The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You can't fake it... try to fake three laughs in an hour - ha ha ha ha ha - they'll take you away, man. You can't.
Lenny BruceRead
All my humor is based on destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I'd be standing in the bread line - right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lenny Bruce suggests that his humor stems from the darker aspects of life, implying that without suffering, he would lack inspiration.
In this quote, Lenny Bruce reflects on the nature of his comedic style, which he believes is fundamentally rooted in themes of destruction and despair. He posits that his humor is a response to the chaotic and often painful realities of existence, and without such turmoil, he would have little to draw upon for his material, portraying a paradox where suffering fuels creativity. The mention of standing in the bread line behind a significant figure like J. Edgar Hoover adds a layer of irony, indicating that even in stability, he would feel out of place, thus underscoring the connection between comedy and hardship.
Themes
HumorDestructionDespairCreativityComedy
In practice
Example use cases
During a comedy show discussing the need for humor in dark times, this quote could highlight the role of adversity in inspiring laughter.
More from Lenny Bruce
All quotes βIf Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic school children would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses.
Lenny BruceRead
I'm not a comedian. I'm Lenny Bruce.
Lenny BruceRead
I'll die young, but it's like kissing God.
Lenny BruceRead
In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls.
Lenny BruceRead
Marijuana is rejected all over the world. Damned. In England heroin is alright for out-patents, but marijuana? They'll put your ass in jail. I wonder why that is? The only reason could be: To Serve the Devil - Pleasure! Pleasure, which is a dirty word in Christian culture.
Lenny BruceRead
Similar quotes
If we had no faults, we would not derive so much pleasure from noting those of other people.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
You can tell how boring a person is by the lack of fear in their eyes when someone is flipping through photos on their phone.
Bill MurrayRead
Isn't beer the holy libation of sincerity? The potion that dispels all hypocrisy, any charade of fine manners? The drink that does nothing worse than incite its fans to urinate in all innocence, to gain weight in all frankness?
Milan KunderaRead
Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar that they use.
Mark TwainRead
Studies have shown that an ant can carry one hundred times its own weight, but there is no known limit to the lifting power of the average tiny eighty-year-old Spanish peasant grandmother.
Terry PratchettRead
People always tell me "Have a nice day." Well what if I don't want to? What if I want to have a crappy day?
George CarlinRead