If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you open to my ideas
John CleeseRead
I can't tell you how scary it can be walking onto a movie and suddenly joining this family - it's like going to somebody else's Christmas dinner; everyone knows everyone and you're not quite sure what you're supposed to sit.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the apprehension of entering a new social circle or environment where others are already familiar with one another.
In this quote, John Cleese expresses the anxiety and uncertainty that can accompany joining a new group, particularly in the context of filmmaking, where established relationships among cast members can create a feeling of exclusion for newcomers. He compares this experience to attending a family gathering where one feels like an outsider, illustrating the challenges of assimilating into a tight-knit community.
Themes
AnxietyRelationshipsFamilyIntroductionCommunity
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote when discussing the challenges of introductory experiences in new job settings.
More from John Cleese
All quotes →Because, as we all know, it’s easier to do trivial things that are urgent than it is to do important things that are not urgent, like thinking. And it’s also easier to do little things we know we can do than to start on big things that we’re not so sure about.
John CleeseRead
If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time to be considering alternative strategies.
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In Britain, girls seem to be either bright or attractive. In America, that's not the case. They're both.
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I used to desire many, many things, but now I have just one desire, and that's to get rid of all my other desires.
John CleeseRead
When the target audience is American teenage kids, you can have problems. My generation prized really fine acting and writing. Sometimes you have to go back to the basic principles which underpin great visual comedy.
John CleeseRead
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