Satire Quotes

192 Satire quotes by 147 unique authors

Most satirists are indeed a public scourge; Their mildest physic is a farrier's purge; Their acrid temper turns, as soon as stirr'd, The milk of… — William Cowper
For a young and presumptuous poet a disposition to write satires is one of the most dangerous he can encourage. It tempts him to personalities,… — Robert Southey
Satire or sense, alas! Can Sporus feel? Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? — Alexander Pope
Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze; but time and thunder pay respect to bays. — Edmund Waller
Satires which the censor can understand are justly forbidden — Karl Kraus
Satirists do expose their own ill nature. — Isaac Watts
Satires and lampoons on particular people circulate more by giving copies in confidence to the friends of the parties, than by printing them. — Richard Brinsley Sheridan
In general satire, every man perceives A slight attack, yet neither fears nor grieves. — George Crabbe
Though folly, robed in purple, shines, Though vice exhausts Peruvian mines, Yet shall they tremble and turn pale When satire wields her mighty flail. — Charles Churchill
When satire flies abroad on falsehood's wing, Short is her life, and impotent her sting; But when to truth allied, the wound she gives Sinks… — Charles Churchill
Friendly satire may be compared to a fine lancet, which gently breathes a vein for health's sake. — Samuel Richardson
Satire dramatizes better than any other use of it, the inherent contradiction of free speech that it functions best when what is being said is… — Tony Hendra
You must not think that a satiric style allows of scandalous and brutish words; the better sort abhor scurrility. — Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon
A little wit and a great deal of ill-nature will furnish a man for satire; but the greatest instance of wit is to commend well. — John Tillotson
Satire is dependent on strong beliefs, and on strong beliefs wounded. — Anita Brookner
Hollywood is horrible... it's beyond satire. — Yahoo Serious
I just make what I like - warm and human stories, ones about historic characters and events, and about animals. If there is a secret,… — Walt Disney
Good satire goes beyond the specific point it’s trying to make and teaches you how to think critically. Even after your favorite cartoonist retires or… — Aaron McGruder
Whenever you feel like feeling like a devil's advocate, Bible-thump. That, in a worldly world, is the great irony and satire of evangelism. — Criss Jami
Satire is an abuse of wit. It corrects few evils. — Christian Nestell Bovee
Modern critics, who refuse to let a plain thing alone, have now started a theory that Cervantes's work is a vast piece of "symbolism." If… — Stephen Leacock
The reason I wrote political satire was because I thought it - politics - was important... that public policy was important. Then I transitioned into… — Al Franken
I'm a satirist, so I've got boxing gloves on if the person is worthy of satire. But I'm not an assassin. — Stephen Colbert
If you're going to get into social criticism with absurdity and satire, you can't be politically correct when you do that. — John Cusack
I like the George Romero films, which were really great, social satire movies; really twisted. — John Cusack

Who Wrote These Satire Quotes

147 authors contributed a total of 192 Satire Quotes, led by these top contributors: