--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't you understand how dramatic it is…" description: "\"Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To be a fool, to get people to laugh at this show-off? Milton Berle could take Laurence Olivier ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg" --- # Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To… ![“Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To be a fool, to get people to laugh at this show-off? Milton Berle could take Laurence Olivier and stick him under the table if he wanted to. And so could I.” quote by Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg) > “Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To be a fool, to get people to laugh at this show-off? Milton Berle could take Laurence Olivier and stick him under the table if he wanted to. And so could I.” [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedy requires embracing foolishness and risking ridicule to provoke laughter, showing that boldness can match any rival’s skill. **In simple terms:** Comedy is boldness and self‑mockery. Key Takeaway Take risks, be playful. Themes comedy confidence performance humor competition Mood playful confident energetic Type inspirational entertaining When to use this quote - stand‑up routines - improv workshops - team‑building exercises - public speaking Key Concepts improvisation self‑deprecation audience dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance boldness with respect? - What risks will you take to express creativity? A Different Perspective Humor can alienate if not mindful of audience sensitivities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Showing off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showing-off/) ## Related quotes > [Right when I started in show... Milton Berle was my first idol. When I was a kid, I went to see Milton at Lowe's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-king/right-when-i-started-in-show-milton-berle-was-my-first-idol-when-i/) [Alan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-king/) > [I think in my case, I had no choice but to have a good sense of humor. I grew up with my dad, Danny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-think-in-my-case-i-had-no-choice-but-to-have-a-good-sense-of-humor/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I've been able to dine with presidents, with leaders of corporations, traveled for 14 years with (financier and philanthropist) Michael Milken, who has taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/i-ve-been-able-to-dine-with-presidents-with-leaders-of-corporations/) [Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/) > [Milton Berle is an inspiration to every young person that wants to get into show business. Hard work, perseverance, and discipline: all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/milton-berle-is-an-inspiration-to-every-young-person-that-wants-to/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [There were some television sets back in the '50s, but they were expensive. People would gather at the rich guy's apartment down the hall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-feldstein/there-were-some-television-sets-back-in-the-50s-but-they-were/) [Al Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-feldstein/) > [I was always a fan of the old-style comics. I loved vaudeville. I loved Milton Berle, Dick Shawn, Phyllis Diller, Don Rickles, Charlie Callas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-the-cable-guy/i-was-always-a-fan-of-the-old-style-comics-i-loved-vaudeville-i-loved/) [Larry the Cable Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-the-cable-guy/) > [There was a time... when people didn't go out of their house on Tuesday night at eight o'clock because Milton Berle was on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mcmahon/there-was-a-time-when-people-didn-t-go-out-of-their-house-on-tuesday/) [Ed McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mcmahon/) > [The play is one of the very few pieces of great dramatic and comic writing that I have read in a long, long time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-lavin/the-play-is-one-of-the-very-few-pieces-of-great-dramatic-and-comic/) [Linda Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-lavin/) > [I'd seen all the great entertainers by the time I was 14 or 15. My mother was artistic. My father was a bookmaker, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainie-kazan/i-d-seen-all-the-great-entertainers-by-the-time-i-was-14-or-15-my/) [Lainie Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainie-kazan/) > [Milton took vaudeville, which, if you look up 'vaudeville' in the dictionary, right alongside of it, it says 'Milton Berle' - and he made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-king/milton-took-vaudeville-which-if-you-look-up-vaudeville-in-the/) [Alan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-king/) > [I remember tap-dancing and singing in front of the TV when I was a kid, telling my dad to stop watching Ed Sullivan or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/i-remember-tap-dancing-and-singing-in-front-of-the-tv-when-i-was-a/) [Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/) > [An insult is mean or unkind. Milton Berle called me the Sultan of Insult, and I was called the King of Insult. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/an-insult-is-mean-or-unkind-milton-berle-called-me-the-sultan-of/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [The choreographer for the Milton Berle show wanted me to audition. I walked away from that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-aiello/the-choreographer-for-the-milton-berle-show-wanted-me-to-audition-i/) [Danny Aiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-aiello/) > [The only ones who like Milton Berle are his mother - and the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-winchell/the-only-ones-who-like-milton-berle-are-his-mother-and-the-public/) [Walter Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-winchell/) > [Groucho, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis it was incredible. It's a thrill to work with people like that, to say 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/groucho-bob-hope-milton-berle-frank-sinatra-sammy-davis-it-was/) [Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/) ## More by Jerry Lewis > [Marriage is the result of the longing for the deep, deep peace of the double bed after the hurly-burly of the chaise-longue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/marriage-is-the-result-of-the-longing-for-the-deep-deep-peace-of-the/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [Every mans dream is to be able to sink into the arms of a woman without also falling into her hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/every-mans-dream-is-to-be-able-to-sink-into-the-arms-of-a-woman/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [When I hit around 65, 66, I started to feel tremendous worth and incredible personal esteem. I was becoming very cognisant of my contribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/when-i-hit-around-65-66-i-started-to-feel-tremendous-worth-and/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [People say, "How would you like to be remembered?" I don't want to be remembered. Gimme a break. What I want is to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/people-say-how-would-you-like-to-be-remembered-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I think it has helped that I am so curious about what has been happening to me and that I have enjoyed watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-think-it-has-helped-that-i-am-so-curious-about-what-has-been/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I'm really, basically, nine, and I've always been that. I've never, ever allowed the child within me to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-m-really-basically-nine-and-i-ve-always-been-that-i-ve-never-ever/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I would not want to do one-episode television - that's just a brief encounter with your audience. The arc takes the actor into an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-would-not-want-to-do-one-episode-television-that-s-just-a-brief/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I don't talk about anything negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-don-t-talk-about-anything-negative/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [This is the pain pacemaker. I've got a battery under my skin. From that battery are two electrodes that go into the spine where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/this-is-the-pain-pacemaker-i-ve-got-a-battery-under-my-skin-from-that/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [When you are debilitated, and you're very depressed, and you believe there's no hope, you cannot get a better potpourri of down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/when-you-are-debilitated-and-you-re-very-depressed-and-you-believe/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I'm always thinking about future projects and at the same time trying to finish the project you're in the middle off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-m-always-thinking-about-future-projects-and-at-the-same-time-trying/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [A lot of people resent that I've been in someone's life for 50 years. Why shouldn't people have an affection for me and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/a-lot-of-people-resent-that-i-ve-been-in-someone-s-life-for-50-years/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [It'll keep you alive for another 10 years if you get yourself a laugh once a day: either provoke it, or look around in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/it-ll-keep-you-alive-for-another-10-years-if-you-get-yourself-a-laugh/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [We're leaving the House to people who either were born with a silver spoon in their mouth... or couldn't get better jobs in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/we-re-leaving-the-house-to-people-who-either-were-born-with-a-silver/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I don't want to be remembered. I want the nice words when I can hear them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-don-t-want-to-be-remembered-i-want-the-nice-words-when-i-can-hear/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) [Explore all 139 Jerry Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To be a fool, to get people to laugh at this show-off? Milton Berle could take Laurence Olivier and stick him under the table if he wanted to. And so could I.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is-to-be-a-comic-to-be-a-fool-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is-to-be-a-comic-to-be-a-fool-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/jerry-lewis-3118_comic_don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is_1359784.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't you understand how dramatic it is to be a comic? To be a fool, to get people to laugh at this…” — Jerry Lewis", "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": "Jerry Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't you understand how dramatic it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is-to-be-a-comic-to-be-a-fool-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/don-t-you-understand-how-dramatic-it-is-to-be-a-comic-to-be-a-fool-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 } } ] } ```