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Joke Quotes

What comedians say about making people laugh.

Several quotes here come from people who make a living off timing, including one who admits to softening blunt criticism by wrapping it in humor first, describing it like a cut followed by a few stitches. Another describes the frustrating double standard where the exact same line lands only when a man delivers it.

It ain't no joke when you lose your vinyl.

Quotes by Afrika Bambaataa

My family joke that I'm really a very senior person who accidentally happens to be 11.

Quotes by Adora Svitak

Basically, we used to have a rule at 'Saturday Night Live' that you're not allowed to bring up 'The Simpsons' at the rewrite table, because 'The Simpsons' has done every joke there is. Every week there would be guys going,...

Quotes by Adam McKay

My first joke was about a company called Five Star Parking that was all over Philadelphia: 'Who's reviewing parking lots?'

Quotes by Adam McKay

Emotion Quotes

ICG became a dot-com joke, a one-stock example of extreme hubris on the part of its management and the investment bankers and sell-side analysts who embarrassed themselves by pumping it up.

Quotes by Adam Lashinsky

The world was not supportive. They look at me as a joke for 13 to 14 years until I could prove feasibility; then I had competitors. Those that laughed at me became my competitors.

Quotes by Ada Yonath

I joke, but only half joke, that if you show up in an American hospital missing a finger, no one will believe you until they get a CAT scan, MRI and orthopedic consult.

Quotes by Abraham Verghese

It's almost a joke how good I am at charades. Not to pat my own back, but I'm literally - I'm kind of unstoppable.

Quotes by Wilson Bethel

When someone says, 'I recognize you,' I'll say, 'Congratulations on having a TV.' It's a little joke.

Quotes by Willam Belli

Humor Quotes

I am a ham, I like to joke around.

Quotes by Weyes Blood

A woman would pitch a joke. Nothing. Then a guy would pitch it and everybody would laugh.

Quotes by Wanda Sykes

If something stinks, I say it stinks. But I try to massage it a little and not be as cutting, come behind it with a joke: Hey, I cut you deep, but now let me put a couple of stitches...

Quotes by Wanda Sykes

I do things, and other people laugh at them. I rarely know what the joke is supposed to be or why they're laughing.

Quotes by Wallace Shawn

Venom was a joke in the '80s, their heavy metal music sucked big time, and I really have no interest in them - not then, not now.

Quotes by Varg Vikernes

Laughter Quotes

Vanity was a joke. She was an image created to make money.

Quotes by Vanity

My dad is a really funny guy, and we would make jokes about my leukemia. When my friends would come over, we would joke about it, too.

Quotes by Vanessa Bayer

In Europe, they travel a lot lighter. I always joke that my Indonesian passengers bring their house and their neighbor's house.

Quotes by Tony Fernandes

I mean, I've had bartenders and waiters and waitresses make a comment about a joke of mine, like pointing out some sort of logic error or something that I've never even thought about, and they're right.

Quotes by Todd Barry

Everyone's heard the same joke a million times and knows the setups. They are tired of the mass-marketed entertainment served on the networks.

Quotes by Tim Heidecker

Lightness Quotes

To me, music is not a stunt. Music is not a joke. I take every lick of music that I've ever played very serious.

Quotes by Tim Commerford

Frequently Asked Questions

What's this collection's overall take on jokes?
It's mostly about the craft and experience of joking, from happily owning being "a ham" who likes "to joke around," to more self-aware reflections on how jokes actually land.
Does any quote talk about how a joke is delivered?
Yes - one quote describes a deliberate technique for softening criticism: "I try to massage it a little and not be as cutting, come behind it with a joke," following a hard truth with humor.
Is there a quote about gender differences in comedy?
Yes, one speaker observes a double standard they experienced firsthand: "A woman would pitch a joke. Nothing. Then a guy would pitch it and everybody would laugh," presented as their own personal observation.
Is there a quote about not understanding your own comedic effect?
Yes - one speaker admits, "I do things, and other people laugh at them. I rarely know what the joke is supposed to be or why they're laughing," a candid, self-deprecating take on being funny by accident.
Where can I find more quotes purely about humor and wit?
See the Humor and Wit quote collections.

One quote is almost a shrug, from someone who says they rarely understand what people find funny about their own material even as others laugh along. For more on comic timing and mood, see our humor quotes and laughter quotes pages.