Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Laughter
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“I’ve always suffered from a weakness for female flesh.” “Don’t we all.” He scowled. “That wasn’t a problem when I was younger. If I visited a prostitute and she found me out, she’d laugh. Priests are their best customers. But if I were found out now I could be destroyed.”
“It happens that they put on a heathen and abominable dance or fiesta; if the Christian who is present refuses to participate in that vile diversion, they mock him and laugh at him and persecute him until he gives in.”
Fermín Lasuén (1736–1803) first seen 1803 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lasuén to Olmedo, San Carlos, 25 January 1803, ibid., 12:268
“There has definitely been a significant bias from the local media like nothing like I have ever experienced, but I intend to have the last laugh when I win tomorrow.”
Karen Handel (born 1962) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Karen Handel: ‘I Intend to Have the Last Laugh When I Win’ (June 19, 2017)
“Personally, a world that is happy and bright is something that just doesn’t feel realistic to me. It may sound like I have a trauma or something,” he said with a laugh, “but I believe that the world is generally a wasteland that is not kind to us. That’s just the way I see it.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki (born 1974) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Elden Ring Is an Evolution of Dark Souls Says Creator – E3 2019 (January 22, 2019)
“The entire Story of the Stone is plausible and reasonable, and each event or each word is judiciously put down, but this sort of absurd talk now and then appears too. Is the author being deliberately playful and whimsical? Here he is having his good laugh, unlike [authors of] other books in which "ghostly talk" [kuei-hua] is undertaken in all seriousness.”
Zhiyanzhai first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Enchantment and Disenchantment: Love and Illusion in Chinese Literature by Wai-yee Li (Princeton University Press, 1993), footnote on p. 240
“It is I who drink lonely Drinks at twelve, midnight, in hotels of strange towns, It is I who laugh, it is I who make love And then, feel shame, it is I who lie dying With a rattle in my throat. I am sinner, I am saint. I am the beloved and the Betrayed. I have no joys that are not yours, no Aches which are not yours. I too call myself I.”
Kamala Surayya (1934–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Make them laugh, make them cry, or make them angry.”
Paul Dacre (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't smile much, and I never laugh. It's just something that's in me. If you'd been through what I've been through, you wouldn't be smiling, either.”
Charlie Sifford (1922–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I laugh at the drug tests. I don’t even eat meat.”
Billy Simmonds (born 1980) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sculptured by Weights and a Strict Vegan Diet", The New York Times (4 January 2012).
“Writing about one or two of Jahan Ara’s amorous affairs, Bernier observes: ‘(I write because) Love adventures are not attended with the same danger in Europe as in Asia. In France they excite only merriment; they create a laugh, and are forgotten; but in this part of the world, few are the instances in which they are not followed by some dreadful and tragical catastrophe.’”
François Bernier (1620–1688) said by 1688 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted in K.S. Lal, The Mughal Harem (1988), 12
“A man sometimes devotes his life to a desire which he is not sure will ever be fulfilled. Those who laugh at this folly are, after all, no more than mere spectators of life.”
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892–1927) first seen 1916 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Yam Gruel (1916), in Rashomon and Other Stories (Tuttle, 2011).
“Irishness is a state of mind rather than a geographic thing. I’m not English. My name is O’Brien and I’m glad it is. I’ve got nothing against the English and I’m glad I was born here. But I’m glad my mother came from Kerry and I’m glad my name is Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien and I can weep at Riverdance on TV, and it makes me laugh.”
Dusty Springfield (1939–1999) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in a July 1995 interview from MOJO
“So when you have to ask yourself: "Why am I holding back, why am I doing pictures?" And it's usually: that's because you're afraid. Bottom line. And for great art you have to be brave. So that the whole world is going to laugh at you but you don't care, do you get me? And when they say: "Ah that's stupid!" You don't care. You follow that song. I'm sorry, it's true.”
Alonzo King (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes my old heart is like a washing machine It bounces around 'til my Soul comes cleanAnd when I'm clean and hung out to dryI'm gonna make you laugh until you cry”
John Prine (1946–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's boring and immature, like when someone says he wants to watch the world burn. You only get to watch when you have the privilege of not being on fire. It's edgy but it's not the darkness. The darkness is finding a way to laugh about being on fire.”
Natalie Wynn (born 1988) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Darkness, published 2019-03-02
“I was put on a diet when I was 10. My mother said that women with smaller mouths are attractive, so keep my mouth small, don't talk or laugh so loud. I was taught to observe and listen. I burnt time burning calories when I could have been thinking about other things.”
“I will now hope for the near impossible: that the essence of her bravery, the dedication and suffering she afforded those she loved, and above all that indomitable will to have a good laugh no matter where the stones fell, will be as indelible to the reader as they are to me.”
Max Evans (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“LIKE everything else in nature, Lenin was born, has developed, has grown. When Vladimir Ilyitch once observed me glancing through a collection of his articles, written in the year 1903, which had just been published, a sly smile crossed his face, and he remarked with a laugh: “It is very interesting to read what stupid fellows we were!”
Karl Radek (1885–1939) first seen 1923 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lenin" (1923)
“The liberals get what they want, which is a humorless void where nothing happens, where no one dare do anything, or laugh about anything, or behave in any way that doesn't suit their rigid way of leading a life. No thanks.”
Piers Morgan (born 1965) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Daily Wire interview of Piers Morgan by commentator Ben Shapiro (17 August 2019), “Piers Morgan: The left Has Become Unbearable
“When I’m told to laugh, I begin laughing. Even during filming, when I’m told to crack up, I end up being the only one who cracks up.”
Noa Tsurushima (born 2001) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you are someone who reads books to feel like you have a friend on the page, my book is not going to be the book for you…I write for people who are readers the way I'm a reader. I don't care if I dislike a character; I care if I find them interesting or they make me laugh, or if I'm trying to figure them out. I am always more interested in that.”
Gillian Flynn (born 1971) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On what she might say to potential readers in “The Gone Girl phenomenon: Gillian Flynn speaks out” in The Guardian (2014 Oct 3)
“I mean no disrespect to any of our current climate at all, but I have been an actor for almost two decades now, and this is a dream come true to be able to create a network comedy that just makes people laugh…What I love about comedy is that, like music, sports and food, it brings us all together.”
Kal Penn (born 1977) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On his show Sunnyside in “Kal Penn Talks Putting A Twist On Immigration Narrative With ‘Sunnyside’ & Chances For Another ‘Harold And Kumar’ Movie” in Deadline (2019 Sep 26)
“Religious people are looking everywhere for blasphemy, but we cartoonists are just trying to make people laugh.”
Arifur Rahman (born 1984) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Committee to Protect Journalists, May 19, 2015
“Not to laugh at a person in misfortune.”
Chilon of Sparta (600–520 BC) said by 520 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bravery on the battlefield? Don't make me laugh. Bravery on the field of work. Here, of course, you don't get any medals; no mention in the report, either. You are no hero here. Just a bum. Or a communist always making trouble and never satisfied with the conditions as ordered by the Lord himself to help the profits.”
B. Traven (1882–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I love doing comedy. I feel really comfortable there and I love to laugh and I love to be goofy. But I am probably most well known for my comedic work, which is something that I’m humbled by, but I love doing drama too. So I think it’s all about the role for me.”
JoAnna Garcia (born 1979) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: JoAnna Garcia-Swisher Gushes About Married Life and Promises a Return to TV (June 9, 2011)
“The huge laugh is a most extreme expression of freedom.”
Byung-Chul Han (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Everybody needs laughs, so the fact that I've had the opportunity to make people laugh for a living is one of the many blessings that I have received in my life.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I didn’t use Fair and Lovely. I was very proud of my skin colour. How does it matter? I am an actor, I am not here to sell my fairness. I used to laugh, actually. I found those people so ignorant. So regressive. They are still stuck in that era - hero matlab gora chitta, 6 foot.”
Rajkummar Rao (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A government serves people, and when a government delivers services, they deliver them to real people — people who live, who laugh, who cry, who suffer, who yell out in pain, who love and are loved.”
Bowinn Ma (born 1985) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: British Columbia Legislative Hansard, September 12, 2017: BUDGET DEBATE
“A government serves people, and when a government delivers services, they are delivering them to real people. These are people who live, people who laugh, who cry. These are people who suffer, who yell out in pain, who love and are loved. These are the people we love.”
“Nothing compares to getting a laugh. You have to assume it on something like voice work.”
Brian Doyle-Murray (born 1945) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Brian Doyle-Murray talks about TBS’ new comedy series, “Sullivan & Son” (August 1, 2012)
“And having made sure my attention was focused in one direction the universe, which likes a good laugh, smacked me in the face from the other side.”
Ben Aaronovitch (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The bell sang with the first hammer and screamed with the second. And within the scream I heard a familiar laugh and the jingle of merry bells.”
Ben Aaronovitch (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I try not to wink at the audience too much or laugh at my own satire. Good B-movie camp has to be played deadly serious. Let the audience do the chuckling.”
Eric Forsberg (born 1959) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: interview with director Eric Forsberg (April 7, 2010)
“Sass becomes a way to sanitize black women's anger and then make it palatable to the white masses and it becomes a thing to laugh at and say, "Oh, they're just over-the-top and emotional and irrational." Where as when we begin to talk about righteous rage, then we get to questions about justice. "Well, why are you so angry?" Very often black women get that whole, "Why you so mad?”
Brittney Cooper (born 1980) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Power in Being an Angry Black Woman", Cosmopolitan, Interview with Joy-Ann Reid February 13, 2018
“If you can laugh every day, you can get healthy. You get those endorphins going in the body, God’s been looking out for me. I enjoy every day.”
Gavin MacLeod (1931–2021) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Gavin MacLeod on the Show That ‘Inspired a Lot of People to Get Into the News Business’ (March 7, 2016)
“There was always a manic energy about Loonie, some strange hotwired spirit that made you laugh with shock. He hurled himself at the world. You could never second-guess him and once he embarked upon something there was no holding him back. Yet the same stuff you marvelled at could really wear you down. Some Mondays I was relieved to be back on the bus to school.”
Tim Winton (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hey Michael, it’s Doug Ford calling. Thanks so much for the message my friend. Uh, you know something? I love those polls. They make me laugh. But Michael, you got to be very, very careful when you tell someone that they’re corrupt. Very, very, very careful. OK, my friend? I’ll talk to you later.”
Doug Ford (born 1964) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Responding to a parent accusing him of corruption (24 May 2019)
“Whenever I meet someone new, I always extend a hand and say, 'Hi I'm Lana Condor... Condor like the ugly endangered bird.' I like to see how people react to that and if they laugh and, indeed, know what a condor is... chances are we're going to get along just fine!”
Lana Condor (born 1997) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "#RedefineAtoZ: Lana Condor, actress on the rise, sees growth in challenges" in NBC Asian America (1 May 2018)
“I read the script, and I think, 'That's a good movie, and that's a really good movie, moves me, makes me laugh, this and that.' I don't worry about the part. Then I'm looking who's around me? Who's the director? Who's the cast? And I would much rather have a little part in a good movie than a big part in a crappy movie.”
Michael Douglas (born 1944) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "'I Don't Worry About The Part': Michael Douglas Reflects On 50 Years Of Making Movies" in WBUR (3 December 2018)
“Beings that can laugh at themselves, particularly their own foibles, stand the greatest chance of attaining wisdom.”
Charles E. Gannon (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying, especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool. Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh, and the ability to eat and drink.”
Yasmin Ahmad (1958–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In Social Science and Knowledge in a Globalising World by Gareth Richards and Zawawi Ibrahim - Chapter 19, Pg. 439 - Remembering Yasmin Ahmad: Social Criticism and Forgiveness - A Tribute to Yasmin Ahmad - January 2012 …
“Comedy is a lot harder to do if you don’t go to the mean place. The cheapest laugh you can get is an insult or snarky comment, so if you take that off the table you have to write smarter.”
Dan Povenmire (born 1963) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: LIFE IN 2D: DAN POVENMIRE ON THE GREATEST CARTOONS EVER, SALSA MUSIC, AND NOT BEING A JERK (November 7, 2014)
“I am dragged in spite of myself in this damn Africa business; a toy which, it is true, will hurt no one; which excites geographers, but which will make people laugh here.”
Jules Devaux (1828–1886) first seen 1828 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: All the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert), 4. Viceroys without colonial aspirations? Jules Devaux (1828-1886) STENGERS, J. “Le…
“[He can't stand to watch their old comedies on TV because] because they're so cut up. [...] I wish I could have edited them. They seem too slow nowadays. That was because we had to leave time between the gags for the audience to laugh. You don't need that spread in TV.”
Stan Laurel (1890–1965) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Stan Laurel Recalls Career in Comedy" by Bob Thomas (AP) Plainfield Courier-News (December 4, 1957), p. 51
“So terribly funny. He can still make me laugh like crazy after all these years.”
Stan Laurel (1890–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a grown-up little child, I always had the flare for the arts. I just wanted to sing in front of people, dramatize and make people happy and laugh. For me, it was an escape as a little child because I was quite a very shy one”
Chioma Akpotha (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My doctor would laugh at me and would assure me there was no issue with us. I lost hope in IUI and I was ready for IVF, then my miraculous conception came.”
Wunmi Toriola (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My mother’s cousins. Dangerous in the sense that they take up magnificent space, they know what it is to laugh even though they have cried too”
Yewande Omotoso (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source