William Collins Quotes

I think comedy does have that powerful thing that doesn't seem too preachy because you're also making people laugh, so it's really kind of a good tool for messaging.

Humor's a weapon if you want to make it one.

You'd better get your laugh while you're making your point, or you won't be doing it very long.

And sometimes you can make your point better with comedy than you can through shouting about it.

One of the great things about humor is, you can slip things past people with humor, you can use it as a sweetener. So you can actually tell them things, give them messages, get terribly, terribly serious and terribly, terribly dark, and because there are jokes in there, they'll go along with you, and they'll travel a lot further along with you than they would otherwise.

Being a comedy writer gives you permission to be an outsider and poke fun at what people think about other people.

Many of the writers who have inspired me most are outside the genre: Humorists like Robert Benchley and James Thurber, screenwriters like Ben Hecht and William Goldman, and journalists/columnists like H.L. Mencken, Mike Royko and Molly Ivins.

Comedy always pushes some buttons, because it wouldn't be comedy if it didn't.

I think I've been called edgy - but in all honesty, there is a safety in what I do because I'm always the idiot. Unless you're just listening to buzz words and not taking into account the context of the situation, you see I'm always the ignoramus.

Stand-up comics reflect less of a visual humor and more of a commentary.

Comedy is the most palliative way to make a point. People are more willing to listen if they can laugh.

The joke is mightier than the sword.

Comedians are sociologists. We're pointing out stuff that the general public doesn't even stop to think about, looking at life in slow-motion and questioning everything we see.

Humor is hostility.

Humor disarms people to some degree and makes them a little more receptive to a notion that would normally make them angry,

Comedy is a reaction to the world, and I think it really helps to be an outsider. I've always been very interested in people's behavior, to the point of being obsessed - seeing what people needed and reading them, I think that's the backbone of comedy.

I think comedy is a good way to help people change their minds. I think that if you're laughing and getting a message across, it's a lot easier than when somebody is screaming in your face.

I always want to lead with comedy but hopefully be able to sneak my message through at the same time.

I think a joke is a form of truth-telling. A good joke that's absurd contains elements of our daily darkness and also a possibility to escape that darkness. So, for me, humor is an attempt to capture everyday tragedy and everyday hopeful moments that we experience all of the time.

Comedy can take you a lot further in getting your point across. People are entertained, and then, by being entertained, they get your point.

Jesus must have had a sense of humor. I like to think of Him as a guy who got people to listen to Him by leaving them laughing and chuckling with one another.

My favorite comedians are just presenting an argument, and they're doing it in a funny way.

I use a lot of humor, and I follow the saying that if you want to tell people the truth, you better make them laugh first; otherwise, they will shoot you.

Very few people took sordid things and made comedies out of them.

If written with enough care and thoughtfulness, a joke can make you laugh at a belief you hold dear.