Be yourself on stage. Nobody else can be you and you have the law of supply and demand covered.
Bill HicksRead
I don't care if you're obscene, filthy, horrendous -- as long as you're honest.
Interpretation
Honesty is valued above all else, regardless of how it may appear.
This quote emphasizes the importance of honesty in communication and expression, suggesting that oneβs true nature, however imperfect, is more significant than the polished facade society often expects. Bill Hicks encourages embracing authenticity, even if it goes against conventional norms or is considered offensive, as genuine expression provides a deeper connection and understanding.
In practice
In a speech about creativity and freedom of expression, one might quote Bill Hicks to remind the audience of the importance of being true to oneself.
Be yourself on stage. Nobody else can be you and you have the law of supply and demand covered.
I'm not into those kind of rivalries. I remember standing out in front of Stratford, minding my own business. Carload of about eighty kids would pull up: 'STRATFORD SUCKS!' Am I supposed to run after these guys? I'd just stand there, you know. They'd back up. 'STRATFORD SUCKS! ...STRATFORD SUCKS!' I'd say, 'I know. I go there. You're wasting gas, man.
I go to dance clubs...about once a year just to justify the other 364 days I spend in my apartment going 'God, what idiots!'
Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally on our planet, serves a thousand different functions, all of them positive. To make marijuana against the law is like saying that God made a mistake.
To make marijuana against the law is like saying God made a big mistake.
What do you say we lighten things up and talk about abortion?
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.
To rise from error to truth is rare and beautiful.
When you're on your own, you have all the self-censorship that everybody has when they try and write. All the little voices that say, 'No, you can't write that, what will they think of that?'
And how can you achieve such concentration? By recognizing that everything you do is important to God, and is one vital piece of the larger picture of your life.
When people are in the thrall of poisonous ideology, it's really not all about deliberate ill will, or inherent hatred, or a lack of intelligence. It's about the unbelievable destructiveness and staying power of bad ideas and about finding ways to equip people with the tools they need to fight them.
I have great respect for the semicolon; it is a mighty handy little fellow.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.