I started with [Leo] Tolstoy and I was overwhelmed. Tolstoy writes like an ocean, in huge, rolling waves, and it doesn't look like it was processed through his thinking. It feels very natural. You don't question whether Tolstoy's right or… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
Tolstoy was the most gifted writer who ever lived. It's like he stuck a pen in his heart and it didn't even go through his mind on its way to the page. — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
Woody Allen is a genius. His films are wonderful. He's poetic, but he's also a critic. He artfully steps back from a social setting… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
Comedy is lively, comedy is joy, and that's what keeps us [people] going, we've got to look forward to little, little happiness's. Little, little… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
All right, I am often brash, rude and brutally direct. Someday I'm going to die and I don't have time to toe-dance around the… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
I don't think in terms of results at all. I think: what next insanity can I shock the world with? — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
My mother is very short - four-eleven. She could walk under tables and never hit her head. — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
The audience. They see the name Mel Brooks, they want something really funny. They don't want to be moved; they don't want to be… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
I realised that all one really had to do was just observe. Observe and slightly exaggerate, and you had comedy. Instead of creating a… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
Look, I really don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive, you got to flap your arms and legs,… — Mel Brooks Copy Share Image
![“I started with [Leo] Tolstoy and I was overwhelmed. Tolstoy writes like an ocean, in huge, rolling waves, and it doesn't look like it was processed through his thinking. It feels very natural. You don't question whether Tolstoy's right or wrong. His philosophy is housed in interrelating…” quote by Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a15/mel-brooks-2308_character_i-started-with-leo-tolstoy-and-i-was-ove_378838.jpg)
![“Comedy is lively, comedy is joy, and that's what keeps us [people] going, we've got to look forward to little, little happiness's. Little, little joys, and comedy is very, very important, it's a vital. We underestimate its value, but we should see more comedies. Comedy is life giving, it's…” quote by Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/936/mel-brooks-2308_believe_comedy-is-lively-comedy-is-joy-and-that_36043.jpg)
![“The audience. They see the name Mel Brooks, they want something really funny. They don't want to be moved; they don't want to be taught any lessons. [...] I get more letters for Twelve Chairs and Life Stinks than I get from any other movies, because people actually agree with the philosophy…” quote by Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/516/mel-brooks-2308_agree_the-audience-they-see-the-name-mel-brook_114482.jpg)
