--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I…" description: "\"You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don't think there's really any oxygen. I think they're just to muffle the screams.\" — Rita Rudner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/rita-rudner-1679_airplane_you-know-the-oxygen-masks-on-airplanes-i_1201359.png" --- # You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don't think… ![“You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don't think there's really any oxygen. I think they're just to muffle the screams.” quote by Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/rita-rudner-1679_airplane_you-know-the-oxygen-masks-on-airplanes-i_1201359.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/rita-rudner-1679_airplane_you-know-the-oxygen-masks-on-airplanes-i_1201359.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10b/rita-rudner-1679_airplane_you-know-the-oxygen-masks-on-airplanes-i_1201359.png) > “You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don't think there's really any oxygen. I think they're just to muffle the screams.” [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Oxygen masks on planes are portrayed as a psychological comfort rather than a functional safety device. **In simple terms:** Masks may serve more to calm fears than to provide oxygen. Key Takeaway Question the true purpose of safety measures. Themes safety psychology travel Mood skeptical amused Type comedic observational When to use this quote - air travel anxiety - emergency preparedness - public safety messaging Key Concepts perception risk management comfort Questions to Reflect On - Do we trust safety equipment without understanding it? - How does humor affect our perception of risk? A Different Perspective The claim is hyperbolic and not factually accurate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask/) [Oxygen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxygen/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“of oxygen, whether we think of it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, is the formation of free radicals. As conventionally stated, the idea that breathing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lane/of-oxygen-whether-we-think-of-it-as-good-or-bad-is-the-formation-of/) [Nick Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lane/) > [No one is ever better off with dictators but there comes a time you know, when you're on an airplane, they always say, "in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/no-one-is-ever-better-off-with-dictators-but-there-comes-a-time-you/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [In the event of a cabin failure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling, and untangling them will annoy you before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/in-the-event-of-a-cabin-failure-oxygen-masks-will-drop-from-the/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [“The airline oxygen masks don't really help you. They're just there to muffle the screams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/the-airline-oxygen-masks-don-t-really-help-you-they-re-just-there-to/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [“Picture us, five floating nudists in oxygen masks, ragged with fatigue and degrees of schock, squeezing the last beads of antifreeze from our hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/picture-us-five-floating-nudists-in-oxygen-masks-ragged-with-fatigue/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“You’ve got to make time. It’s important. You know how they tell you on planes, in case of an emergency, the adults should put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/you-ve-got-to-make-time-it-s-important-you-know-how-they-tell-you-on/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“I'm starting to realize that being born into this social world is a little like being born into clean air. 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The same way in life, you need to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajashree-choudhury/on-an-airplane-you-are-always-told-to-put-on-your-own-oxygen-mask/) [Rajashree Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajashree-choudhury/) > [Most of the men sitting in first class on an airplane have really boring jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-of-the-men-sitting-in-first-class-on-an-airplane-have-really/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [If you don't participate, you're just taking up oxygen. (Bunny) Life is a banquet. Approach it with hunger. (Chuck)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/if-you-don-t-participate-you-re-just-taking-up-oxygen-bunny-life-is-a/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Myocardial oxygen consumption is determined by the work of the heart and is a function of arterial blood pressure and heart rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-black/myocardial-oxygen-consumption-is-determined-by-the-work-of-the-heart/) [James Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-black/) > [I hit Damian Fuller with a left hook that left him laid out for 30-45 minutes. They brought oxygen to him, they couldn't wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-corrales/i-hit-damian-fuller-with-a-left-hook-that-left-him-laid-out-for-30-45/) [Diego Corrales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-corrales/) > [I am not a Ph.D. in economics or a doctorate in literature that I can afford to take my singing lightly. Even if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-kher/i-am-not-a-ph-d-in-economics-or-a-doctorate-in-literature-that-i-can/) [Kailash Kher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-kher/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by Rita Rudner > [I worry about Las Vegas schools. I hear in math, they only teach them to count to 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/i-worry-about-las-vegas-schools-i-hear-in-math-they-only-teach-them/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Going out to eat is expensive. I was out at one restaurant and they didn't have prices on the menu. Just faces with different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/going-out-to-eat-is-expensive-i-was-out-at-one-restaurant-and-they/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Men are very confident people. Even a sixty-year-old man with no arms thinks he could play in the Super Bowl if he had to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/men-are-very-confident-people-even-a-sixty-year-old-man-with-no-arms/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Envy the kangaroo. That pouch setup is extraordinary; the baby crawls out of the womb when it is about two inches long, gets into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/envy-the-kangaroo-that-pouch-setup-is-extraordinary-the-baby-crawls/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [The way a man looks at himself in a mirror will tell you if he can ever care about anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/the-way-a-man-looks-at-himself-in-a-mirror-will-tell-you-if-he-can/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [They usually have two tellers in my local bank, except when it's very busy, when they have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/they-usually-have-two-tellers-in-my-local-bank-except-when-it-s-very/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [When you're a dancer, you start with the basics. You don't all of a sudden do a grand jete and pirouette. You start with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/when-you-re-a-dancer-you-start-with-the-basics-you-don-t-all-of-a/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [My Vegas act is how I make my money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/my-vegas-act-is-how-i-make-my-money/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Men are self-confident because they grow up identifying with super-heroes. Women have bad self-images because they grow up identifying with Barbie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/men-are-self-confident-because-they-grow-up-identifying-with-super/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/we-ve-begun-to-long-for-the-pitter-patter-of-little-feet-so-we-bought/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [... life is broken down into these stages: you're born and you don't know how anything works; gradually you find out how everything works;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/life-is-broken-down-into-these-stages-you-re-born-and-you-don-t-know/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [We live in Los Angeles, where you are expected to move every two to four years, so people can see how well your career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/we-live-in-los-angeles-where-you-are-expected-to-move-every-two-to/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [A good place to meet a man is at the dry cleaner. These men usually have jobs and bathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/a-good-place-to-meet-a-man-is-at-the-dry-cleaner-these-men-usually/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [I have been doing leg lifts faithfully for about fifteen years, and the only thing that has gotten thinner is the carpet where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/i-have-been-doing-leg-lifts-faithfully-for-about-fifteen-years-and/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) [Explore all 217 Rita Rudner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) ## More Airplane quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-ve-jumped-out-of-an-airplane-34-times-i-ve-dove-212-feet-under/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [I believe that anyone who flies in an airplane and doesn't spend most of his time looking out the window wastes his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/i-believe-that-anyone-who-flies-in-an-airplane-and-doesn-t-spend-most/) [Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/) > [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On the second airplane to france and we're done ! yeyyyyyyyyy !! this one was more full :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmmopy/on-the-second-airplane-to-france-and-we-re-done-yeyyyyyyyyy-this-one/) Shmmopy > [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/) Len Morgan > [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I don't have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-don-t-have-a-fear-of-flying-i-have-a-fear-of-crashing/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [From computers to information technology to airplanes, it has been America's unique blend of republican government and free-market capitalism that has allowed us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/from-computers-to-information-technology-to-airplanes-it-has-been/) [George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/) > [I've been racking my brain. 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