Tom Smothers Quotes

I don't think it makes any sense to try to get anyone to not talk.

If you don't think a television news show represents the truth, you can turn off your TV. If you don't think a magazine represents the truth, you can cancel your subscription. You have the right to expose yourself to whatever information you want. But to have the government prescribing what the truth is or limiting the information available for the citizen is contrary to the 1st Amendment.

I want to thank all the right-wing organizations out there who tried to stop the film, either from their harassment campaign that didn't work on the theater owners, or going to the FCC to get our ads removed from television, to all the things that have been said on television. It's only encouraged more people to go and see it. We are happy to announce that the efforts of the small-minded few have failed miserably.

There is no functional difference between censorship and the threat of censorship.

When the cricket is serious and it's a really important time in the middle we focus on that but obviously when it isn't there is a lot of time to chat and we can use that as time to bring the comedians in a bit more. We get the balance right between getting the calling of the cricket right but having some fun as well.

Increasingly, we’re seeing people try to define more speech as dangerous because it may lead to political outcomes they see as unacceptable. Some hold the view that since the stakes are so high, they can no longer trust their fellow citizens with the power to communicate and decide what to believe for themselves.

Democracy depends on the idea that we hold each others’ right to express ourselves and be heard above our own desire to always get the outcomes we want. You can’t impose tolerance top-down.

Comedy is here to bring joy to the world, whether you want to hear the curse words or not.

One knows something is important when the powers that be choose not to acknowledge it in public.

I like that 'Broad City' exists, and I love being around at the same time as 'Key & Peele.' I love those guys - I just, I love their faces.

I feel like comedy is important, and I think political satire can be really important.

I don't really see the point in offensive comedy.

I watch a lot of Bill Maher.

It always makes me laugh to think that I get to sit around and chat with people like Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi and get paid for it.

Humour or comedy should not offend anyone.

I don't look at comedy as a sliding scale of offensiveness.

If we don't talk about the things that are happening, why are we talking about anything at all? Does something have to be a year old for me to have an opinion on it or a conversation with people about it?

I was brought up with TV comedians. I'll remember them till I go to my grave, all those comedians, as decadent fluff.

The media is controlled.

I think you can safely joke about anything. Mostly.

The formation is not the most important thing.

Language is very important to me.

When the media goes state and becomes nothing more than an echo chamber for the government, the task of sharing truth falls to the original keepers of liberty: the American people.

There is almost no topic that can't benefit from being talked about in a humorous way.

Even though I do a more traditional type of being funny on television, I still know a lot of comedians and stand-ups and improv actors.