I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.
Rodney DangerfieldRead
I was an ugly kid; when I was born, after the doctor cut the cord, he hung himself.
Interpretation
This quote is a humorous exaggeration expressing self-deprecation about one's appearance.
Rodney Dangerfield uses a witty and absurd statement to illustrate his feelings of insecurity about his looks during childhood. The hyperbolic nature of the quote, where he suggests that even the doctor was so shocked by his appearance that he would take extreme action, serves to evoke laughter while highlighting the comedian's lifelong struggle with self-image and the quest for respect.
In practice
Using this quote in a stand-up comedy routine to illustrate the humor in childhood insecurities.
I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.
I came from a real tough neighborhood. Why, every time I shut the window I hurt somebody's fingers.
I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet.
Last week I told my psychiatrist, 'I keep thinking about suicide', and he told me from now I have to pay in advance.
But then acting is all about faking. We're all very good at faking things that we have no competence with.
If you make any money, the government shoves you in the creek once a year with it in your pockets, and all that don't get wet you can keep.
The themes that make one laugh always stem from poverty, hunger, misery, old age, sickness, and death. These are the themes that make Italians laugh, anyway.
The bad thing about being a famous comedian is that every now and then someone approaches me to tell an old joke. Don't tell me jokes - I have that. People also say the weirdest things, sometimes sarcastic things, and even evil things. They like to provoke to get a reaction.
I think a joke is a form of truth-telling. A good joke that's absurd contains elements of our daily darkness and also a possibility to escape that darkness. So, for me, humor is an attempt to capture everyday tragedy and everyday hopeful moments that we experience all of the time.
The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.