You can't study comedy; it's within you. It's a personality. My humor is an attitude.
Don RicklesRead
The young comedians always ask me, 'What's the secret for staying around?' I tell them, 'There is no secret - just stay around. Longevity is the most important thing.'
Interpretation
The key to success is simply to continue being present and active in your field.
In this quote, Don Rickles emphasizes that there is no magical formula for achieving longevity in one's career, especially in comedy. Instead, he points out that the most crucial factor is to remain consistent and persistent, suggesting that mere presence and the willingness to continue performing are what ultimately lead to lasting success.
In practice
In a graduation speech to encourage students to stay dedicated to their paths.
You can't study comedy; it's within you. It's a personality. My humor is an attitude.
When I was a younger guy doing comedy, it was a big struggle. Promoters canceled me out of clubs left and right when I called somebody a dummy or a yo-yo. Then they realized I was different.
I think if I took therapy, the doctor would quit. He'd just pick up the couch and walk out of the room.
Making people laugh is a really fabulous thing because it means you're getting deep inside somebody, into their psyche, and their ability to look at themselves.
I have no intention of uttering my last words on the stage. Room service and a couple of depraved young women will do me quite nicely for an exit.
If men had to have babies, they would only ever have one each.
The way Calvin's brain is wired, you can almost hear the fuses blowing.
The humor is that finally when you have the power to move the mountain, you are the person who placed it there-so there the mountain stays.
You look at the world and see how scary it can be sometimes and still try to deal with the fear. Comedy can deal with the fear and still not paralyze you or tell you that it's going away. You say, OK, you got certain choices here, you can laugh at them and then once you've laughed at them and you have expunged the demon, now you can deal with them. That's what I do when I do my act.
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