--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea that standup is a thing with…" description: "\"The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries is kind of ludicrous.\" — Hannah Gadsby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg" --- # The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries… ![“The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries is kind of ludicrous.” quote by Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg) > “The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries is kind of ludicrous.” [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defining strict boundaries for stand‑up comedy is absurd; humor resists limits. **In simple terms:** Comedy defies boundaries. Key Takeaway Embrace fluidity in creative expression. Themes comedy creativity freedom art Mood playful critical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - improv - writing - stand‑up shows Key Concepts performance studies media theory culture Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance freedom and respect? - When is structure beneficial in art? A Different Perspective Boundaries can provide useful structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) ## Related quotes > [The standup thing has been really fun, really seeing the United States instead of reading about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/the-standup-thing-has-been-really-fun-really-seeing-the-united-states/) [Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/) > [“I used to think that other people defined the boundaries of life. Rushing in to impress others, and get them to like me gnawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/i-used-to-think-that-other-people-defined-the-boundaries-of-life/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) > [I've never felt particularly comfortable in any defined boundaries, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rege-jean-page/i-ve-never-felt-particularly-comfortable-in-any-defined-boundaries/) [Rege-Jean Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rege-jean-page/) > [I'd love to have a shitty job. I couldn't hold any down. Standup was the only thing I could stick with. I'm an idiot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-d-love-to-have-a-shitty-job-i-couldn-t-hold-any-down-standup-was/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [Note even Jonathan Swift would dare to write a satire in which politicians argued that - in a world where species are vanishing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/note-even-jonathan-swift-would-dare-to-write-a-satire-in-which/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [Life is a very bad novelist. It is chaotic and ludicrous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-mar-as/life-is-a-very-bad-novelist-it-is-chaotic-and-ludicrous/) [Javier Marías](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-mar-as/) > [ “If it was occasionally ludicrous, it was always sublime. \[Estelle Jussim on the 19th century Cult of the Beautiful.\] ” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle-jussim/if-it-was-occasionally-ludicrous-it-was-always-sublime-estelle-jussim/) Estelle Jussim > [“The idea of spilling blood for the sake of oil would have seemed ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-idea-of-spilling-blood-for-the-sake-of-oil-would-have-seemed/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [One of the things that frequently gets lost in descriptions of depression is that the depressed person often knows that it is a ludicrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-of-the-things-that-frequently-gets-lost-in-descriptions-of/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [But then every man is ludicrous if you look at him from outside, without taking into account what’s going on in his heart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/but-then-every-man-is-ludicrous-if-you-look-at-him-from-outside/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Would that I were still a ludicrous character in his lousy book!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/would-that-i-were-still-a-ludicrous-character-in-his-lousy-book/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Obviously, I've made statements that were ludicrous and crazy and outrageous and all those things, because that's the way I always was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/obviously-i-ve-made-statements-that-were-ludicrous-and-crazy-and/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [It is a truth universally acknowledged that a delusional Housewife in possession of an audience must be in want of a ludicrous storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-radziwill/it-is-a-truth-universally-acknowledged-that-a-delusional-housewife-in/) [Carole Radziwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-radziwill/) > [Banning sports is a ludicrous proposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/banning-sports-is-a-ludicrous-proposition/) [Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/) > [What puzzles me is the way that some of the smaller, unknown chateaux imagine that because Chinese millionaires pay ludicrous sums for the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/what-puzzles-me-is-the-way-that-some-of-the-smaller-unknown-chateaux/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) ## More by Hannah Gadsby > [We need to hear stories from older women. There's a wealth of wisdom and real resilience there, but they're silenced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/we-need-to-hear-stories-from-older-women-there-s-a-wealth-of-wisdom/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I always kept my expectations in life very tame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-always-kept-my-expectations-in-life-very-tame/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [A lot of people are intimated by art, but it's something to be revered beyond criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/a-lot-of-people-are-intimated-by-art-but-it-s-something-to-be-revered/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I don't want to be a didactic voice. I like to ask more questions than I answer, just to get people thinking and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-didactic-voice-i-like-to-ask-more-questions-than/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I'm a pretty good procrastinator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-m-a-pretty-good-procrastinator/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I found that pottering is very conducive to my creative process, so now, I find myself being incredibly creative because I've got such much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-found-that-pottering-is-very-conducive-to-my-creative-process-so/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [The art world doesn't exist in a vacuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-art-world-doesn-t-exist-in-a-vacuum/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I've walked away in the middle of a conversation and had no idea that was wrong until someone told me I was being rude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-ve-walked-away-in-the-middle-of-a-conversation-and-had-no-idea-that/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [Most accountants are strange - let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/most-accountants-are-strange-let-s-be-honest/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [“Ironically, I believe Picasso was right. I believe we could paint a better world if we learned to see it from all perspectives, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/ironically-i-believe-picasso-was-right-i-believe-we-could-paint-a/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I've got Asperger's. I come at things from sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-ve-got-asperger-s-i-come-at-things-from-sideways/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I've always done live art history lectures and small documentaries in the past in Australia, on Australian art and art galleries, so I've already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-ve-always-done-live-art-history-lectures-and-small-documentaries-in/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [There are times I've been surprised by how emotional I can be on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/there-are-times-i-ve-been-surprised-by-how-emotional-i-can-be-on-stage/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [The thing about comedy is it gives you a platform to expose your own shortcomings, so it becomes a public display of weirdness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-thing-about-comedy-is-it-gives-you-a-platform-to-expose-your-own/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [I've always wanted to make Australian art interesting. To get a different audience watching art documentaries would be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-ve-always-wanted-to-make-australian-art-interesting-to-get-a/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) [Explore all 38 Hannah Gadsby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) ## More Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/) [Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries is kind of ludicrous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hannah Gadsby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-defined-boundaries-is-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-defined-boundaries-is-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/hannah-gadsby-17115_boundaries_the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-de_2739399.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The idea that standup is a thing with defined boundaries is kind of ludicrous.” — Hannah Gadsby", "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": "Hannah Gadsby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The idea that standup is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-defined-boundaries-is-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/the-idea-that-standup-is-a-thing-with-defined-boundaries-is-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```