Dorothy Parker Quotes

ridicule may be a shield, but it is not a weapon.

It is always cruel to laugh at people, of course, although sometimes if they are wearing an ugly hat it is hard to control yourself.

Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.

Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet To run amuck, and tilt at all I meet.

Comedy is brutal. It's powerful, though.

I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.

The English can be a very critical, unforgiving people, but criticism can be good. And this is a country that loves comedy.

There's always been this tradition of satirizing these rich groups of people.

There's a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at.

Satire is a lesson, parody is a game.

Some critics of my work took the view that a satirist should defer to the finer feelings of his readers and respect widely held beliefs.

Fools are my theme, let satire be my song.

Jokes are grievances.

It's all been satirized for your protection.

Satire is fascinating stuff. It's deadly serious, and when politics begin to break down, there is a drift towards satire, because it's the only thing that makes any sense.

And humor has always been a weapon. You want to get even on somebody? You want to attack somebody? Make fun of them.

Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.

Comedy is a great weapon of attack. It's not a great weapon of support.

Satire is, by definition, offensive. It is meant to make us feel uncomfortable. It is meant to make us scratch our heads, think, do a double-take, and then think again.

I think comedians have a function in society, which is to make fun of our icons.

I've spent my entire career being a satirist.

If you're going to get into social criticism with absurdity and satire, you can't be politically correct when you do that.

Satire is a form of social control, it's what you do. It's not personal. It's a job.

If nothing is serious anymore, then there's nothing to satirize.

It is difficult not to write satire.