Mark Twain Quotes

Comedy speaks for civilization; farce bears an ill-concealed, sometimes unconcealed animus against civilization. Often against civility too.

Satire and comedy are really the only film mediums where you can get into ideas and have people leave the theater without being moralized.

We're not all Jon Stewart. I know I'm not. I dropped out of college. Why would you come to me for anything that may influence your fact-based perspective? I think that the job of a comic is to be emotionally true.

It's a very short walk to go from making jokes to getting on a soapbox and going on a diatribe.

The definition of comedy is 'unsafe space' - you can't control what people laugh at.

A lot of French comedy is satire.

Sometimes it's difficult to laugh at certain things but comedy can help.

I don't think people understand what comedy is supposed to do. We will observe things, we will make fun of things.

Political cartoonists get hung up on daily deadlines and the front page. The worst thing you can do is open up the newspaper and ask, 'What's funny about this?'

The whole point of real comedy is that you can say something that is true, and by being funny, you can make it tolerable for people, and hopefully they'll laugh at you, too.

It's a challenge to do satire when the thing you're satirizing is almost beyond satire, but I think that's a challenge for everybody.

'The Dictator' - well, that was just a comedy, and I suppose the morality was incidental. It was just something to try and make people laugh rather than being a serious thing.

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

Ridicule is also a weapon against forces of evil. Really clever, intelligent ridicule.

In general satire, every man perceives A slight attack, yet neither fears nor grieves.

Satire recoils whenever charged too high; round your own fame the fatal splinters fly.

Satire has a great big glaring target. If successful, it blasts a great big hole in the center. Directness there must be and singleness of aim: it is all aim, all trajectory.

Satire is tragedy plus time.

I think it's hilarious when middle-aged white men try to take themselves seriously. It makes me laugh.

As long as it's not an easy, outdated stereotype and it comes from an interesting or emotionally driven place, then anyone can be made fun of.

I know that there are things that never have been funny, and never will be. And I know that ridicule may be a shield, but it is not a weapon.

Satire is dependent on strong beliefs, and on strong beliefs wounded.

I'm the guy in the crowd making fun of the hero's shirt.

O, Times! O, Manners! It is my opinion That you are changing sadly your dominion I mean the reign of manners hath long ceased, For men have none at all, or bad at least; And as for times, altho' 'tis said by many The "good old times" were far the worst of any, Of which sound Doctrine I believe each tittle Yet still I think these worst a little. I've been a thinking -isn't that the phrase?- I like your Yankee words and Yankee ways - I've been a thinking, whether it were best To Take things seriously, Or all in jest

Satire is moral outrage transformed into comic art.