--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Comedy is a very personal thing, as you…" description: "\"Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if you've ever told the same joke to two people and had one of them laugh their head off and the oth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg" --- # Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if… ![“Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if you've ever told the same joke to two people and had one of them laugh their head off and the other one look at you as though you were a completely cretin.” quote by Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg) > “Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if you've ever told the same joke to two people and had one of them laugh their head off and the other one look at you as though you were a completely cretin.” [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedy's subjectivity is illustrated by differing reactions to the same joke, highlighting personal taste. **In simple terms:** People react differently to the same humor. Key Takeaway Tailor humor to your audience. Themes humor subjectivity communication Mood pragmatic observational Type guidance analysis When to use this quote - stand‑up - writing - social gatherings - media Key Concepts audience analysis comedic timing Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge audience preferences? - When should you adjust material? A Different Perspective Not all jokes land universally; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Comedy is a very personal thing, and some people will find it funny, some people wont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mangan/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-and-some-people-will-find-it-funny/) [Stephen Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mangan/) > [“People usually told him the same joke two or three times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/people-usually-told-him-the-same-joke-two-or-three-times/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [when he smiles it's as if you'd just told him the first joke on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-he-smiles-it-s-as-if-you-d-just-told-him-the-first-joke-on-earth/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [There's things that I couldn't joke about but other people could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/there-s-things-that-i-couldn-t-joke-about-but-other-people-could/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [“Someone once told me a joke," he said. "I'd like to be a pacifist, but people keep getting in the way.' I made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edeet-ravel/someone-once-told-me-a-joke-he-said-i-d-like-to-be-a-pacifist-but/) Edeet Ravel > [You never want to defend a joke. People get to choose whether or not to laugh and whether or not they think something is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/you-never-want-to-defend-a-joke-people-get-to-choose-whether-or-not/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [The odd thing about comedy is that the more personal you are, the larger the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/the-odd-thing-about-comedy-is-that-the-more-personal-you-are-the/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [Comedy is such a personal thing. Everybody can cry at the same thing, but it's a lot harder to get everyone to laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-mochrie/comedy-is-such-a-personal-thing-everybody-can-cry-at-the-same-thing/) [Colin Mochrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-mochrie/) > [Comedy is a very personal thing, and some people will find it funny, some people won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mangan/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-and-some-people-will-find-it-funny-2/) [Stephen Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mangan/) > [I mean comedy is something that's very personal and people have strong opinions about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lucas/i-mean-comedy-is-something-that-s-very-personal-and-people-have/) [Matt Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lucas/) > [My Lord told me a joke. And seeing Him laugh has done more for me than any scripture I will ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/my-lord-told-me-a-joke-and-seeing-him-laugh-has-done-more-for-me-than/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [I told a joke and people laughed and it was the best feeling. I knew I wanted to do this as a career. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-tucker/i-told-a-joke-and-people-laughed-and-it-was-the-best-feeling-i-knew-i/) [Chris Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-tucker/) > [“While at a convention, Bill, Jim, and Scott shared a hotel suite on the 75th floor. After a long day of meetings, they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-at-a-convention-bill-jim-and-scott-shared-a-hotel-suite-on-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Your mother, my mother, and mother of pearl walk into a bar, and the bartender says, “Hello, dad, you look more like whiskey than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/your-mother-my-mother-and-mother-of-pearl-walk-into-a-bar-and-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When I was governor, if I told a joke in front of the press - I learned. I would go, "That was a joke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/when-i-was-governor-if-i-told-a-joke-in-front-of-the-press-i-learned/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) ## More by Andrew Denton > [If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/if-antarctica-were-music-it-would-be-mozart-art-and-it-would-be/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [I think I was a feminist before the word was invented. By the time I came across feminist books by American or European writers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/i-think-i-was-a-feminist-before-the-word-was-invented-by-the-time-i/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [Absolute faith can blind you to the consequences of the actions you allow. It can tell you it's okay to drop bombs on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/absolute-faith-can-blind-you-to-the-consequences-of-the-actions-you/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/pressure-and-stress-is-the-common-cold-of-the-psyche/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [You can (be a middle-aged comic) if you work very hard at it, because comedy is really hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/you-can-be-a-middle-aged-comic-if-you-work-very-hard-at-it-because/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [I have deep respect for people's individual faith, but when faith gets connected to the machinery of state, or the machinery of hate, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/i-have-deep-respect-for-people-s-individual-faith-but-when-faith-gets/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [I didn't like the nervous tension of being a public person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/i-didn-t-like-the-nervous-tension-of-being-a-public-person/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [We live in a society that worships youth. On television, in magazines, in advertisements and on billboards, what sells and what is sold to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/we-live-in-a-society-that-worships-youth-on-television-in-magazines/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [A poll earlier this year showed that 42 per cent of Americans believe we're in the End Times,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/a-poll-earlier-this-year-showed-that-42-per-cent-of-americans-believe/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [The world is infinitely more complex than it appeared to me 15 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/the-world-is-infinitely-more-complex-than-it-appeared-to-me-15-years/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [I've become a much more serious young insect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/i-ve-become-a-much-more-serious-young-insect/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) [Explore all 12 Andrew Denton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if you've ever told the same joke to two people and had one of them laugh their head off and the other one look at you as though you were a completely cretin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Denton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-would-know-if-you-ve-ever-told/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-would-know-if-you-ve-ever-told/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/andrew-denton-36606_comedy_comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-w_869578.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Comedy is a very personal thing, as you would know if you've ever told the same joke to two people and had…” — Andrew Denton", "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": "Andrew Denton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Comedy is a very personal thing,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-would-know-if-you-ve-ever-told/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/comedy-is-a-very-personal-thing-as-you-would-know-if-you-ve-ever-told/#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 } } ] } ```