--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Six Secrets to Being a Successful…" description: "\"Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared, unhappy, and an outcast as a kid. 2. Drop out of high school. 3. Spend time alone. 4. Don't ta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg" --- # Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared… ![“Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared, unhappy, and an outcast as a kid. 2. Drop out of high school. 3. Spend time alone. 4. Don't take a comedy course. 5. Read other humorists but don't worship them. 6. Don't get your hopes up.” quote by Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg) > “Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared, unhappy, and an outcast as a kid. 2. Drop out of high school. 3. Spend time alone. 4. Don't take a comedy course. 5. Read other humorists but don't worship them. 6. Don't get your hopes up.” [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The advice suggests unconventional, often painful experiences can fuel humor, emphasizing isolation, self‑study, and low expectations. **In simple terms:** Unusual life experiences can shape a comedian. Key Takeaway Embrace oddities, learn independently. Themes humor creativity nonconformity Mood reflective ironic Type advice personal development When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - writing jokes - solo performances - personal growth Key Concepts psychology self‑directed learning Questions to Reflect On - How have your hardships shaped your voice? - Can isolation be balanced with collaboration? A Different Perspective Success may still require discipline and networking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-time/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [End times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-times/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Hopes up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopes-up/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorist/) [Humorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorists/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Outcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcast/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Spend Time Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spend-time-alone/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-alone/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [You think I led him on? For what? Kicks? I don't have enough exictement in my life, so maybe I'll tease a nice guy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/you-think-i-led-him-on-for-what-kicks-i-don-t-have-enough-exictement/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [I hate you! (Artemis) Oh, please don’t get my hopes up. You almost gave me a hard-on with that thought. At least tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-hate-you-artemis-oh-please-don-t-get-my-hopes-up-you-almost-gave-me/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The power of hope upon human exertion, and happiness, is wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-power-of-hope-upon-human-exertion-and-happiness-is-wonderful/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I'm the kind of person who would rather get my hopes up really high and watch them get dashed to pieces than wisely keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-m-the-kind-of-person-who-would-rather-get-my-hopes-up-really-high/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [I had this lump in my throat, but I couldn't even cry. I thought, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-had-this-lump-in-my-throat-but-i-couldn-t-even-cry-i-thought-i/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I hate you! (Artemis) Don’t keep saying that, Artie. It’s cruel to get my hopes up. (Acheron)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-hate-you-artemis-don-t-keep-saying-that-artie-it-s-cruel-to-get-my/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [He might have crawled up into the airing cupboard and died, but I mustn't get my hopes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-might-have-crawled-up-into-the-airing-cupboard-and-died-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hope itself is a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords; but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-itself-is-a-species-of-happiness-and-perhaps-the-chief-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Keep your hopes up. Or down. Wherever you want them to be. Just have hope somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-turner/keep-your-hopes-up-or-down-wherever-you-want-them-to-be-just-have/) [Toby Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-turner/) > [Science is an investigation," Coach said, sanding his hands together. "Science requires us to transform into spies." Put that way, science almost sounded fun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/science-is-an-investigation-coach-said-sanding-his-hands-together/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-that-perches-in-the-soul/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Modeling's actually been treating me a lot better at age 24 than when I was 21. Young girls get their hopes up and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-richards/modeling-s-actually-been-treating-me-a-lot-better-at-age-24-than-when/) [Alexandra Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-richards/) > [This is why you should never, ever get your hopes up. This is why you should see the glass as half empty. So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/this-is-why-you-should-never-ever-get-your-hopes-up-this-is-why-you/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I glanced up at Zay, then walked over to stand next to him. "You look good with a baby in your arms," he murmured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/i-glanced-up-at-zay-then-walked-over-to-stand-next-to-him-you-look/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [Revolution: Political movement which gets many people´s hopes up, let´s even more people down, makes almost everybody uncomfortable, and a few, extraordinarily rich. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-bioy-casares/revolution-political-movement-which-gets-many-people-s-hopes-up-let-s/) [Adolfo Bioy Casares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolfo-bioy-casares/) ## More by Bruce McCall > [If the general attitude of Canadians toward their mighty neighbor to the south could be distilled into a single phrase, that phrase would probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/if-the-general-attitude-of-canadians-toward-their-mighty-neighbor-to/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/it-s-easy-to-see-golf-not-as-a-game-at-all-but-as-some-whey-faced/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [No game designed to be played with the aid of personal servants by right-handed men who can't even bring along their dogs can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/no-game-designed-to-be-played-with-the-aid-of-personal-servants-by/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [Here's a simple way to abolish golf's elitist and exclusionary image and make it a truly all-American sport: ditch that fifties-Republican-martini-drinker's green Brooks Brothers-style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/here-s-a-simple-way-to-abolish-golf-s-elitist-and-exclusionary-image/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [Not even Barbra Streisand celebrates herself as tirelessly as golf celebrates itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/not-even-barbra-streisand-celebrates-herself-as-tirelessly-as-golf/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [If the general attitude of Canadians toward their mighty neighbor to the south could be distilled into a single phrase, that phrase would probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/if-the-general-attitude-of-canadians-toward-their-mighty-neighbor-to-2/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [You can parody almost anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/you-can-parody-almost-anything/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) > [I'm a great admirer of cartoons, because I can't do cartoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/i-m-a-great-admirer-of-cartoons-because-i-can-t-do-cartoons/) [Bruce McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) [Explore all 9 Bruce McCall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/) ## More Alone time quotes > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/well-it-s-true-that-i-ve-never-been-solitary-although-i-spend-a-lot/) [Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/) > [“Solitude doesn’t kill a person; it grants peace to the soul and mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/solitude-doesn-t-kill-a-person-it-grants-peace-to-the-soul-and-mind/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [Spending a lot of time alone, gave me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think gave me the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/spending-a-lot-of-time-alone-gave-me-a-lot-of-time-to-think-a-lot-of/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Having a baby on my own is a dream come true, but in my world, there's no sheepish spouse on his way home from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/having-a-baby-on-my-own-is-a-dream-come-true-but-in-my-world-there-s/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [I always feel more grounded and stable when I have balance in my life; I'm a Libra! I'm most often surrounded by people, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-always-feel-more-grounded-and-stable-when-i-have-balance-in-my-life/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [I've never just been able to be alone, and I'm obsessed with being alone and hearing my thoughts. I'm trying to take this alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-ve-never-just-been-able-to-be-alone-and-i-m-obsessed-with-being/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [“There are dark and alone times when you move forward to pursue your own journey, but the beauty in the light at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dc-allen/there-are-dark-and-alone-times-when-you-move-forward-to-pursue-your/) [DC Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dc-allen/) > [For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/for-ragamuffins-god-s-name-is-mercy-we-see-our-darkness-as-a-prized/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“The world’s refusal to leave me out of its activities made me consider its destruction. Bring on the wave. Please, the asteroid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-nevill/the-world-s-refusal-to-leave-me-out-of-its-activities-made-me/) [Adam Nevill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-nevill/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I was very inventive. I lived in my own world - my dad said I was a loner. Not lonely, just happy in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-titchmarsh/i-was-very-inventive-i-lived-in-my-own-world-my-dad-said-i-was-a/) [Alan Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-titchmarsh/) > [only grieving can heal grief; the passage of time will lessen the acuteness, but time alone, without the direct experience of grief, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/only-grieving-can-heal-grief-the-passage-of-time-will-lessen-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Use your ALONE time to better yourself for you and your future mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/use-your-alone-time-to-better-yourself-for-you-and-your-future-mate/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [It's a very weird job to have as a musician, because you spend long periods of time alone and then you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-deradoorian/it-s-a-very-weird-job-to-have-as-a-musician-because-you-spend-long/) Angel Deradoorian [Browse all 164 Alone time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared, unhappy, and an outcast as a kid. 2. Drop out of high school. 3. Spend time alone. 4. Don't take a comedy course. 5. Read other humorists but don't worship them. 6. Don't get your hopes up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce McCall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humorist-1-be-scared-unhappy-and-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alone time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humorist-1-be-scared-unhappy-and-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/bruce-mccall-44799_alone-time_six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humori_3152561.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Six Secrets to Being a Successful Humorist 1. Be scared, unhappy, and an outcast as a kid. 2. Drop out of…” — Bruce McCall", "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": "Bruce McCall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mccall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Six Secrets to Being a Successful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humorist-1-be-scared-unhappy-and-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mccall/six-secrets-to-being-a-successful-humorist-1-be-scared-unhappy-and-an/#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 } } ] } ```