Life is a near-death experience.
George CarlinRead
Now, some people do this for shock value. Shock is just another uptown word for surprise. Granted it has a different quality to it, but a joke is about surprising someone. I'm a great believer in context. You can joke about anything. I do like finding out where the line is drawn, deliberately crossing it and bringing some of them with me across the line, and having them be happy that I did.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humor is rooted in surprise and context, allowing for freedom in joking.
In this quote, George Carlin discusses the nature of humor, emphasizing that the element of surprise is essential in jokes. He believes that context plays a crucial role in determining what can be joked about, and he enjoys exploring boundaries by crossing lines in comedy, with the intention of bringing others along for the ride and eliciting happiness through laughter.
Themes
HumorSurpriseContextComedyBoundaries
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a stand-up comedy workshop to highlight the importance of context in jokes.
More from George Carlin
All quotes →Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car."
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This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen.
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Some people try to get out of jury duty by lying. You don't have to lie. Tell the judge the truth. Tell him you'd make a terrific juror because you can spot guilty people.
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Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.
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