--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can teach taste, editorial sense, but…" description: "\"You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to say something funny is something I've never been able to teach anyone.\" — Abe Burrows" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png" --- # You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to… ![“You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to say something funny is something I've never been able to teach anyone.” quote by Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png) > “You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to say something funny is something I've never been able to teach anyone.” [Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is innate and cannot be taught, unlike taste or editorial sense **In simple terms:** Funny talent is natural, not teachable Key Takeaway Recognize and nurture innate comedic ability Themes humor talent teaching limits Mood thoughtful analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - casting - script development - mentorship - comedy workshops Key Concepts comedy writing creative skills education Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster humor in others? - What distinguishes natural wit from learned skill? A Different Perspective Overlooks the role of practice and environment in developing humor ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [Could we teach taste or genius by rules, they would be no longer taste and genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-reynolds/could-we-teach-taste-or-genius-by-rules-they-would-be-no-longer-taste/) [Joshua Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-reynolds/) > [Most owners are at length able to teach themselves to obey their dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morley/most-owners-are-at-length-able-to-teach-themselves-to-obey-their-dog/) [Robert Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morley/) > [Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ward-howe/our-sons-shall-not-be-taken-from-us-to-unlearn-all-that-we-have-been/) [Julia Ward Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ward-howe/) > [“She may not be able to teach the baby how to cook, but she could teach the child how to shoot a gun and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-brooks/she-may-not-be-able-to-teach-the-baby-how-to-cook-but-she-could-teach/) [Kathleen Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-brooks/) > [If we are going to have to worry all the time that we might offend some students' sensibilities, we are not going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/if-we-are-going-to-have-to-worry-all-the-time-that-we-might-offend/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [If you want to be able to teach, then you need to listen - a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-haddad/if-you-want-to-be-able-to-teach-then-you-need-to-listen-a-lot/) [Fernando Haddad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-haddad/) > [One should be able to teach adequately and feel good about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/one-should-be-able-to-teach-adequately-and-feel-good-about-it/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [The proof that you know something is that you are able to teach it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-proof-that-you-know-something-is-that-you-are-able-to-teach-it/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It's just great to be able to teach someone to dance and preach to them how to be better people and enjoy their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/it-s-just-great-to-be-able-to-teach-someone-to-dance-and-preach-to/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) > [A leader must have knowledge. A leader must be able to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/a-leader-must-have-knowledge-a-leader-must-be-able-to-teach/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [I'd love to go to school and have a normal life, but I don't see any professor at Yale being able to teach me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/i-d-love-to-go-to-school-and-have-a-normal-life-but-i-don-t-see-any/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) > [“Genius could be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way, or even to say a simple thing in a simpler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/genius-could-be-the-ability-to-say-a-profound-thing-in-a-simple-way/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Focus is the ability to say no to the GOOD so you can fulfill the yes you said to the GREAT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/focus-is-the-ability-to-say-no-to-the-good-so-you-can-fulfill-the-yes/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [“No is a complete sentence and so often we forget that. When we don't want to do something we can simply smile and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gregg/no-is-a-complete-sentence-and-so-often-we-forget-that-when-we-don-t/) [Susan Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gregg/) > [The only power an actor has is the ability to say: 'No](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-diamond-phillips/the-only-power-an-actor-has-is-the-ability-to-say-no/) [Lou Diamond Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-diamond-phillips/) ## More by Abe Burrows > [Glamour: the indefinable something about a girl with a big bosom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/glamour-the-indefinable-something-about-a-girl-with-a-big-bosom/) [Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) > [You throw a perfectly straight line at the audience and then, right at the end, you curve it. Good jokes do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/you-throw-a-perfectly-straight-line-at-the-audience-and-then-right-at/) [Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) > [Someone once defined humor as a way to keep from killing yourself. I keep my sense of humor and I stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/someone-once-defined-humor-as-a-way-to-keep-from-killing-yourself-i/) [Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) > [The fact is that comedy is actually too serious to be taken seriously. It may be that comedy touches such deep emotions that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/the-fact-is-that-comedy-is-actually-too-serious-to-be-taken-seriously/) [Abe Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) [Explore all 5 Abe Burrows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to say something funny is something I've never been able to teach anyone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abe Burrows" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but-the-ability-to-say-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but-the-ability-to-say-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/abe-burrows-61589_ability_you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but_3055726.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can teach taste, editorial sense, but the ability to say something funny is something I've never been…” — Abe Burrows", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abe Burrows", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-burrows/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can teach taste, editorial sense,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but-the-ability-to-say-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-burrows/you-can-teach-taste-editorial-sense-but-the-ability-to-say-something/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```