--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started standup at age nineteen. I…" description: "\"I started standup at age nineteen. I decided that the only way I was going to try show business as a career was if I could make total strangers laugh.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/jay-chandrasekhar-5190_age_i-started-standup-at-age-nineteen-i-deci_1526085.jpg" --- # I started standup at age nineteen. I decided that the only… ![“I started standup at age nineteen. I decided that the only way I was going to try show business as a career was if I could make total strangers laugh.” quote by Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/jay-chandrasekhar-5190_age_i-started-standup-at-age-nineteen-i-deci_1526085.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/jay-chandrasekhar-5190_age_i-started-standup-at-age-nineteen-i-deci_1526085.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/jay-chandrasekhar-5190_age_i-started-standup-at-age-nineteen-i-deci_1526085.jpg) > “I started standup at age nineteen. I decided that the only way I was going to try show business as a career was if I could make total strangers laugh.” [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He pursued comedy by making strangers laugh, using performance as a career test. **In simple terms:** He used strangers' laughter to test a comedy career. Key Takeaway Seek feedback, start boldly. Themes career comedy risk feedback Mood motivational reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - stand-up - career change - public speaking - networking Key Concepts performance art entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What feedback would you seek from peers? - How to handle negative reactions? A Different Perspective Relying on strangers may not reflect broader audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Show business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show-business/) [Strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers/) ## Related quotes > [People often tell me that they have no idea how I can do standup. The idea of trying to make a large group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-davies/people-often-tell-me-that-they-have-no-idea-how-i-can-do-standup-the/) [Greg Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-davies/) > [I would encourage someone to go to Brazil and try to do business there. 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Which means that if you try to crank it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/the-thing-about-our-movies-is-we-write-thirty-drafts-that-s-a-very/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [We shot 'Super Troopers' on the side of the road in the summer in Poughkeepsie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/we-shot-super-troopers-on-the-side-of-the-road-in-the-summer-in/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [Many films you see in theaters are financed through outside sources. With big films, the studio will pay, hoping to reap the reward of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/many-films-you-see-in-theaters-are-financed-through-outside-sources/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) [Explore all 102 Jay Chandrasekhar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. 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