--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It really helps a comedian to be an…" description: "\"It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.\" — John Oliver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png" --- # It really helps a comedian to be an outsider. ![“It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.” quote by John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png) > “It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.” [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedy gains perspective when the performer observes from outside the subject’s world. **In simple terms:** Outsider view sharpens humor. Key Takeaway Embrace external viewpoints. Themes humor perspective social critique Mood witty critical Type observational satirical When to use this quote - stand‑up routine - political satire - media analysis Key Concepts observational comedy cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect comedic insight? - When is insider knowledge more valuable? A Different Perspective May miss insider nuance or empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) [Comedian Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian-outsider-3803808/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helps/) [Helps Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helps-comedian-3803809/) [Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsider/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-helps-271771/) ## Related quotes > [If something's true you should be able discuss it or ask whether it's true. It helps me as a comedian. But it doesn't necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/if-something-s-true-you-should-be-able-discuss-it-or-ask-whether-it-s/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [I think, first of all, you need to love what you're doing, and then this helps in the comedian for its part in everything-but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-bartoli/i-think-first-of-all-you-need-to-love-what-you-re-doing-and-then-this/) [Cecilia Bartoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-bartoli/) > [White Coffee Really Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/white-coffee-really-helps/) [Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/) > [“I have someone who loves me for me. Seriously, it REALLY helps!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-have-someone-who-loves-me-for-me-seriously-it-really-helps/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I find drinking really helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-find-drinking-really-helps/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [Music really helps me. It's like a best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-debarge/music-really-helps-me-it-s-like-a-best-friend/) [El DeBarge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-debarge/) > [“Help others. It really helps !!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-zia/help-others-it-really-helps/) [Mohsin Zia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-zia/) > [Donald Trump is sort of the first candidate of his type that non-politician, true outsider, was coming to shake up the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/donald-trump-is-sort-of-the-first-candidate-of-his-type-that-non/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [I've always felt myself to be an outsider. I've always felt awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-paxman/i-ve-always-felt-myself-to-be-an-outsider-i-ve-always-felt-awkward/) [Jeremy Paxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-paxman/) > [How many times have we brought in an outsider to tell us what we already knew?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-block/how-many-times-have-we-brought-in-an-outsider-to-tell-us-what-we/) [Peter Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-block/) > [I cannot imagine anyone being more of an outsider than the first woman president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-cannot-imagine-anyone-being-more-of-an-outsider-than-the-first/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I've always - and not always happily - considered myself an outsider. Certainly at Fettes. And then the Scots are always outsiders in England.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/i-ve-always-and-not-always-happily-considered-myself-an-outsider/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-was-always-an-outsider-proud-of-being-an-outsider-i-always-reveled/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I've always been an outsider kid. But I had always wanted to be in a group - growing up, I loved bands like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-angelique/i-ve-always-been-an-outsider-kid-but-i-had-always-wanted-to-be-in-a/) [Dawn Angelique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-angelique/) > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Oliver > [I've always been interested in socially political, or overtly political, comedy. And I guess I've always liked to channel some kind of personal element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-socially-political-or-overtly/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I knew I was going to go into the field and make fun of people to their faces. I knew what I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-knew-i-was-going-to-go-into-the-field-and-make-fun-of-people-to/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Once you learn how to make people laugh, then you get to choose exactly how you want to make them laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/once-you-learn-how-to-make-people-laugh-then-you-get-to-choose/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [When you see people say crazy things on our show, they mean this stuff,and that's easy to forget: They're not joking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/when-you-see-people-say-crazy-things-on-our-show-they-mean-this-stuff/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I think I'm just a summer fling that people will soon forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-i-m-just-a-summer-fling-that-people-will-soon-forget/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I guess the tone of jokes is often, at best, irreverent, but it always comes from a place of deep love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-guess-the-tone-of-jokes-is-often-at-best-irreverent-but-it-always/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I'm always interested in audience interaction. Not so much aggressive audience interaction - I'm genuinely interested in how people see things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-m-always-interested-in-audience-interaction-not-so-much-aggressive/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-louder-or-quieter-that-is-the/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [If you work on a comedy show, your basic form of communication is teasing. That's generally how we speak to each other: you communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-you-work-on-a-comedy-show-your-basic-form-of-communication-is/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I know I'd be an absolutely horrendous politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-know-i-d-be-an-absolutely-horrendous-politician/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Anybody who claims to be excited for April Fools' Day is probably a sociopath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/anybody-who-claims-to-be-excited-for-april-fools-day-is-probably-a/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Pumpkin spice lattes are egg nog for morning people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/pumpkin-spice-lattes-are-egg-nog-for-morning-people/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I've made so many people angry that they kind of blur into one unpleasant memory of people staring at you with somewhere between passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-made-so-many-people-angry-that-they-kind-of-blur-into-one/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Armando Iannucci is one of my heroes. As I was growing up, he was probably the most influential comic voice that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/armando-iannucci-is-one-of-my-heroes-as-i-was-growing-up-he-was/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) [Explore all 143 John Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## More Comedian quotes > [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/) > [I like to turn up my collar when I'm leaving the theatre and feel like I'm some heroic comedian figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-skinner/i-like-to-turn-up-my-collar-when-i-m-leaving-the-theatre-and-feel/) [Frank Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-skinner/) > [The only difference between a comedian and someone else? We need to make people laugh more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-davies/the-only-difference-between-a-comedian-and-someone-else-we-need-to/) [Greg Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-davies/) > [When a soldier of the night's watch dies they say, "And now his watch is over." That's what they say when a comedian dies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-williams/when-a-soldier-of-the-night-s-watch-dies-they-say-and-now-his-watch/) [Brad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-williams/) > [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/) > [If I had a choice, I would rather watch a comedian not involve themselves in politics at all but be hilarious than someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-richardson/if-i-had-a-choice-i-would-rather-watch-a-comedian-not-involve/) [Jon Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-richardson/) > [I wouldn't mind gigging around the same era as Jesus, after he gives his speech about the meek and how blessed they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-wouldn-t-mind-gigging-around-the-same-era-as-jesus-after-he-gives/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [If someone doesn't like a comedian that's fine; a lot of people probably don't like my standup, and that's fine. But I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/if-someone-doesn-t-like-a-comedian-that-s-fine-a-lot-of-people/) [Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/) > [It's very rare that an older comedian sort of slips into an old-school clunker. You know, you don't hear too much of that anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/it-s-very-rare-that-an-older-comedian-sort-of-slips-into-an-old/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) > [I was a kid, and I would watch standup comics do the 'Tonight Show,' and if Johnny Carson liked you, he'd wave you over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-koy/i-was-a-kid-and-i-would-watch-standup-comics-do-the-tonight-show-and/) [Jo Koy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-koy/) > [Gary Greenberg is a thoughtful comedian and a cranky philosopher and a humble pest of a reporter, equal parts Woody Allen, Kierkegaard, and Columbo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gideon-lewis-kraus/gary-greenberg-is-a-thoughtful-comedian-and-a-cranky-philosopher-and/) [Gideon Lewis-Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gideon-lewis-kraus/) > [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/) > [No matter what town we went to, if there was a comedian playing, I'd go watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/no-matter-what-town-we-went-to-if-there-was-a-comedian-playing-i-d-go/) [Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/) > [I'm a comedian who happens to be Latino. What's the difference? The difference is, my special will air on Comedy Central, not Telemundo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/i-m-a-comedian-who-happens-to-be-latino-what-s-the-difference-the/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) [Browse all 1,775 Comedian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Oliver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outsider/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outsider/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/john-oliver-2975_comedian_it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outs_2852526.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It really helps a comedian to be an outsider.” — John Oliver", "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": "John Oliver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It really helps a comedian to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outsider/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/it-really-helps-a-comedian-to-be-an-outsider/#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 } } ] } ```