--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Comedians can't afford to get too…" description: "\"Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need something to rail against.\" — Hugh Dennis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg" --- # Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need… ![“Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need something to rail against.” quote by Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg) > “Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need something to rail against.” [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedians must stay uncomfortable to have something to critique, driving their humor. **In simple terms:** Comedians need discomfort to find material. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort for creative edge. Themes comedy discomfort critique Mood witty provocative Type satirical observational When to use this quote - stand‑up routines - political satire - personal anecdotes Key Concepts social commentary creative tension Questions to Reflect On - What issues spark your humor? - How do you balance comfort and critique? A Different Perspective Too much discomfort can alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ## Related quotes > [A considerable share of the world's population still cannot afford comfortable housing, education and quality health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/a-considerable-share-of-the-world-s-population-still-cannot-afford/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I've reached a stage and an age in my career where I need to do work that keeps me economically and emotionally comfortable. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/i-ve-reached-a-stage-and-an-age-in-my-career-where-i-need-to-do-work/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [I am up there onstage alone with that guitar. I don't have to consider no one else and whether they are comfortable. I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/i-am-up-there-onstage-alone-with-that-guitar-i-don-t-have-to-consider/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Comedians have to challenge the power. Comedians should be dangerous and devastating - and funny. That's the hardest part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/comedians-have-to-challenge-the-power-comedians-should-be-dangerous/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [For me, comedians are like the epitome for everything great, and they terrify me. I just want to be them. I want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/for-me-comedians-are-like-the-epitome-for-everything-great-and-they/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [Successful comedians are just as neurotic as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/successful-comedians-are-just-as-neurotic-as-i-am/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [Oftentimes, the funniest comedians are people who've gone through personal torment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-sprouse/oftentimes-the-funniest-comedians-are-people-who-ve-gone-through/) [Cole Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-sprouse/) > [I'd say Jon Stewart has remained funny the entire time. Jon always makes it funny first. And he's just, he's talking about serious things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-d-say-jon-stewart-has-remained-funny-the-entire-time-jon-always/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [A lot of female comedians will go up there in a sweatshirt and Converses, trying to dress themselves down, because it is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-craig/a-lot-of-female-comedians-will-go-up-there-in-a-sweatshirt-and/) [Carly Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-craig/) > [At comedy festivals, we always get grouped with other musical comedians, so you can get to know them and see what everyone is doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-micucci/at-comedy-festivals-we-always-get-grouped-with-other-musical/) [Kate Micucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-micucci/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [My mom is two people to me. She's my mom number one, and then she's this lady most comedians know as being a legendary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauly-shore/my-mom-is-two-people-to-me-she-s-my-mom-number-one-and-then-she-s/) [Pauly Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauly-shore/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I would say most comedians have a very cynical worldview of the way the world can work. It's almost like if you didn't, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/i-would-say-most-comedians-have-a-very-cynical-worldview-of-the-way/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [“Comedians and artists are some of the loneliest, self-destructive people on the planet. If you enjoy what they produce, take the time to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-inga/comedians-and-artists-are-some-of-the-loneliest-self-destructive/) Roz Inga ## More by Hugh Dennis > [I always tell myself every disaster is more material for my work and another anecdote to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-always-tell-myself-every-disaster-is-more-material-for-my-work-and/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I vary from issue to issue and Im not party political at all. I think its important in comedy not to come from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-vary-from-issue-to-issue-and-im-not-party-political-at-all-i-think/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [When you go and meet people in far-flung parts of the world who need help, they're not earnest; they're having a laugh and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/when-you-go-and-meet-people-in-far-flung-parts-of-the-world-who-need/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Sometimes I do think that politicians are only in it for themselves, but actually as Ive got older Ive started to feel less cynical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/sometimes-i-do-think-that-politicians-are-only-in-it-for-themselves/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Both my comedy partner, Steve Punt - who grew up in Reigate and is the son of a civil servant - and I come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/both-my-comedy-partner-steve-punt-who-grew-up-in-reigate-and-is-the/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I never felt that I was recognised for anything in particular. I was just part of the TV furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-never-felt-that-i-was-recognised-for-anything-in-particular-i-was/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [Id always read newspapers for pleasure, then it became my job. These days I will read the news with half a mind on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/id-always-read-newspapers-for-pleasure-then-it-became-my-job-these/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I was never consciously rebellious but I suppose comedy is a sort of act of rebellion isnt it? Coming from a quite liberal background,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-was-never-consciously-rebellious-but-i-suppose-comedy-is-a-sort-of/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [The Great British Dig' is a fantastic format which combines finding out about the history of where you live and the surprising things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/the-great-british-dig-is-a-fantastic-format-which-combines-finding/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I really wanted to be a captain of industry. I worked at Unilever as brand manager for Lynx after university. While I don't regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-really-wanted-to-be-a-captain-of-industry-i-worked-at-unilever-as/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I cut the cord for my son, which was a tremendous pleasure, though Ive never eaten calamari since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-cut-the-cord-for-my-son-which-was-a-tremendous-pleasure-though-ive/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I drove from Addis Ababa to Aksum, where they have the Ark of the Covenant, to the Semien Mountains in the Highlands. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-drove-from-addis-ababa-to-aksum-where-they-have-the-ark-of-the/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [There's something inherently British about siding with the underdog. While comedy needs victims, it doesn't need to treat them in a brutal way -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/there-s-something-inherently-british-about-siding-with-the-underdog/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [I'm constantly looking for humour in the news. The funniest things are in the minutiae.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/i-m-constantly-looking-for-humour-in-the-news-the-funniest-things-are/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) > [As a vicar's son, I understood performance. It never seemed odd to me that you'd stand up in front of people wearing weird clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/as-a-vicar-s-son-i-understood-performance-it-never-seemed-odd-to-me/) [Hugh Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) [Explore all 53 Hugh Dennis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/) ## More Comedians quotes > [“Comedians and artists are some of the loneliest, self-destructive people on the planet. If you enjoy what they produce, take the time to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-inga/comedians-and-artists-are-some-of-the-loneliest-self-destructive/) Roz Inga > [I would say most comedians have a very cynical worldview of the way the world can work. It's almost like if you didn't, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/i-would-say-most-comedians-have-a-very-cynical-worldview-of-the-way/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [My mom is two people to me. She's my mom number one, and then she's this lady most comedians know as being a legendary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauly-shore/my-mom-is-two-people-to-me-she-s-my-mom-number-one-and-then-she-s/) [Pauly Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauly-shore/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [At comedy festivals, we always get grouped with other musical comedians, so you can get to know them and see what everyone is doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-micucci/at-comedy-festivals-we-always-get-grouped-with-other-musical/) [Kate Micucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-micucci/) > [A lot of female comedians will go up there in a sweatshirt and Converses, trying to dress themselves down, because it is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-craig/a-lot-of-female-comedians-will-go-up-there-in-a-sweatshirt-and/) [Carly Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-craig/) > [I'd say Jon Stewart has remained funny the entire time. Jon always makes it funny first. And he's just, he's talking about serious things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-d-say-jon-stewart-has-remained-funny-the-entire-time-jon-always/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Oftentimes, the funniest comedians are people who've gone through personal torment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-sprouse/oftentimes-the-funniest-comedians-are-people-who-ve-gone-through/) [Cole Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-sprouse/) > [Successful comedians are just as neurotic as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/successful-comedians-are-just-as-neurotic-as-i-am/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [For me, comedians are like the epitome for everything great, and they terrify me. I just want to be them. I want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/for-me-comedians-are-like-the-epitome-for-everything-great-and-they/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [Comedians have to challenge the power. Comedians should be dangerous and devastating - and funny. That's the hardest part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/comedians-have-to-challenge-the-power-comedians-should-be-dangerous/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [I don't want to follow comedians because I don't want to see what they're thinking about, 'cause then maybe I won't stumble across a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-thune/i-don-t-want-to-follow-comedians-because-i-don-t-want-to-see-what/) [Nick Thune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-thune/) > [As far as stand-ups go, I always loved Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, and Sinbad. Basically, I love black comedians because they're the funniest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/as-far-as-stand-ups-go-i-always-loved-richard-pryor-chris-rock-and/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [Some comedians are silly or goofy or straight joke writers who avoid anything subversive or political. Others are drawn to it. The beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/some-comedians-are-silly-or-goofy-or-straight-joke-writers-who-avoid/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) [Browse all 656 Comedians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need something to rail against.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Dennis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfortable-we-need-something-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfortable-we-need-something-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/hugh-dennis-12852_comedians_comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfor_2805056.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Comedians can't afford to get too comfortable; we need something to rail against.” — Hugh Dennis", "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": "Hugh Dennis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dennis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Comedians can't afford to get too...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfortable-we-need-something-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dennis/comedians-can-t-afford-to-get-too-comfortable-we-need-something-to/#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 } } ] } ```