--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first comedy screenplay that I wrote…" description: "\"The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a director but no one was about to give me that op..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg" --- # The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House… ![“The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a director but no one was about to give me that opportunity on Animal House.” quote by Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg) > “The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a director but no one was about to give me that opportunity on Animal House.” [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ramis reflects on his early career ambition to direct, noting that despite writing a successful screenplay, he was denied directing opportunities. **In simple terms:** He wanted to direct but was blocked. Key Takeaway Persist despite early setbacks. Themes career ambition film industry Mood determined realistic Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - screenwriting - directing - career planning Key Concepts creative control opportunity gatekeeping Questions to Reflect On - How can you create your own directing chances? - What barriers exist for aspiring creators? A Different Perspective Industry politics can limit talent progression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-house/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Screenplays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplays/) ## Related quotes > [Once I was in college, I was actually trying to write a comedy screenplay and I wrote basically the worst movie ever and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scot-armstrong/once-i-was-in-college-i-was-actually-trying-to-write-a-comedy/) [Scot Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scot-armstrong/) > [I found, after the experience of making 'Shaun Of The Dead' and then returning to the blank page - because 'Shaun Of The Dead'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-found-after-the-experience-of-making-shaun-of-the-dead-and-then/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [I wrote 'Yellow Submarine' for the Beatles. I wrote the screenplay for 'The Games,' about the Olympic Games. I wrote 'Love Story,' both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-segal/i-wrote-yellow-submarine-for-the-beatles-i-wrote-the-screenplay-for/) [Erich Segal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-segal/) > ['Fanboys' was the first real screenplay that I ever wrote that was an original story with my own characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/fanboys-was-the-first-real-screenplay-that-i-ever-wrote-that-was-an/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [First, there has been a lot of interest in The Drive-in, but, alas, it hasn't actually come to fruition. Maybe soon. Don really got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/first-there-has-been-a-lot-of-interest-in-the-drive-in-but-alas-it/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Writing a screenplay is like climbing a mountain. When you’re climbing, all you can see is the rock in front of you and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/writing-a-screenplay-is-like-climbing-a-mountain-when-you-re-climbing/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [It's really hard to write a screenplay, it's nauseating. All those great writers that tried to write screenplays, they couldn't do it, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hampton-fancher/it-s-really-hard-to-write-a-screenplay-it-s-nauseating-all-those/) [Hampton Fancher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hampton-fancher/) > [I think longer that you sit on a screenplay the longer you sit. I'm a firm believer that you can write the magic out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-farmer/i-think-longer-that-you-sit-on-a-screenplay-the-longer-you-sit-i-m-a/) [Todd Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-farmer/) > [On the one occasion where I did try writing a screenplay, I found the rewriting just unendurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/on-the-one-occasion-where-i-did-try-writing-a-screenplay-i-found-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [I never could have written the screenplay because I would have been forced to learn new software and I can't learn one more thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-never-could-have-written-the-screenplay-because-i-would-have-been/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) Deon Taylor > [If I could find the right kind of property, get tied in with the right movie, I'd love to be involved, but I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/if-i-could-find-the-right-kind-of-property-get-tied-in-with-the-right/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) ## More by Harold Ramis > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I've always thought that comedy was just another dramatic expression. I try to measure the amount of truth in a work rather than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-ve-always-thought-that-comedy-was-just-another-dramatic-expression/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [You can perceive life as tragic, or you can laugh at the tragedy of it and that turns it into comedy. It doesn't change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/you-can-perceive-life-as-tragic-or-you-can-laugh-at-the-tragedy-of-it/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-m-terrified-beyond-the-capacity-for-rational-thought/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [You can't not have feelings about country clubs, whichever side you're on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/you-can-t-not-have-feelings-about-country-clubs-whichever-side-you-re/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [That's one of the great things about DVD: In addition to reaching people who didn't catch the movie in theaters, you get to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/that-s-one-of-the-great-things-about-dvd-in-addition-to-reaching/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [It doesn't take any longer to improvise 10 takes than it takes to shoot 10 takes of the same thing. It turns out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/it-doesn-t-take-any-longer-to-improvise-10-takes-than-it-takes-to/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [As much as I liked acting for its playfulness and the reward of hearing big laughs wash over you on a stage, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/as-much-as-i-liked-acting-for-its-playfulness-and-the-reward-of/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I've never taken a script to the stage or to principal photography and said, "This is perfect. This is as good as it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-ve-never-taken-a-script-to-the-stage-or-to-principal-photography/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I realized that my righteous indignation was a form of entertainment for me. I loved getting pissed off at injustice. I didn't do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-realized-that-my-righteous-indignation-was-a-form-of-entertainment/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [My characters aren't losers. They're rebels. They win by their refusal to play by everyone else's rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/my-characters-aren-t-losers-they-re-rebels-they-win-by-their-refusal/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I made a handshake agreement with my best friend in college, Michael Shamberg, who is now a movie producer. We used to write shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-made-a-handshake-agreement-with-my-best-friend-in-college-michael/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [The trick with sequels is, you have to give people what they liked before, yet be innovative enough so they don't feel like they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-trick-with-sequels-is-you-have-to-give-people-what-they-liked/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [Life doesn't care about your vision. You just gotta roll with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/life-doesn-t-care-about-your-vision-you-just-gotta-roll-with-it/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [I look for the meaning in what's funny, and I look for what's funny about things that are meaningful to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-look-for-the-meaning-in-what-s-funny-and-i-look-for-what-s-funny/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) [Explore all 117 Harold Ramis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a director but no one was about to give me that opportunity on Animal House.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harold Ramis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote-was-animal-house-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote-was-animal-house-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34c/harold-ramis-4057_animal_the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote_1673178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a…” — Harold Ramis", "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": "Harold Ramis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first comedy screenplay that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote-was-animal-house-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/the-first-comedy-screenplay-that-i-wrote-was-animal-house-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```