Matthew Lillard Quotes

I think I used comedy as a mechanism: if I could make the other kids laugh, I wouldn't get beaten up or teased as much.

I was the fat kid, so as a defense mechanism, I was the jokester.

When your name is Twinkle, you are a bookworm, and a fat child, then you have to be ready to be made fun of. As a child, I used my fists a lot, but then the tongue seemed like a better option. So I started using words as a sword to jab fun at myself.

One of the reasons that I think I do love to write is because I did have a difficult childhood and not so great teenage years. It always helped me escape from my problems.

I learnt early to have little expectation so I protected myself from ever feeling greatly disappointed.

When I was growing up, I was obviously gay, and I got heckled every day of my life. The only way I knew how to survive was to make people laugh. If I could make them laugh, I wouldn't get hung in a locker for two hours. That's a blessing.

It's never bad to be liked, and who doesn't feel good being liked, but that can't be your end game goal.

Young adult novels don't shy away from the discussion of weight issues, and 'Blubber,' the tale of an overweight, not-so-sympathetic fifth-grader bullied by her peers, is a refreshing take.

I got through my teen years by being a bit of a clown.

I have a great need for affection from an audience. I don't know whether this is because I had such a tough life when I was a child.

I'd always used humour as a weapon, as a protection. But being able to make people laugh is a way of not getting in too deep; it's a quick, transient fix.

When you're small, you either are funny, or you get beat up a lot.

When you go to standup, there seems to be a common denominator of some form of need or want for validation from the audience that maybe you were lacking as a kid.

As a kid, I would push my shoulders forward in order to hide my heart from being hurt.

My career actually started in the second grade as class clown. That's no joke. I was always making people laugh, and it was really to mask a learning disability... When it came time for me to read out loud, I would crack jokes or create a diversion.

I think a lot of people, when they don't quite fit in in the world, use humor to combat that and to find their place in society.

Arts can save children, no matter what's going on in their homes.

I did have an emo phase. It was sort of like armor for me.

I'm not the sort of person who if everyone thinks you're fabulous you thrive on it.

I have this thing about being acknowledged and accepted by institutions.

Everything that happened to me as a child was the perfect breeding ground for a rock n' roll singer. It toughened me up. I was on edge; I was needy. I needed people to like me 'cause it made me feel safe... and that gave me confidence.

Some small part of what the artist does is for approval of others.

To see yourself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. I'm interested in that very mysterious and mystical way we relate to each other in the world.

I knew her well enough to understand that when Delia pushed you away, it was her way of making sure she didn't get shoved first.

When I was three, my dad thought it would be hilarious to teach me swear words, then have me say them to his friends. They would laugh and laugh. I realize now the laugh was pure shock value, but it felt really good, and I've been chasing it ever since.