Book Quote by Baron Vaughn
“I remember reading in a comedy book very long ago when I first started, a person said there's a difference between a sense of humor and a sense of funny. A sense of humor is knowing what makes you laugh and a sense of funny is knowing what makes other people laugh. The journey of comedy, in a sense, is negotiating those two worlds.”
About This Quote
Source Podcast: “The Comedy Bang! Bang! Show”, 2015
Humor involves what makes you laugh personally, while funny is about what makes others laugh; comedy balances both.
In simple terms: Humor is personal, funny is universal.
Key Takeaway
Blend personal insight with audience appeal.
Themes
comedy
humor
communication
performance
creative writing
Mood
playful
reflective
strategic
Type
instructional
inspirational
When to use this quote
- stand‑up
- writing workshops
- team brainstorming
- social media content creation
Key Concepts
audience perception
personal voice
timing
cultural context
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you test whether a joke is personally funny and broadly funny?
- What strategies help bridge personal humor with audience tastes?
A Different Perspective
Humor can alienate if personal tastes clash with audience expectations.
![“Basically I made her [ Sara Pocock] listen to funk music for a good month, a nonstop stream of George Clinton. I was talking about the art from...if you look at the art from George Clinton albums there are two or three artists he worked with...I made her listen to my album too so all the images…” quote by Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ace/baron-vaughn-6620_albums_basically-i-made-her-sara-pocock-listen_41518.jpg)
![“[Harold Pinter] is a British playwright and is one of my favorite writers. Harold was very obsessed with when memory becomes mythology, that at some point you change your memory to fit who you believe you are.” quote by Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea7/baron-vaughn-6620_believe_harold-pinter-is-a-british-playwright-an_375878.jpg)
