--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know it's the comedian's instinct to…" description: "\"I know it's the comedian's instinct to say, \"Do it, man, nothing's off-limits! It's cool, bro!\" I don't know if that's the answer for me. \"Do I really ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/bo-burnham-1313_altars_i-know-it-s-the-comedian-s-instinct-to-s_1052293.jpg" --- # I know it's the comedian's instinct to say, "Do it, man… ![“I know it's the comedian's instinct to say, "Do it, man, nothing's off-limits! It's cool, bro!" I don't know if that's the answer for me. "Do I really want to make a joke about a miscarriage when a woman in the audience might have had one?" I don't worship comedy; at the end of the day I don't…” quote by Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/bo-burnham-1313_altars_i-know-it-s-the-comedian-s-instinct-to-s_1052293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/bo-burnham-1313_altars_i-know-it-s-the-comedian-s-instinct-to-s_1052293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/bo-burnham-1313_altars_i-know-it-s-the-comedian-s-instinct-to-s_1052293.jpg) > “I know it's the comedian's instinct to say, "Do it, man, nothing's off-limits! It's cool, bro!" I don't know if that's the answer for me. "Do I really want to make a joke about a miscarriage when a woman in the audience might have had one?" I don't worship comedy; at the end of the day I don't fall to the altar of comedy unquestioningly.” [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) ## 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 freedom has limits when jokes could harm vulnerable audiences; personal ethics guide humor. **In simple terms:** Humor should respect others' pain. Key Takeaway Consider impact before joking. Themes ethics comedy responsibility Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - stand‑up - writing - public speaking Key Concepts Moral judgment audience sensitivity Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become harmful? - How do you balance authenticity and empathy? A Different Perspective Comedy may still be constrained by societal norms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altars/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Bros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bros/) [Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) [Comedian Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian-instinct-2524190/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comedy End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-end-381562/) [End of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-day/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Joke Miscarriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke-miscarriage-2524189/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Miscarriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miscarriage/) [The end of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-end-of-the-day/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [I don't worship comedy; at the end of the day, I don't fall to the altar of comedy unquestioningly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-don-t-worship-comedy-at-the-end-of-the-day-i-don-t-fall-to-the/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Stand-up is an art but since it's humor and it's funny - a lot of guys that don't think it's art are probably coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/stand-up-is-an-art-but-since-it-s-humor-and-it-s-funny-a-lot-of-guys/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Stand-up comedy in the end, unlike the rest of the entertainment industry, is a meritocracy. There's a certain level of undeniability you can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/stand-up-comedy-in-the-end-unlike-the-rest-of-the-entertainment/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [People can see that we are part of a tradition of absurd comedy, stretching from Spike Milligan and Peter Cook through to Monty Python…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/people-can-see-that-we-are-part-of-a-tradition-of-absurd-comedy/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [I am far from any intention to limit curiosity, or confine the labours of learning to arts of immediate and necessary use. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-am-far-from-any-intention-to-limit-curiosity-or-confine-the-labours/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [Prenatal testing is a complicated decision for many women, forcing us to confront concerns about a disabled child and risks of miscarriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/prenatal-testing-is-a-complicated-decision-for-many-women-forcing-us/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [To acknowledge the receipt of letters is always proper, to remove doubts of their miscarriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/to-acknowledge-the-receipt-of-letters-is-always-proper-to-remove/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [If you're going through a hard time or if you've experienced a miscarriage, so many women have come up to me and said they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/if-you-re-going-through-a-hard-time-or-if-you-ve-experienced-a/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [“Now I know, you can’t change what’s happened to you or hide it, or spin it, or get over it. All you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-browning/now-i-know-you-can-t-change-what-s-happened-to-you-or-hide-it-or-spin/) [L.M. Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-browning/) > [To rail and rant against tyranny is to manifest inferiority, for there is no tyranny but ignorance; to be conscious of one's powers is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-c-riegel/to-rail-and-rant-against-tyranny-is-to-manifest-inferiority-for-there/) [E.C. Riegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-c-riegel/) > [“So many women come to me saying, “I have lost too, and this one, and this one”. So many embryos retreat to flesh: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zo-brigley-thompson/so-many-women-come-to-me-saying-i-have-lost-too-and-this-one-and-this/) [Zoë Brigley (Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zo-brigley-thompson/) > [Insofar as it represents a genuine reconciliation of differences, a consensus is a fine thing; insofar as it represents a concealment of differences, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/insofar-as-it-represents-a-genuine-reconciliation-of-differences-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Money power cannot be separated from democratic power without miscarriage and ensuing frustration - political and economic. Democracy implies the sovereignty of man; and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-c-riegel/money-power-cannot-be-separated-from-democratic-power-without/) [E.C. Riegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-c-riegel/) > [Consider, I pray, whether you are not renouncing all shame and sincerity to advance such principles. Because a comet appears in a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayle/consider-i-pray-whether-you-are-not-renouncing-all-shame-and/) [Pierre Bayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayle/) ## More by Bo Burnham > [The strange thing with Wikipedia is that the first article that ever gets written about you will define your Wikipedia page forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/the-strange-thing-with-wikipedia-is-that-the-first-article-that-ever/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [“Well, man, you know what they say." No, I don't. I don't know what they say. I don't even know who they are. Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/well-man-you-know-what-they-say-no-i-don-t-i-don-t-know-what-they-say/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [And there's a metal train that's a mile long and at the very back end a lightning bolt struck her, How long til it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/and-there-s-a-metal-train-that-s-a-mile-long-and-at-the-very-back-end/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Women are like fingers and toes because they're easy to count on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/women-are-like-fingers-and-toes-because-they-re-easy-to-count-on/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I do think that stand-up comedy in general heavily favors masculinity and so I like to act a little feminine onstage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-do-think-that-stand-up-comedy-in-general-heavily-favors-masculinity/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Most of my songs make fun of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/most-of-my-songs-make-fun-of-myself/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I write about what I know: teenage dating, overly charged sexuality, all the things that make you uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-write-about-what-i-know-teenage-dating-overly-charged-sexuality-all/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [People give me money and I don't know why, my real collection plate is an empty cup held by a homeless guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-give-me-money-and-i-don-t-know-why-my-real-collection-plate-is/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Comedy doesn't really matter that much; I know that. I treat it like an adult - I don't treat it like a child or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/comedy-doesn-t-really-matter-that-much-i-know-that-i-treat-it-like-an/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I've always liked the format of YouTube, sharing things for free, which is a nice exchange between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-ve-always-liked-the-format-of-youtube-sharing-things-for-free-which/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Comedy is very strange to me and I don't fully understand it's purpose or function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/comedy-is-very-strange-to-me-and-i-don-t-fully-understand-it-s/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I don't really care about capitalizing on momentum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/i-don-t-really-care-about-capitalizing-on-momentum/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [If your belief is hateful towards people, I couldn't respect that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/if-your-belief-is-hateful-towards-people-i-couldn-t-respect-that/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [When life gets you down, make a comforter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/when-life-gets-you-down-make-a-comforter/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) [Explore all 258 Bo Burnham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) ## More Altars quotes > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [And in any preaching you do, admonish the people concerning repentance, and that nobody can be saved except he who receives the most holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/and-in-any-preaching-you-do-admonish-the-people-concerning-repentance/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The revolting details of childbirth had been hidden from me with such care that I was as surprised as I was horrified, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/the-revolting-details-of-childbirth-had-been-hidden-from-me-with-such/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. What with incense, pictures, statues, altars, shrines, relics, and the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-is-by-far-the-most-elegant-worship-hardly-excepting-the-greek/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [For me it's really tough because you have to go to that place where you really, really don't want to go to or revisit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-chestnut/for-me-it-s-really-tough-because-you-have-to-go-to-that-place-where/) [Morris Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-chestnut/) > [For piety lies not in being often seen turning a veiled head to stones, nor in approaching every altar, nor in lying prostratebefore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/for-piety-lies-not-in-being-often-seen-turning-a-veiled-head-to/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It is when we are in misery that we revere the gods; the prosperous seldom approach the altar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silius-italicus/it-is-when-we-are-in-misery-that-we-revere-the-gods-the-prosperous/) [Silius Italicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silius-italicus/) > [Pope Gelasius in his ninth letter (chap. 26) to the bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xiv/pope-gelasius-in-his-ninth-letter-chap-26-to-the-bishops-of-lucania/) [Pope Benedict XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xiv/) [Browse all 329 Altars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know it's the comedian's instinct to say, \"Do it, man, nothing's off-limits! 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