Mark Leyner Quotes

As a person, I believe that I am sensitive, which helped me be the artist I am.

I think your tendency when you play yourself is to accentuate something about you that you think is the funny thing about you.

When I think of myself, I'm definitely... I'm not like a comedian.

I see myself as an intelligent, sensitive human, with the soul of a clown which forces me to blow it at the most important moments.

Who isn't difficult? I'm difficult as an artist.

But this show reminds me that there are other aspects to me besides the fact that I'm a funny chick.

I never thought I was funny, but I enjoy being funny.

It's occurred to me I need to laugh at myself more, and that I don't need to be some sad folk singer all the time. I don't want to be the queen of pain.

I'm very comfortable discussing my personal life, because it's so boring.

You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself.

I think comedy comes more from a low sense of self-esteem, and I certainly have that.

You can film me 24 hours a day and you'll get a very accurate picture of who I am. You see the funny side, I work hard, and I try to be honest and just call it how it is.

I think comedy stems from being honest, often painfully so. I hope I can achieve that perspective in my own life and also have fun.

Anybody, providing he knows how to be amusing, has the right to talk about himself.

I think it's a brilliant tool to have, not only to have a sense of humor, but to be able to use humor to help one navigate life, and I tend not to be that type of person. I wish I were.

You are absolutely free to describe me as a turtle or something.

I feel like I really tapped into a pretty honest emotional place for myself as a lyricist. There's a broad spectrum of emotions.

I like to pretend that my art has nothing to do with me.

It's funny, because I never think of myself as Little Miss All-Together.

Some of my friends say that I only talk about myself. But it is funny: my house is covered in art but with nothing of my own, and when I'm working, I'm only thinking about what the client wants. So I don't see it that way, but maybe it's true. I mean, they are my friends.

I look at old performance videos now, and it's really funny - I thought I was such a gangster!

I tend not to be someone who's on all the time, or is always trying to make other people laugh.

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

When I was young, I had this contrarian thing, and my music for a long time was an extension of that. I didn't want to entertain people; I had too much vanity to be an entertainer. I think that some layers of vanity came off.

The general consensus seems to be that I don't act at all.