--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a…" description: "\"I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute routine I did for a thing called 'Stand Up for Labour' where we'd go around different seats and use..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg" --- # I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute… ![“I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute routine I did for a thing called 'Stand Up for Labour' where we'd go around different seats and use comedy to raise money. I stopped doing this routine when I started running for mayor.” quote by Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg) > “I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute routine I did for a thing called 'Stand Up for Labour' where we'd go around different seats and use comedy to raise money. I stopped doing this routine when I started running for mayor.” [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker abandoned a comedic fundraising act to focus on political campaigning, highlighting a shift from entertainment to public service. **In simple terms:** Transition from comedy to politics for greater impact. Key Takeaway Comedy can be a stepping stone to serious civic engagement. Themes political activism public speaking career transition civic engagement fundraising Mood determined reflective optimistic Type personal anecdote political statement When to use this quote - fundraising events - political rallies - community meetings - campaign strategy sessions Key Concepts stand-up comedy campaigning public service Practical Applications - leveraging humor for voter outreach - using performance skills in political communication Questions to Reflect On - How can humor be used responsibly in political contexts? - What are the risks of mixing entertainment with serious policy work? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/) ## Related quotes > [People know where I stand in the Labour party and what I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/people-know-where-i-stand-in-the-labour-party-and-what-i-believe-in/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [For better or worse, when you're running for mayor, there's a little bit of a spotlight on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-quinn/for-better-or-worse-when-you-re-running-for-mayor-there-s-a-little/) [Christine Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-quinn/) > [If Ron Dellums running for mayor gives you hope, then let's get on with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-dellums/if-ron-dellums-running-for-mayor-gives-you-hope-then-let-s-get-on/) [Ron Dellums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-dellums/) > [All the greatest comedians use comedy and humor to release pain and sadness, and I think that instead of wanting to live within my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-nokia/all-the-greatest-comedians-use-comedy-and-humor-to-release-pain-and/) [Princess Nokia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-nokia/) > [I wouldn't vote for Ken Livingstone if he were running for mayor of Toytown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-scargill/i-wouldn-t-vote-for-ken-livingstone-if-he-were-running-for-mayor-of/) [Arthur Scargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-scargill/) > [I think that comedy is a good defense for a child. Because you know childhood is a nightmare as it is. And so why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-behar/i-think-that-comedy-is-a-good-defense-for-a-child-because-you-know/) [Joy Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-behar/) > [Growing up, I would use comedy as a kind of defence mechanism - you know, I'm going to call myself a nasty name before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asim-chaudhry/growing-up-i-would-use-comedy-as-a-kind-of-defence-mechanism-you-know/) [Asim Chaudhry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asim-chaudhry/) > [One of the reasons why I'm running for mayor of Boston is the diversity of our city. I love that - that's what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-walsh/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-m-running-for-mayor-of-boston-is-the/) [Marty Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-walsh/) > [I am not running for mayor yet. But if it comes to be true that people cannot voice an opinion unless they have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-am-not-running-for-mayor-yet-but-if-it-comes-to-be-true-that-people/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I was running for mayor of Syracuse - the first woman to run for mayor in our city, or in New York, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/i-was-running-for-mayor-of-syracuse-the-first-woman-to-run-for-mayor/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [The last thing I want to do is use my comedy as a partisan tool or as a method for preaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armando-iannucci/the-last-thing-i-want-to-do-is-use-my-comedy-as-a-partisan-tool-or-as/) [Armando Iannucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armando-iannucci/) > [I like comedy, but I like comedy as a device in drama. It's more interesting for me to use comedy to seduce people into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-like-comedy-but-i-like-comedy-as-a-device-in-drama-it-s-more/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I was thinking about comedy and how comedy in many ways opens us up to ideas and really being influenced by Richard Pryor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/i-was-thinking-about-comedy-and-how-comedy-in-many-ways-opens-us-up/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [You don't have to be wealthy to run for mayor. I'm a Green Party candidate running for mayor and I'm being taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/you-don-t-have-to-be-wealthy-to-run-for-mayor-i-m-a-green-party/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [I think you need to have the guts to not use comedy. Often, the people that work in comedy use a joke to avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-think-you-need-to-have-the-guts-to-not-use-comedy-often-the-people/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) ## More by Sadiq Khan > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Vibrant political parties are vital to the health of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/vibrant-political-parties-are-vital-to-the-health-of-our-democracy/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [When Pakistan beat England at cricket, my Pakistani cousins remind me how English and British I am. When they say, 'You're one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/when-pakistan-beat-england-at-cricket-my-pakistani-cousins-remind-me/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Londoners, Mancunians, and Brits across the country will never, ever be cowed by terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/londoners-mancunians-and-brits-across-the-country-will-never-ever-be/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Victims of crime and the wider community deserve a grown-up debate on our criminal justice system and how we can make it work -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/victims-of-crime-and-the-wider-community-deserve-a-grown-up-debate-on/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [I see this rise in rough sleeping and homelessness - in one of the wealthiest cities in the world - as a growing source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-see-this-rise-in-rough-sleeping-and-homelessness-in-one-of-the/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [My experience in relation to taking on the preachers of hate was saying to them it's compatible being British, being Western, being Muslim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/my-experience-in-relation-to-taking-on-the-preachers-of-hate-was/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [The U.K. has some of the best protections in law for religious groups in the world. They aren't perfect, but they provide a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/the-u-k-has-some-of-the-best-protections-in-law-for-religious-groups/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Muslims, like most other voters, don't just want 'one of their own,' they want someone who best represents their values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/muslims-like-most-other-voters-don-t-just-want-one-of-their-own-they/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [London has always been open to trade, people, ideas. We have to keep that. I want to compete not just with New York, Paris,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/london-has-always-been-open-to-trade-people-ideas-we-have-to-keep/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [London is a great city full of amazing people from all backgrounds and when Londoners face adversity, we always pull together. We stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/london-is-a-great-city-full-of-amazing-people-from-all-backgrounds/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Victims want to know that the true perpetrators of their crime are convicted - legal aid helps achieve this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/victims-want-to-know-that-the-true-perpetrators-of-their-crime-are/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Voting, for me, has always been a family affair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/voting-for-me-has-always-been-a-family-affair/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Immigrant communities have been genuinely accepted in London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/immigrant-communities-have-been-genuinely-accepted-in-london/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Leaving the EU isn't the answer to Britain's problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/leaving-the-eu-isn-t-the-answer-to-britain-s-problems/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) [Explore all 126 Sadiq Khan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute routine I did for a thing called 'Stand Up for Labour' where we'd go around different seats and use comedy to raise money. I stopped doing this routine when I started running for mayor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sadiq Khan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-ten-minute-routine-i-did-for-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-ten-minute-routine-i-did-for-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/sadiq-khan-3603_comedy_i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-t_15617.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to do stand-up, actually. I had a ten-minute routine I did for a thing called 'Stand Up for Labour'…” — Sadiq Khan", "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": "Sadiq Khan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I used to do stand-up, actually....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-ten-minute-routine-i-did-for-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-used-to-do-stand-up-actually-i-had-a-ten-minute-routine-i-did-for-a/#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 } } ] } ```