You know, it is a terrible thing to appear on television, because people think that you actually know what you're talking about.
Interpretation
Being on television can give the impression of expertise, which may not always be true.
David Attenborough's quote humorously reflects the paradox of television appearances, where the medium often creates an illusion of authority and knowledge. He suggests that despite being seen as an expert simply for being on screen, the reality is more complex, and public perception can be misleading.
In practice
In a comedy sketch about the media's portrayal of experts.
I don't think we are going to become extinct. We're very clever and extremely resourceful - and we will find ways of preserving ourselves, of that I'm sure. But whether our lives will be as rich as they are now is another question.
I'm against this huge globalisation on the basis of economic advantage.
I would be absolutely astounded if population growth and industrialisation and all the stuff we are pumping into the atmosphere hadn't changed the climatic balance. Of course it has. There is no valid argument for denial.
There's a small worm called Loa Loa Filariasis. This parasite can survive in one environment exclusively- namely, underneath the skin and inside the eyes of human beings. Children and the elderly in tropical regions (usually the poorest) are the most widely affected. A painful, slow death is virtually certain. The worm can actually live in the host for 17 years before the host finally dies.
The fundamental issue is the moral issue.
It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.
One should take good care not to grow too wise for so great a pleasure of life as laughter.
No, my friend, I am not drunk. I have just been to the dentist, and need not return for another six months! Is it not the most beautiful thought? --Poirot
If you want to kill an idea without being identified as the assassin, suggest that the legal department take a look at it.
Praise undeserved, is satire in disguise.
If you want to see a comic strip, you should see me in the shower.
Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.