm able.
Neil Patrick HarrisRead
I enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people, so it's fun to have some complications there.
Interpretation
The author prefers clever and dark humor over simple, light-hearted jokes due to a desire for more complexity in his work.
In this quote, Neil Patrick Harris expresses his preference for sardonic humor, which often involves a darker, more ironic wit, compared to the simplicity of knock-knock jokes. He reflects on his career playing wholesome characters and acknowledges the enjoyment that comes from portraying more nuanced and complicated roles, highlighting a shift from traditional comedic styles to those that require deeper thought and engagement.
In practice
In a stand-up comedy routine discussing the evolution of humor over the years.
I'm probably my biggest critic. I worry that if you spend any quality time reveling in good things then karma will slap you upside the head, so I try to stay as even keel as I'm able.
I need to stop carving out four-hour chunks to do random things and go home and watch my children grow up.
I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. And if you're losing them, you can hear the sniffs, and the playbills shuffling and whatnot.
I'm a big proponent of monogamous relationships regardless of sexuality, and I'm proud of how the nation is steering toward that.
I don't know, but I think kids just want to be listened to, so I want to make sure I do that.
It PASSED! Marriage equality in NY!! Yes!! Progress!! Thank you everyone who worked so hard on this!! A historic night!
I'm convinced there's a small room in the attic of the Foreign Office where future diplomats are taught to stammer.
Biologically, I'm 10. Chronologically, I'm 33. In hockey years, I'm 66.
I don't like laughing at people unless they're in a privileged position or if they're in authority. If it's poor people or people who live on the outskirts or on the margins, or the underdog, I'd rather be laughing with them.
There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune.
The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.
I actually don't want a throne at all, because I don't view myself as a queen; I view myself as one of my fans.
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