Explore Quotes by Martin Short

'Nice' is not a common label for comedians, but it is for Canadians. I like it.

I remember, as a kid, nothing struck me funnier than seeing Richard Nixon look into the camera and sincerely tell everyone he didn't know where the 18 minutes had gone from his tapes. But there was all this sweat on his upper lip. We knew he was lying. He knew we knew he was lying. But he was determined to tell the lie.

When you get to a point where you're successful enough that you can say, 'I don't have to take any job anymore,' and you're still good at what you do, how do you decide what work to take on? I think the answer is that you pursue what you enjoy. In my case, it's variety.

Everything alters and changes with time. Some things that are considered triumphs, and 10 years later, they're considered minor.

Any time you're honoured by your home, it's a bigger deal than most.

I think that even though the characters were heightened, the 'SCTV' cast were all such strong actors they found a certain truth in playing them. I think that's why the show stays fresh and timeless.

I've never done an improvised movie as a fictitious character. I think that's the challenge.

You try to figure out things to keep yourself interested. It's very easy to get lulled.

Trump is Trump. Some people find him hilarious. I don't find it hilarious, but you can't say it's dull. There's nothing credible about Donald Trump.

I've done lots of improv things but not a whole movie.

One of my great influences was Don Knotts as Barney Fife.

Why does 'I Love Lucy' still make people laugh? Because she's a specific character who has real reactions.

My natural state is to be happy. I'm naturally buoyant. I wake up feeling, 'What a great morning!' I've had some tragedy in my life, absolutely, but I don't know one human being who hasn't. You either learn from it and become empowered by it, or you become a victim to it. It's life, after all.

The mark of the man is how he responds to situations. You're not going to avoid tough times. We're all over the barrel some of the time. What are you going to do about it?

I'm just drawn to the odd guy, the man who is full of it, the guy who has limited talent but is pretending he's a genius.

You can do 12 great takes, but if the director is no good, he'll end up picking the wrong one.

I've always thought one of the tricks of being an actor for a long time is keeping yourself interested once you've figured out how to pay the rent.

Comedy is so subjective. If you trip and fall down, some people will laugh, and some people will say, 'Oh, physical comedy is so pedestrian.' Some people look at Three Stooges as lowbrow; some people consider them artists. No one is wrong. It's just a personal take.

Often audiences vary... but I've always found Milwaukee to be a fabulous place to play with great audiences and very hip.

I have a kind of objective luxury about my career.

What I learned, a little too late, was that the 'traditional' Martin Short target viewer weighs under 300 pounds. Unfortunately, I was on during daytime.