They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
David MametRead
Fun is what you do for yourself. If somebody else does it, it's entertainment.
Interpretation
Fun is a personal experience, while entertainment is something provided by others.
This quote by David Mamet distinguishes between 'fun' and 'entertainment' by suggesting that true enjoyment comes from personal engagement and self-directed activities, whereas entertainment is a passive experience offered by others. It highlights the importance of individual agency in the pursuit of joy.
In practice
Sharing this quote during a workshop on creativity and personal fulfillment.
They say you can't study Kabbalah until you are at least 40 years old. You know why? You have to have experienced at least one generation making the same mistakes as the previous one.
My alma mater is the Chicago Public Library. I got what little educational foundation I got in the third-floor reading room, under the tutelage of a Coca-Cola sign.
You know, young actors say all the time, 'Should I use my own life experience?' And my response is, 'What choice do you have?'
It's hard for a Jew of my generation, an American Jew, who is philo-Zionistic, not to romanticize Israel.
You can't write about history without writing about politics at some point. History is about movements of people. 'What is criminality and what is government' is a theme that runs through every history.
Every reiteration of the idea that nothing matters debases the human spirit.
HYENA, n. A beast held in reverence by some oriental nations from its habit of frequenting at night the burial-places of the dead. But the medical student does that
Calvin: Isn't it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it's weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it's funny. Don't you think it's odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us? Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.
If something about the human body disgusts you, the fault lies with the manufacturer.
I've learned to have absolutely no regrets about any jokes I've ever done.
You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.
I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.
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