--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To this day, to this very day, except for…" description: "\"To this day, to this very day, except for television, I've never had a writer. Anything I've ever done on the stage, happened on the stage and I develo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/don-rickles-1705_done_to-this-day-to-this-very-day-except-for_1544173.jpg" --- # To this day, to this very day, except for television, I've… ![“To this day, to this very day, except for television, I've never had a writer. Anything I've ever done on the stage, happened on the stage and I developed it from there. It started doing impressions and jokes - which I did very poorly. To this day I can't tell a joke. That sounds nuts, but it's…” quote by Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/don-rickles-1705_done_to-this-day-to-this-very-day-except-for_1544173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/don-rickles-1705_done_to-this-day-to-this-very-day-except-for_1544173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/don-rickles-1705_done_to-this-day-to-this-very-day-except-for_1544173.jpg) > “To this day, to this very day, except for television, I've never had a writer. Anything I've ever done on the stage, happened on the stage and I developed it from there. It started doing impressions and jokes - which I did very poorly. To this day I can't tell a joke. That sounds nuts, but it's true. I exaggerate it and it becomes a joke. Everything I've ever done I've done out on the stage and it became a performance over many many years.” [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He learned performance by improvising on stage, turning personal flaws into comedic material over decades. **In simple terms:** Stage experience shaped his humor, despite poor joke-telling. Key Takeaway Embrace live practice and adapt flaws into strengths. Themes improvisation performance humor Mood reflective playful Type anecdotal motivational When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - theatre rehearsals - improvisational workshops Key Concepts self‑deprecation audience interaction creative adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn personal weaknesses into artistic strengths? - What role does audience reaction play in shaping your craft? A Different Perspective Reliance on live feedback may limit scripted depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've never been able to tell jokes. In the beginning of my career I did impressions and jokes like any other comedian, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-ve-never-been-able-to-tell-jokes-in-the-beginning-of-my-career-i/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Many, many years ago, I stood on the stage and told bad jokes and did Sophie Tucker as an impersonation, and nobody looked up;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/many-many-years-ago-i-stood-on-the-stage-and-told-bad-jokes-and-did/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I never could tell a joke. I just started talking to the audience, and when the drunks would yell, "Hey, when do the broads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-never-could-tell-a-joke-i-just-started-talking-to-the-audience-and/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [“Who could say why a family decided to have a certain style, to tell the jokes it did, to put up its particular refrigerator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/who-could-say-why-a-family-decided-to-have-a-certain-style-to-tell/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [I'm not a big one for jokes. I can't tell a joke, believe it or not. If you gave me a thousand bucks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-m-not-a-big-one-for-jokes-i-can-t-tell-a-joke-believe-it-or-not-if/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I cannot tell a joke. But I can do a situation, that it becomes a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-cannot-tell-a-joke-but-i-can-do-a-situation-that-it-becomes-a-joke/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't really tell a joke, I react to situations. The whole thing is just looking at somebody and showing all our weaknesses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-really-tell-a-joke-i-react-to-situations-the-whole-thing-is/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [To this day, if you gave me $1,000, I really can't stand up - You can tell a joke. You're a good storyteller and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/to-this-day-if-you-gave-me-1-000-i-really-can-t-stand-up-you-can-tell/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't really tell a joke per se, I build up an attitude and it becomes a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-really-tell-a-joke-per-se-i-build-up-an-attitude-and-it/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [The awkward momment when you tell a joke and no one laughs lol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mochy/the-awkward-momment-when-you-tell-a-joke-and-no-one-laughs-lol/) MoCHY > [A lot of the comedians don't even tell the joke. Like only three tell the joke, the rest of them dissect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/a-lot-of-the-comedians-don-t-even-tell-the-joke-like-only-three-tell/) [Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/) > [A comic strip has a rhythm and a pattern, and you got to get in and out quick. So you set up a joke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/a-comic-strip-has-a-rhythm-and-a-pattern-and-you-got-to-get-in-and/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm always looking at new ways to tell a joke so that it doesn't get stale while working on new jokes every night or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-m-always-looking-at-new-ways-to-tell-a-joke-so-that-it-doesn-t-get/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [I think that the heroism which at this day would make on us the impression of Epaminondas and Phocion must be that of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-think-that-the-heroism-which-at-this-day-would-make-on-us-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Don Rickles > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [They always use the word 'insult' with me, but I don't hurt anybody. I wouldn't be sitting here if I did. I make fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/they-always-use-the-word-insult-with-me-but-i-don-t-hurt-anybody-i/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't do impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-do-impressions/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I have a problem, if the light goes on on TV and it blinks midnight, I don't know how to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-have-a-problem-if-the-light-goes-on-on-tv-and-it-blinks-midnight-i/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [To my knowledge, I was the first guy really to do what I do. And then later on different comedians started trying doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/to-my-knowledge-i-was-the-first-guy-really-to-do-what-i-do-and-then/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [If something strikes me as funny, I'll put it in my performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/if-something-strikes-me-as-funny-i-ll-put-it-in-my-performance/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Famous people are deceptive. Deep down, they're just regular people. Like Larry King. We've been friends for forty years. He's one of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/famous-people-are-deceptive-deep-down-they-re-just-regular-people/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [It takes many years to be a great comedian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/it-takes-many-years-to-be-a-great-comedian/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't like to compare myself with anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-like-to-compare-myself-with-anybody/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Now when I'm not working, I don't really hang out with the young comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/now-when-i-m-not-working-i-don-t-really-hang-out-with-the-young-comics/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [To this day, when I say that I went to the American Academy, people are very impressed. The reputation of the school has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/to-this-day-when-i-say-that-i-went-to-the-american-academy-people-are/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [In our day we went from - we went into saloons. We couldn't cross over like you can today, get a television series and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/in-our-day-we-went-from-we-went-into-saloons-we-couldn-t-cross-over/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [ I don't get into politics. I know \[Donald\] Trump, but I don't follow that. That's just an aside for him when he has nothing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-get-into-politics-i-know-donald-trump-but-i-don-t-follow-that/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I was always the guy who made jokes and ribbed people at parties. After I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-was-always-the-guy-who-made-jokes-and-ribbed-people-at-parties/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [When I walk down the street in New York, I swear to God, the building constructor, the guy pounding cement and what not, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/when-i-walk-down-the-street-in-new-york-i-swear-to-god-the-building/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) [Explore all 214 Don Rickles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) ## More Done quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. 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The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [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/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To this day, to this very day, except for television, I've never had a writer. 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