Humor as Resistance Quotes

A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom—he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.

In his life, [Dalton] Trumbo uses wit and comedy to fight these very high-stakes battles.

The establishment will irritate you - pull your beard, flick your face - to make you fight. Because once they've got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don't know how to handle is non-violence and humor.

If a culture doesn't allow you to laugh at the leaders or at things that your eyes and ears tell you are actually happening, that's not good.

Comedy is the only weapon I have to battle totalitarianism.

Conquered people tend to be witty.

Comedy is a great slayer of rogues in power.

I know everybody wants humor to be subversive and speak truth to power. I don't think power's been listening, incidentally.

If your regime is not strong enough to handle a joke, then you don't have a regime.

If you look at it, the history of comedy has always been strongest among the nations who have been persecuted the most.

Everybody who's ever influenced me, from a Richard Prior to a Whoopie Goldberg to, you know, any of the voices that have resonated with me as a performer since I was a kid, you know, you couldn't really say that their work didn't have some element of political commentary in it.

The only way I could get comfortable around people was to make them laugh. I was an obedient girl, and humor was my one form of rebellion. I used comedy to deflect. Like, 'Hey, check out my zit!' - you know, making fun of yourself before someone else has a chance to.