--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to do stand-up quite a long time…" description: "\"You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well.\" — John Oliver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png" --- # You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn… ![“You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well.” quote by John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png) > “You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well.” [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. Stand‑up comedy requires long practice to master the craft. **In simple terms:** Comedy needs time to master. Key Takeaway Practice consistently. Themes comedy skill development entertainment Mood humorous encouraging Type educational motivational When to use this quote - stand‑up - writing - rehearsal - career development Key Concepts performance arts learning theory Questions to Reflect On - What skills are essential for comedians? - How does practice improve timing? A Different Perspective Audience tastes change over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite/) [Quite Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite-long-815845/) [Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand/) [Stand Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-quite-5018012/) [Stand up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-up/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-learn/) [Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [I started in the restaurant industry when I was 22, so I've had quite a long tenure, if you will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-bastianich/i-started-in-the-restaurant-industry-when-i-was-22-so-i-ve-had-quite/) [Lidia Bastianich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-bastianich/) > [“I lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-lived-long-enough-to-know-that-things-never-remain-quite-the-same/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've done karate quite a lot growing up so I did do a kind of quite long karate scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suki-waterhouse/i-ve-done-karate-quite-a-lot-growing-up-so-i-did-do-a-kind-of-quite/) [Suki Waterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suki-waterhouse/) > [“I have been quite for long time,its time to speak…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malefane/i-have-been-quite-for-long-time-its-time-to-speak/) [Malefane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malefane/) > [I'm really tall, and I used slouch and think it was really uncool to stand up straight - now I wish I hadn't been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parish/i-m-really-tall-and-i-used-slouch-and-think-it-was-really-uncool-to/) [Sarah Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parish/) > [You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well. It was probably years before I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-time-before-you-learn-how-to-do/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [It was probably years before I was confident enough in stand-up that I was able to talk about the things I wanted to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/it-was-probably-years-before-i-was-confident-enough-in-stand-up-that/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [People really have come for a dialogue when they go to a stand-up show in the U.K. They say, 'I understand that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/people-really-have-come-for-a-dialogue-when-they-go-to-a-stand-up/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Doing stand up helps - thinking on your feet definitely comes in handy when it's a live show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-carr/doing-stand-up-helps-thinking-on-your-feet-definitely-comes-in-handy/) [Alan Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-carr/) > [The Senate Majority Leader has the unilateral ability to stand up and say, 'If you defy Congress, if you defy the Constitution, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-senate-majority-leader-has-the-unilateral-ability-to-stand-up-and/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I certainly want campaign finance reform. I just wish this would do it in a way that would stand up to a constitutional challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nelson/i-certainly-want-campaign-finance-reform-i-just-wish-this-would-do-it/) [Ben Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nelson/) > [More people should stand up and not be afraid to do things that mean something to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/more-people-should-stand-up-and-not-be-afraid-to-do-things-that-mean/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [The doughy-faced woman has been forced to sit on the sidelines of culture for too long, and it's now time for us to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-doughy-faced-woman-has-been-forced-to-sit-on-the-sidelines-of/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) [Darlene Senger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-senger/) ## 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 Before quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [There aren't traditions of freedom in a place like Iraq. They're going to have to come to grips with a concept that they hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/there-aren-t-traditions-of-freedom-in-a-place-like-iraq-they-re-going/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [I don't like just traveling in for a short time. I've done that before, because sometimes you work for magazines and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sacco/i-don-t-like-just-traveling-in-for-a-short-time-i-ve-done-that-before/) [Joe Sacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sacco/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) [Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/) > [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/) [Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/) > [Before I got addicted to comedy, I was seriously thinking about playing tennis full time. I joined the tennis team and played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/before-i-got-addicted-to-comedy-i-was-seriously-thinking-about/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [But even before I was in the military, I was extremely jumpy when asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/but-even-before-i-was-in-the-military-i-was-extremely-jumpy-when/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [When I'm making stuff, the thing that excites me most is not the result, but the process and trying to do something I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/when-i-m-making-stuff-the-thing-that-excites-me-most-is-not-the/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [I've pulled ticks off of me before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-ve-pulled-ticks-off-of-me-before/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [You know, before I would think, my cab driver hates me. Now I think my limo driver hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-know-before-i-would-think-my-cab-driver-hates-me-now-i-think-my/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) [Browse all 4,123 Before quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Oliver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-time-before-you-learn-how-to-do-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Before" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-time-before-you-learn-how-to-do-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/john-oliver-2975_before_you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-tim_3041812.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well.” — 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": "You have to do stand-up quite...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-time-before-you-learn-how-to-do-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/you-have-to-do-stand-up-quite-a-long-time-before-you-learn-how-to-do-2/#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 } } ] } ```