--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people, especially from France…" description: "\"When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk about or so they could write about New York Jewish humor, I'd say I don't know anything about..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/gene-wilder-3914_ask-me_when-people-especially-from-france-would_2694023.jpg" --- # When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk… ![“When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk about or so they could write about New York Jewish humor, I'd say I don't know anything about New York Jewish humor. I know who Zero Mostel was and I know Mel Brooks, but that's about all I could tell you about New York Jewish humor.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/gene-wilder-3914_ask-me_when-people-especially-from-france-would_2694023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/gene-wilder-3914_ask-me_when-people-especially-from-france-would_2694023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/gene-wilder-3914_ask-me_when-people-especially-from-france-would_2694023.jpg) > “When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk about or so they could write about New York Jewish humor, I'd say I don't know anything about New York Jewish humor. I know who Zero Mostel was and I know Mel Brooks, but that's about all I could tell you about New York Jewish humor.” [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits limited knowledge of a cultural niche despite familiarity with famous figures. **In simple terms:** Admit gaps in expertise. Key Takeaway Seek deeper learning before speaking. Themes humility culture knowledge Mood humble reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - stand‑up - interviews - teaching Key Concepts cultural studies comedy Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn to speak authentically? - How does acknowledging ignorance affect credibility? A Different Perspective Superficial references can seem dismissive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-me/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooks/) [Don Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-know/) [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [Humor Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor-know-1936710/) [Jewish humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewish-humor/) [Know me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-me/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mel-brooks/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero/) [Zero Mostel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero-mostel-476846/) ## Related quotes > [ \[ Zero Mostel\] would tell anyone anything, not to be impolite, but he'd show that he wasn't at all afraid of however much money… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-would-tell-anyone-anything-not-to-be-impolite-but-he-d/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I certainly didn't have New York Jewish humor. But I was in three Mel Brooks films so people thought I was a connoisseur of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-certainly-didn-t-have-new-york-jewish-humor-but-i-was-in-three-mel/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-in-any-form-and-that-s-the/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ I was miscast in that production \[of Mother Courage and Her Children\] ... but it was with Anne Bancroft, whose boyfriend at the time… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-was-miscast-in-that-production-of-mother-courage-and-her-children/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ I met Mel \[Brooks\] backstage in Anne's \[Bancroft\] dressing room. He was wearing one of those pea coats, pea jackets that were made famous… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-met-mel-brooks-backstage-in-anne-s-bancroft-dressing-room-he-was/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ And Mel \[Brooks\] - you have to understand this important point - he had done "The Producers" for $50,000 over two years, and he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/and-mel-brooks-you-have-to-understand-this-important-point-he-had/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ With Mel \[Brooks\], only one time and that was later on during "Young Frankenstein" - never with Zero \[Mostel\] and never with Mel except… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/with-mel-brooks-only-one-time-and-that-was-later-on-during-young/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [My parents took me to that I think is just one of those near-perfect comedies is Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-benson/my-parents-took-me-to-that-i-think-is-just-one-of-those-near-perfect/) [Doug Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-benson/) > [My movies were not reaping the kind of emotional rewards that I wanted. I wanted them to be appreciated and they weren't. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/my-movies-were-not-reaping-the-kind-of-emotional-rewards-that-i/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [We pay homage to the people who came before, doing satires, like Mel Brooks; we're just carrying the torch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-wayans/we-pay-homage-to-the-people-who-came-before-doing-satires-like-mel/) [Shawn Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-wayans/) > [I also try to surround myself with people I love - make a family out of the company. So I tend to use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/i-also-try-to-surround-myself-with-people-i-love-make-a-family-out-of/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [Apparently nobody really read it, it was a cheap movie, it fit their schedule in terms of things so fine, let the guy make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/apparently-nobody-really-read-it-it-was-a-cheap-movie-it-fit-their/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [They wanted me to play third like Brooks so I did play like Brooks - Mel Brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-van-slyke/they-wanted-me-to-play-third-like-brooks-so-i-did-play-like-brooks/) [Andy Van Slyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-van-slyke/) > [The audience. They see the name Mel Brooks, they want something really funny. They don't want to be moved; they don't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/the-audience-they-see-the-name-mel-brooks-they-want-something-really/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-electrician-at-the-age-of-14-if/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) ## More by Gene Wilder > [Dont put the sheep on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/dont-put-the-sheep-on-the-table/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When your mother gives you confidence about anything that you do, you carry that confidence with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-your-mother-gives-you-confidence-about-anything-that-you-do-you/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm an actor, not a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-an-actor-not-a-clown/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ \[Gilda Radner\] died in '89, and I got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. I've just passed the five-year mark and I'm now what you call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gilda-radner-died-in-89-and-i-got-non-hodgkin-s-lymphoma-in-2000-i-ve/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I like - it's not that I want to be someone different from me, but I suppose it partly is that. I love creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-like-it-s-not-that-i-want-to-be-someone-different-from-me-but-i/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I live in a small town in Connecticut, and they don't write scripts there, but I get them anyway because my agent is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-live-in-a-small-town-in-connecticut-and-they-don-t-write-scripts/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/little-surprises-around-every-corner-but-nothing-dangerous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-don-t-like-giving-speeches-it-makes-me-nervous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [On screen, Gene Wilder could often be summed up as an accident waiting to happen, that frizzy, flyaway hair, the eyes darting this way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/on-screen-gene-wilder-could-often-be-summed-up-as-an-accident-waiting/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder often said that his job as an actor wasn't to make something funny but to make it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-often-said-that-his-job-as-an-actor-wasn-t-to-make/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem-to-go-through-periods-of/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [What I learned from Mel Brooks was audacity - in performance as in life. Maybe you go too far, but try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/what-i-learned-from-mel-brooks-was-audacity-in-performance-as-in-life/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm going to tell you what my religion is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-going-to-tell-you-what-my-religion-is-do-unto-others-as-you-would/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder characters wanted to be calm, but to the great delight of audiences, they rarely succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-characters-wanted-to-be-calm-but-to-the-great-delight-of/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I love acting, especially if it's a fantasy of some kind, where it's not just realistic, it's not naturalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-love-acting-especially-if-it-s-a-fantasy-of-some-kind-where-it-s/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) [Explore all 119 Gene Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## More Ask me quotes > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-wonder/i-am-a-conservative-type-of-person-so-sometimes-when-i-m-chilling/) [Wayne Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-wonder/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [When a young artist asks me a question, I want to do what I can to give them an answer if I have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tait/when-a-young-artist-asks-me-a-question-i-want-to-do-what-i-can-to/) [Michael Tait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tait/) > [I've never asked a girl out in my life, they have to ask me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-ve-never-asked-a-girl-out-in-my-life-they-have-to-ask-me/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I would do almost anything Tina Fey asks me to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/i-would-do-almost-anything-tina-fey-asks-me-to-do/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Space Jam is my favorite movie. Don't ask me why, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/space-jam-is-my-favorite-movie-don-t-ask-me-why-it-just-is/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [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/) > [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) [Browse all 1,282 Ask me quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-me/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk about or so they could write about New York Jewish humor, I'd say I don't know anything about New York Jewish humor. 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