WIST Quotations

Thurber, James -- Interview (1959-03-24) by Edward R. Murrow, Small World, CBS-TV

Dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:43:12 +0000

By definition, humor is gentle. The savage, the cruel, the harsh would fall under the heading of wit and/or satire, as the lawyers say. Now, my definitions are these: The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people — that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature.

James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, cartoonist, writer
Interview (1959-03-24) by Edward R. Murrow, Small World, CBS-TV
(Source)

When Siobhan McKenna, one of the other guests, made a comment about "cruel humor."

The transcript was printed as "That Girl in Galway" in the next (?) day's New York Post.

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” l. 5ff (1809)

Dave — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:28:31 +0000

Prepare for rhyme — I’ll publish, right or wrong:
Fools are my theme, let Satire be my song.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet
“English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” l. 5ff (1809)
(Source)

Lec, Stanislaw -- Unkempt Thoughts [Myśli nieuczesane] (1957) [tr. Gałązka (1962)]

Dave — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:44:55 +0000

Satirists, be careful. In the 1931 film by René Clair, Vive la Liberte, a song says, “Work is freedom.” In 1940 the sign on the gates to Auschwitz said: “Arbeit macht frei.”

Stanislaw Lec (1909-1966) Polish aphorist, poet, satirist
Unkempt Thoughts [Myśli nieuczesane] (1957) [tr. Gałązka (1962)]
(Source)

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley -- The School for Scandal, Act 1 (1777)

Dave — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 21:14:42 +0000

There is no possibility of being witty without a little ill-nature; the malice in a good thing is the barb that makes it stick.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Irish dramatist, satirist, politician
The School for Scandal, Act 1 (1777)
(Source)

Kubrick, Stanley -- Dr. Strangelove (1964) [with T. Southern, Peter George, based on Red Alert by Peter George]

Dave — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:23:06 +0000

RIPPER: I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion, and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) American film director, screenwriter, producer
Dr. Strangelove (1964) [with T. Southern, Peter George, based on Red Alert by Peter George]

Lovecraft, H. P. -- Letter to August W. Derleth (Jan 1928)

Dave — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 20:22:03 +0000

That sort of thing wears thin — for when one’s cynicism becomes perfect and absolute, there’s no longer anything amusing in the stupidity and hypocrisy of the herd. It is all to be expected — what else could human nature produce? — so irony annuls itself by means of its own victories!

H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) American fabulist [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
Letter to August W. Derleth (Jan 1928)

Regarding Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary.

Johnson, Lyndon -- Letter (1968-11-09) to the Smothers Brothers

Dave — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 01:59:43 +0000

It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
Letter (1968-11-09) to the Smothers Brothers

Replying to a letter from them apologizing for making him the target of so much of their humor. More info here and here.

Lehrer, Tom -- Interview, Sydney Morning Herald (2003)

Dave — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:01:25 +0000

Things are much more complicated. Feminism versus pornography, for example. There are a lot of feminists who think it is bad, but others think it’s good. I have become, you might call it mature, I would call it senile, and I can see both sides. But you can’t write a satirical song with “but on the other hand” in it, or “however.” It’s got to be one-sided.

Tom Lehrer (b. 1928) American mathematician, satirist, songwriter
Interview, Sydney Morning Herald (2003)
(Source)

Swift, Jonathan -- “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift,” l. 459 (1731)

Dave — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:09:15 +0000

Yet malice never was his aim;
He lashed the vice but spared the name.
No individual could resent,
Where thousands equally were meant.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) English writer and churchman
“Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift,” l. 459 (1731)

Atkinson, Rowan -- Letter to The Times of London (Oct 2001)

Dave — Fri, 08 May 2015 13:49:40 +0000

For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled. The idea that you could be prosecuted for the telling of either is quite fantastic.

Rowan Atkinson (b. 1955) English actor, comedian, and screenwriter
Letter to The Times of London (Oct 2001)
(Source)

Regarding proposed legislation outlaw "incitement to religious hatred."

Gaiman, Neil -- Twitter (7 Jan 2014)

Dave — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:52:44 +0000

How important are free speech and satire? Important enough that people will murder others to silence the kind of speech they don’t like.

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) British author, screenwriter, fabulist
Twitter (7 Jan 2014)
(Source)

Regarding the mass murder at the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.

Horace -- Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 2, # 1 “Sunt quibus in Satira,” l. 44ff (2.2.44-46) (30 BC) [tr. Howes (1845)]

Dave — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:56:54 +0000

But he that touches me, (hands off! I cry, —
Avaunt, and at your peril come not nigh!)
Shall for his pains be chaunted up and down,
The jest and byeword of a chuckling Town.

[At ille,
Qui me conmorit (melius non tangere, clamo),
Fiebit et insignis tota cantabitur urbe.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 2, # 1 “Sunt quibus in Satira,” l. 44ff (2.2.44-46) (30 BC) [tr. Howes (1845)]
(Source)

On the dangers of antagonizing a satirist.

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

[...] that none woulde worke me wo.
But worke they doo, but who so does, though he be divelyshe fell,
I blason farre and nere his armes, and wanton touches tell.
He may go howle, and pule for wo, the citizens will scorn hym,
And cause him wyshe full many a tyme, his damme had never borne hym.
[tr. Drant (1567)]

And none bereave
The peace I seek. But if there do, believe
Me they will rew't, when with my keen Stile stung,
Through the whole town they shall in pomp be sung.
[tr. Fanshawe; ed. Brome (1666)]

Let none hurt Peaceful Me with envious Tongue,
For if he does, He shall repent the wrong:
The warning's fair, his Vices shall be shown,
And Life expos'd to all the Cens'ring Town.
[tr. Creech (1684)]

But who provokes me, or attacks my fame,
"Better not touch me, friend," I loud exclaim,
His eyes shall weep the folly of his tongue.
By laughing crowds in rueful ballad sung.
[tr. Francis (1747)]

But that man who shall provoke me (I give notice, that it is better not to touch me) shall weep [his folly], and as a notorious character shall be sung through all the streets of Rome.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

But he who shall have once provoked me -- 'twill be better that he touch me not, I cry -- shall rue it, and, become notorious, shall be the theme of jest, through all the town.
[tr. Millington (1870)]

But should one seek
To quarrel with me, you shall hear him shriek:
Don't say I gave no warning: up and down
He shall be trolled and chorused through the town.
[tr. Conington (1874)]

But if one stir me up ("Better not touch me!" I shout), he shall smart for it and have his name sung up and down the town.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

But the man who provokes me will weep (HANDS OFF! I WARN YOU)
and his name will be widely rehearsed all over town.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]

But any guy
who gives me any trouble (my motto is “Hands off!”)
will become a tearful celebrity, sung about all over town.
[tr. Fuchs (1977)]

But attack -- it’s better not to, believe me -- and live
To regret it, your name paraded all over Rome!
[tr. Raffel (1983)]

But he who attacks me (O I warn you!
keep your hands to yourself!)
will have cause enough for weeping.
He will be pointed out and ridiculed
by everyone in Rome.
[tr. Alexander (1999)]

"Hands off" is my motto:
anybody who gives me any trouble, he'll be
swiftly famous for his pain and snuffling.
[tr. Matthews (2002)]

But whoever stirs me up (better keep your distance, I’m telling you!)
will be sorry; he’ll become a thing of derision throughout the city.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]

But he
Who provokes me (better not touch, I cry!) will suffer,
And his blemishes will be sung throughout the City.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

~Other -- The British Board Of Film Censors, Report on Life of Brian (1979)

Dave — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:01:46 +0000

Monty Python’s usual schoolboy humour is here let loose on a period of history appropriately familiar to every schoolboy in the West, and a faith which could be shaken by such good-humoured ribaldry would be a very precarious faith indeed.

(Other Authors and Sources)
The British Board Of Film Censors, Report on Life of Brian (1979)

Stewart, Jon -- Interview, Rolling Stone (2006-10-31)

Dave — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:05:51 +0000

Here’s the way I look at it. President Bush has uranium-tipped bunker busters and I have puns. I think he’ll be okay.

Jon Stewart (b. 1962) American satirist, comedian, and television host. [b. Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz]
Interview, Rolling Stone (2006-10-31)
(Source)

On political satire.

Stewart, Jon -- The Daily Show (2001-09-20)

Dave — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:12:23 +0000

The show in general we feel like is a privilege. Even the idea that we can sit in the back of the country and make wise cracks … which is really what we do. We sit in the back and throw spitballs — but never forgetting that it is a luxury in this country that allows us to do that. That is, a country that allows for open satire, and I know that sounds basic and it sounds like it goes without saying. But that’s really what this whole situation is about. It’s the difference between closed and open. The difference between free and … burdened. And we don’t take that for granted here, by any stretch of the imagination.

Jon Stewart (b. 1962) American satirist, comedian, and television host. [b. Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz]
The Daily Show (2001-09-20)
(Source)

Shakespeare, William -- King Lear, Act 5, sc. 3, l. 83 (5.3.83) (1606)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

REGAN: Jesters do oft prove prophets.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
King Lear, Act 5, sc. 3, l. 83 (5.3.83) (1606)
(Source)

Frequently misattributed (with "often" for "oft") to Joseph Addison.

Horace -- Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 1, # 10 “Nempe incomposito,” l. 14ff (1.10.14-15) (35 BC) [tr. Francis (1747)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

For ridicule shall frequently prevail,
And cut the knot, when graver reasons fail.

[Ridiculum acri
Fortius et melius magnas plerumque secat res.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 1, # 10 “Nempe incomposito,” l. 14ff (1.10.14-15) (35 BC) [tr. Francis (1747)]
(Source)

On varying and selecting the proper tone and style when writing.

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

A Drolling merry stile does better hit
Great matters, then a down-right railing Wit.
[tr. A. B.; ed. Brome (1666)]

A waggish sneer
Doth nick the great Ones more then a severe.
[tr. Creech (1684)]

For oft a smile beyond a frown prevails,
And raillery triumphs where invective fails.
[tr. Howes (1845)]

For ridicule often decides matters of importance more effectually and in a better manner, than severity.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

The satire's jest will generally solve all matters of great moment with more spirit and success than declamation's gravity.
[tr. The Millington (1870)]

And pleasantry will often cut clean through
Hard knots that gravity would scarce undo.
[tr. Conington (1874)]

Humour very often cuts the knot of serious questions more trenchantly and successfully than severity.
[tr. Wickham (1903)]

Jesting oft cuts hard knots more forcefully and effectively than gravity.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

A jest often decides matters of importance more effectively and happily than seriousness.
[tr. Wells, ed. Kraemer (1936)]

A good witticism is often conclusive and forceful
Where a sober remark is not.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]

Frequently a clever stroke is better,
abler in cutting at big problems than something serious.
[tr. Fuchs (1977)]

Most times, ridicule cuts sharp and clean
when it deals with serious matters
and arouses indignation for the most part.
[tr. Alexander (1999)]

Jokes can slice
knots that blunt earnest attack.
[tr. Matthews (2002)]

Humour is often stronger
and more effective than sharpness in cutting knotty issues.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]

Ridicule usually
Cuts through things better, more swiftly, than force.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

Twain, Mark -- (Misattributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
(Misattributed)

Not found in Twain's work, and the phrase "putting [someone] on" post-dates Twain.

The quotation actually appears to come from Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, The Peter Principle, ch. 7 (1969). Peter writes that during a lecture, a Latin American student named Caesare Innocente, said to him:

Professor Peter, I'm afraid that what I want to know is not answered by all my studying. I don't know whether the world is run by smart men who are, how you Americans say, putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.

More discussion: slang - What is the origin of "putting someone on" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange.