It's like being a gym rat, but you're a theater rat, and then that becomes your fraternity house. That becomes your extended family.
Billy CrystalRead
In high school, I was the class comedian as opposed to the class clown. The difference is the class clown is the guy who drops his pants at the football game, the class comedian is the guy who talked him into it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the distinction between being a fool for attention and being clever in humor.
In this quote, Billy Crystal emphasizes the difference between a 'class clown' who seeks attention through outrageous actions and a 'class comedian' who uses wit and persuasion to create humor. It suggests that true comedy comes from intelligence and creativity, rather than merely seeking shock value or attention, encouraging a deeper understanding of humor's role in social interactions.
Themes
HumorComedyIntelligenceSocialPersuasion
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a comedy workshop to illustrate the difference between types of humor.
More from Billy Crystal
All quotes →I can't bear to think of life without Janice. I want to go first because I don't want to miss her, because that would be a pain far worse than any death.
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You have to really respect what your kids are doing with their kids and how they're raising them. You can't push your way into areas where you shouldn't be saying anything. You have to always remember they're not your own kids. Play with them, love them, spoil them to death - then hand them back.
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One night, I wrote down all the things I was waiting to do with my little granddaughter, and it became a book, 'I Already Know I Love You.' It was one of those really lovely things in life.
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I never missed a birthday. I never missed a school play. We carpooled. And the greatest compliment I can ever get is not about my career or performance or anything; it's when people say, 'You know, your girls are great.' That's the real thing for me.
Billy CrystalRead
From the first time I saw Sid Caesar be funny I knew that's what I had to do.
Billy CrystalRead
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