--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I generally have a real strong idea or a…" description: "\"I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline, and I just try to get to it by rambling around, as I don't like to memorize words.\" — Norm M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png" --- # I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline… ![“I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline, and I just try to get to it by rambling around, as I don't like to memorize words.” quote by Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png) > “I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline, and I just try to get to it by rambling around, as I don't like to memorize words.” [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prefers spontaneous improvisation over memorized lines, letting ideas emerge through rambling. **In simple terms:** He improvises instead of memorizing. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneity in speech. Themes creativity improvisation comedy Mood playful energetic Type humorous inspirational When to use this quote - live performance - writing workshops - public speaking - brainstorming sessions Key Concepts stand-up stream of consciousness authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does rambling shape your ideas? - When is memorization better? A Different Perspective Improvisation may lack polish or clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idea Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-strong-1362563/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Like Memorize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-memorize-1362564/) [Punchlines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punchlines/) [Rambling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rambling/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-idea-1362562/) [Strong Punchline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-punchline-1362560/) [Try Rambling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-rambling-1362561/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [I always knew that I was strong but I had no idea how strong I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-agarwal/i-always-knew-that-i-was-strong-but-i-had-no-idea-how-strong-i-am/) [Divya Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-agarwal/) > [I've learned one general thing in filmmaking: to work with one strong idea. One strong concept that pushes you to work in a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-khondji/i-ve-learned-one-general-thing-in-filmmaking-to-work-with-one-strong/) [Darius Khondji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-khondji/) > [On Update, the only real original thing was trying to take away the cleverness of the punchline and make it as blunt as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/on-update-the-only-real-original-thing-was-trying-to-take-away-the/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I tried to make the punchline as close to the setup as I could. And I thought that was the perfect thing. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-tried-to-make-the-punchline-as-close-to-the-setup-as-i-could-and-i/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I like the idea of a strong woman in charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-m-lenkov/i-like-the-idea-of-a-strong-woman-in-charge/) [Peter M. Lenkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-m-lenkov/) > [You have no idea how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-no-idea-how-strong-you-are-until-being-strong-is-the-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You have to be firm, persistent, passionate, and driven by the idea and have a strong desire to bring your product to the market”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-have-to-be-firm-persistent-passionate-and-driven-by-the-idea-and/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [There are things you think you cannot do. You have no idea how strong you are until you try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-michaels/there-are-things-you-think-you-cannot-do-you-have-no-idea-how-strong/) [Jillian Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-michaels/) > [“She was keen on the idea that a strong mind, enforced with a strong will, could overcome any difficulty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-essex/she-was-keen-on-the-idea-that-a-strong-mind-enforced-with-a-strong/) [Karen Essex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-essex/) > [When I was 20 years old, if you had a $100 bill and a good idea and a strong work ethic, you could start a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/when-i-was-20-years-old-if-you-had-a-100-bill-and-a-good-idea-and-a/) [Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/) > [The idea of being strong for someone else having never entered their heads, I find myself in the position of having to console them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/the-idea-of-being-strong-for-someone-else-having-never-entered-their/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-best-time-to-set-up-a-new-discipline-is-when-the-idea-is-strong/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [You have no idea how strong my love is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-have-no-idea-how-strong-my-love-is/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I think within our music there is a real strong idea of search, search for identity, search for place, search for time, search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kerr/i-think-within-our-music-there-is-a-real-strong-idea-of-search-search/) [Jim Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kerr/) > [I am interested in all aspects of filmmaking, so I have an opinion on every aspect, so sound design, score, cinematography, editing - all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-baena/i-am-interested-in-all-aspects-of-filmmaking-so-i-have-an-opinion-on/) [Jeff Baena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-baena/) ## More by Norm MacDonald > [In estimating the adversities of life, we would seldom have much reason to complain of the evils we suffer, did we understand the dangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/in-estimating-the-adversities-of-life-we-would-seldom-have-much/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Chastity is oftener owing to diffidence and shame, than to fortitude of reason or virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/chastity-is-oftener-owing-to-diffidence-and-shame-than-to-fortitude/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [The first principle of solid wisdom is discretion, without it all the erudition of life is merely bagatelle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/the-first-principle-of-solid-wisdom-is-discretion-without-it-all-the/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I'd say Jon Stewart has remained funny the entire time. Jon always makes it funny first. And he's just, he's talking about serious things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-d-say-jon-stewart-has-remained-funny-the-entire-time-jon-always/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Liberty, like health, appears most precious when lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/liberty-like-health-appears-most-precious-when-lost/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [In theatres, you're kind of disconnected. Also, it's way too big for the likes of me. Unless you're Robin Williams or someone that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/in-theatres-you-re-kind-of-disconnected-also-it-s-way-too-big-for-the/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [After months of speculation, the sitcom star Ellen DeGeneres admitted that yes, she's gay. Inspired by her courage, today, diet-guru Richard Simmons admitted that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/after-months-of-speculation-the-sitcom-star-ellen-degeneres-admitted/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [So much in L.A. is waiting. It's so irritating. That's what's good about stand-up. You can go away, and you don't have to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/so-much-in-l-a-is-waiting-it-s-so-irritating-that-s-what-s-good-about/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [You ever hear guys with small cocks talk about sex? Can't talk about it enough. They even got poems. They'll say, 'It's not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/you-ever-hear-guys-with-small-cocks-talk-about-sex-can-t-talk-about/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [My dad died, and my grandfather died, and my great-grandfather died. And the guy before him, I don't know. Probably died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/my-dad-died-and-my-grandfather-died-and-my-great-grandfather-died-and/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [ Louis \[C.K.\] is great. But I don't know how many you could do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/louis-c-k-is-great-but-i-don-t-know-how-many-you-could-do/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I don't have any ego about it, but I find there's not a great work ethic in show business. A lot of people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-don-t-have-any-ego-about-it-but-i-find-there-s-not-a-great-work/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Many people are skeptical about marriage of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley. They say, Lisa Marie is more of a sit at home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/many-people-are-skeptical-about-marriage-of-michael-jackson-and-lisa/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Back in the old days, a man could just get sick and die. Now they have to wage a battle. So my Uncle Bert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/back-in-the-old-days-a-man-could-just-get-sick-and-die-now-they-have/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [The man that does not fear punishment, little regards crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/the-man-that-does-not-fear-punishment-little-regards-crime/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) [Explore all 205 Norm MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline, and I just try to get to it by rambling around, as I don't like to memorize words.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norm MacDonald" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a-strong-punchline-and-i-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a-strong-punchline-and-i-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/norm-macdonald-1825_ideas_i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a_914111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I generally have a real strong idea or a strong punchline, and I just try to get to it by rambling around…” — Norm MacDonald", "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": "Norm MacDonald", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I generally have a real strong...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a-strong-punchline-and-i-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-generally-have-a-real-strong-idea-or-a-strong-punchline-and-i-just/#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 } } ] } ```