---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trying to figure things out was my gig…"
description: "\"Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human condition, there's no struggle, no pain and that means no laughter.\" — Lenny Bruce"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg"
---

#  Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human…

![“Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human condition, there's no struggle, no pain and that means no laughter.” quote by Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg)

> “Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human condition, there's no struggle, no pain and that means no laughter.”

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Struggle and pain are essential for joy and humor.

**In simple terms:** Pain creates laughter.

Key Takeaway

Find humor in life's hardships.

Themes

humor human condition joy

Mood

wry thoughtful

Type

comedian philosophical

When to use this quote

- daily stress
- relationship conflict
- creative work
- health issues

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology comedy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does humor help you cope?
- Can pain be transformed into creativity?

A Different Perspective

Excessive suffering may overwhelm joy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/)

## Related quotes

> [It wasn't ever easy. Growing up, I was a struggling youth. Being half white and half black in a predominantly white neighborhood in Nebraska,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-smith/it-wasn-t-ever-easy-growing-up-i-was-a-struggling-youth-being-half/)

[Anthony Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-smith/)

> [There was a whole language that I could never make function for myself in relationship to painting, and that was attitudes like tortured, struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/there-was-a-whole-language-that-i-could-never-make-function-for-2/)

[Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/)

> [Any struggle or pain that you experience just gets you to the top, and you can't get there without making the climb. A few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-williams/any-struggle-or-pain-that-you-experience-just-gets-you-to-the-top-and-2/)

[Hayley Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-williams/)

> [People should understand that we all are different. We have different thinking, different minds. Some people get broken easily while others just build themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-should-understand-that-we-all-are-different-we-have-different/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Most people I know struggle to take their own pain seriously, let alone talk about it. But loss is dangerous and some people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-wix/most-people-i-know-struggle-to-take-their-own-pain-seriously-let/)

[Katy Wix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-wix/)

> [Any struggle or pain that you experience just gets you to the top and you cant get there without making the climb. A few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-williams/any-struggle-or-pain-that-you-experience-just-gets-you-to-the-top-and/)

[Hayley Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-williams/)

> [I tried the religion scam in Miami, so I know how hard that gig is. But, if you can get it to work, starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-tried-the-religion-scam-in-miami-so-i-know-how-hard-that-gig-is-but/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Even still, we run. We have not reached our average of 57.92 years without knowing that you run through it, and it hurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/even-still-we-run-we-have-not-reached-our-average-of-57-92-years/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [Some imaginations help to break the bondage of the rest. The whole universe is imagination, but one set of imaginations will cure another set.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/some-imaginations-help-to-break-the-bondage-of-the-rest-the-whole/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [How can anyone be called human, if being born a human being and growing in a human society, he does not recognise human values?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/how-can-anyone-be-called-human-if-being-born-a-human-being-and/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

> [The dog writhing in the gutter, its back broken by a passing car, knows what it is to be alive. So too with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-greenstein/the-dog-writhing-in-the-gutter-its-back-broken-by-a-passing-car-knows/)

George Greenstein

> [I know, perhaps as well as anyone, what depression means, and what it is to feel myself sinking lower and lower. Yet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-know-perhaps-as-well-as-anyone-what-depression-means-and-what-it-is/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [Death,' whispered Tarlar, 'you do not fear it, Fell? By water, or any other way?' 'What is to fear?" answered the black wolf. 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-clement-davies/death-whispered-tarlar-you-do-not-fear-it-fell-by-water-or-any-other/)

[David Clement-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-clement-davies/)

> [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

## More by Lenny Bruce

> [Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/satire-is-tragedy-plus-time-you-give-it-enough-time-the-public-the/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [I am influenced by every second of my waking hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-am-influenced-by-every-second-of-my-waking-hour/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Never trust a preacher with more than two suits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/never-trust-a-preacher-with-more-than-two-suits/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [I would be with a bunch of Kennedy fans watching the debate, and their comment would be, 'He's really slaughtering Nixon.' Then we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-would-be-with-a-bunch-of-kennedy-fans-watching-the-debate-and-their/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [If you're from New York and you're Catholic, you're still Jewish. If you're from Butte Montana and you're Jewish, you're still goyisch. The Air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-you-re-from-new-york-and-you-re-catholic-you-re-still-jewish-if/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [I think it's about time we gave up religion and got back to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-think-it-s-about-time-we-gave-up-religion-and-got-back-to-god/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Alright, let's admit it, we Jews killed Christ - but it was only for three days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/alright-let-s-admit-it-we-jews-killed-christ-but-it-was-only-for/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [“People are leaving the church and going back to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/people-are-leaving-the-church-and-going-back-to-god/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [Dig: I'm Jewish. Count Basie's Jewish. Ray Charles is Jewish. Eddie Cantor's goyish. B'nai B'rith is goyish; Hadassah, Jewish. If you live in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/dig-i-m-jewish-count-basie-s-jewish-ray-charles-is-jewish-eddie/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [I won't say ours was a tough school, but we had our own coroner. We used to write essays like: What I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-won-t-say-ours-was-a-tough-school-but-we-had-our-own-coroner-we/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [“If you can't say "Fuck" you can't say, "Fuck the government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-you-can-t-say-fuck-you-can-t-say-fuck-the-government/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [“Take away the right to say ‘fuck’ and you take away the right to say ‘fuck the government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/take-away-the-right-to-say-fuck-and-you-take-away-the-right-to-say/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [The role of a comedian is to make the audience laugh, at a minimum of once every fifteen seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/the-role-of-a-comedian-is-to-make-the-audience-laugh-at-a-minimum-of/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [If I get busted in New York, the freest city in the world, that will be the end of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-i-get-busted-in-new-york-the-freest-city-in-the-world-that-will-be/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

> [“Liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/liberals-can-understand-everything-but-people-who-don-t-understand/)

[Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

[Explore all 112 Lenny Bruce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/)

## More Conditions quotes

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/)

[Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/)

[Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/)

> [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/)

[Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/)

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/)

[Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/)

> [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/)

[Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/)

> [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/)

[Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/)

> [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/)

[Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human condition, there's no struggle, no pain and that means no laughter.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lenny Bruce"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-without-the-human-condition/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conditions"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-without-the-human-condition/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/lenny-bruce-4320_conditions_trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-w_406653.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Trying to figure things out was my gig. Without the human condition, there's no struggle, no pain and that…” — Lenny Bruce",
                "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": "Lenny Bruce",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Trying to figure things out was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-without-the-human-condition/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/trying-to-figure-things-out-was-my-gig-without-the-human-condition/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
