Geoff Dyer Quotes

No one wants to be pretentious about what they do or take it seriously, because that is just weird.

Most period drama is so earnest. A lot of it is about making yourself take seriously things you wouldn't normally.

There's something very authentic about humor, when you think about it. Anybody can pretend to be serious. But you can't pretend to be funny.

Earnestness makes British people gag.

People tend to think I'm a lot more earnest than I am.

Even when I'm being funny, I'm deadly serious.

I cannot get him to write or speak in real, solid earnest. I don't much mind it now, but if it be always so, what shall I do with the serious part of myself?

but I am not here ironically; I am here sincerely.

Too much gravity argues a shallow mind.

There is ever a slight suspicion of the burlesque about earnest good men.

I am very sincere. Some people are always kidding, so when you're not, it's going to seem annoying to them.

For God's sake (I never was more serious) don't make me ridiculous any more by terming me gentle-hearted in print.

It is not necessary for the public to know whether I am joking or whether I am serious, just as it is not necessary for me to know it myself.

Other people's devotions embarrassed me, perhaps because, like other people's kisses, they rarely looked genuine when viewed too closely.

I don't see much point in doing things for a pure joke. Every now and then you need a joke, but not so much as the people who spend all their lives constructing joke palaces think you do.

A man must keep his earnestness nimble, to escape ridicule.

One of my greatest pleasures in my writing has come from the thought that perhaps my work might annoy someone of comfortably pretentious position. Then comes the realization that such people rarely read.

Seriousness is no more a guarantee of truth, insight, authenticity or probity, than humour is a guarantee of superficiality and stupidity.

I'm not going to be remotely funny.

Seriousness is the refuge of the shallow. There are events and personal experiences that call forth seriousness but they are fewer than most of us think.

One should have wit, but not wish to have it; otherwise there will be witticism, the Alexandrian style of wit.

Humor is what happens when we're told the truth quicker and more directly than we're used to.

A sense of absurdity interferes with my efforts to appear venerable.

I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left. ALGERNON: We have. JACK: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about? ALGERNON: The fools? Oh! about the clever people of course. JACK: What fools.

Someone trying to be funny probably isn't as funny as someone who doesn't want to be funny but is and can't help it. Someone being serious or angry might be funny. If you get angry, the first thing I want to do is laugh because I don't know why you're getting that angry. Pathos makes me laugh, funerals make me laugh.