---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are lines that I know are going to…"
description: "\"There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing myself say them so I drop them.\" — Sammy Davis, Jr"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png"
---

#  There are lines that I know are going to get a belly…

![“There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing myself say them so I drop them.” quote by Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png)

> “There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing myself say them so I drop them.”

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

## About This Quote

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

A performer may initially find jokes funny, but repeated use can cause fatigue, leading them to discard the material.

**In simple terms:** Jokes lose humor after overuse.

Key Takeaway

Refresh material regularly.

Themes

comedy self-awareness creativity

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

observational practical

When to use this quote

- stand‑up routine
- writing sessions
- rehearsals
- tour planning

Key Concepts

humor fatigue creative renewal

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you know when a joke is worn out?
- What new topics could replace old material?

A Different Perspective

Audience expectations may demand consistency, limiting experimentation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Belly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly/) [Belly Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly-laugh-284325/) [Belly laughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly-laughs/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laugh Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-shows-2176689/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Say Drop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-drop-2176690/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Shows Sick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows-sick-2176691/) [Sick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sick/)

## Related quotes

> [For me, a hearty "belly laugh" is one of the beautiful sounds in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-cerf/for-me-a-hearty-belly-laugh-is-one-of-the-beautiful-sounds-in-the/)

[Bennett Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-cerf/)

> [I've found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much... because it's the only thing that'll make it stop hurting" ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-ve-found-out-why-people-laugh-they-laugh-because-it-hurts-so-much/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I was learning that among friends, a smile can be better than a belly laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-was-learning-that-among-friends-a-smile-can-be-better-than-a-belly/)

[Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/)

> [A belly laugh increases the ability of your immune system to fight infections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/a-belly-laugh-increases-the-ability-of-your-immune-system-to-fight/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [The belly laugh is the best way to evacuate anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-belly-laugh-is-the-best-way-to-evacuate-anguish/)

[Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/)

> [I don't have to come up with a ha-ha belly laugh every day, but drawings with warmth and love or ones that put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/i-don-t-have-to-come-up-with-a-ha-ha-belly-laugh-every-day-but/)

[Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/)

> [When you have a heartfelt belly laugh, all parts of your being - the physiological, the pyschological, the spiritual - they all vibrate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-you-have-a-heartfelt-belly-laugh-all-parts-of-your-being-the/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Reclaiming the belly laugh can cure a world of woes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sams/reclaiming-the-belly-laugh-can-cure-a-world-of-woes/)

[Jamie Sams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sams/)

> [Laughter. It connects me to the moment, the people around me, nothing like a good belly laugh to feel alive. And having sex outdoors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-cormack/laughter-it-connects-me-to-the-moment-the-people-around-me-nothing/)

[Danielle Cormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-cormack/)

> [I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud...I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-want-a-life-that-sizzles-and-pops-and-makes-me-laugh-out-loud-i/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [Transforming a line like that makes it into a belly laugh instead of a laugh against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-young/transforming-a-line-like-that-makes-it-into-a-belly-laugh-instead-of/)

[Terence Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-young/)

> [Primarily I'm a social commentator rather than someone who's out to get the belly laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/primarily-i-m-a-social-commentator-rather-than-someone-who-s-out-to/)

[Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/)

> [I think serious situations actually make for the best kind of belly laughs. But they're also the hardest to convert into comedy at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-think-serious-situations-actually-make-for-the-best-kind-of-belly/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [Many of my cartoons are not a belly laugh. I go for nostalgia, the lump in the throat, the tear in the eye, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/many-of-my-cartoons-are-not-a-belly-laugh-i-go-for-nostalgia-the-lump/)

[Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/)

> [You can't really learn God's hope like you learn the logic of an argument or the details of a story. It's more like learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/you-can-t-really-learn-god-s-hope-like-you-learn-the-logic-of-an/)

[Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/)

## More by Sammy Davis, Jr

> [After I decided to become a Jew, only then did I learn that the Jews don't have all the money. When I found out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/after-i-decided-to-become-a-jew-only-then-did-i-learn-that-the-jews/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Alcohol gives you infinite patience for stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/alcohol-gives-you-infinite-patience-for-stupidity/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [I don't have many easy songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-don-t-have-many-easy-songs/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [My home has always been show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/my-home-has-always-been-show-business/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Everything Michael Jackson does on stage is exactly right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/everything-michael-jackson-does-on-stage-is-exactly-right/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [There's nothing that can match Broadway for stature and dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-s-nothing-that-can-match-broadway-for-stature-and-dignity/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Being in public with May and the children was too heavy. I was irreversibly tuned in to everyone around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/being-in-public-with-may-and-the-children-was-too-heavy-i-was/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> ["The Entertainer" He did it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/the-entertainer-he-did-it-all/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Most orgies that you go to, I have found, most of it is sad. All that wildness, all those laughs were like the shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/most-orgies-that-you-go-to-i-have-found-most-of-it-is-sad-all-that/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [During three decades, along all the highways of my youth, Frank had always been there for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/during-three-decades-along-all-the-highways-of-my-youth-frank-had/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [There are certain romances that belong in certain cities, in a certain atmosphere, in a certain time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-certain-romances-that-belong-in-certain-cities-in-a-certain/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/reality-is-never-as-bad-as-a-nightmare-as-the-mental-tortures-we/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [I hadn't been in Vegas 20 minutes when I got word that the bookmakers were offering three to one that Frank wouldn't show for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-hadn-t-been-in-vegas-20-minutes-when-i-got-word-that-the-bookmakers/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [Once I get outside my house in the morning, I'm on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/once-i-get-outside-my-house-in-the-morning-i-m-on/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

> [I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/i-d-learned-a-lot-in-the-army-i-knew-that-above-all-things-in-the/)

[Sammy Davis, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

[Explore all 70 Sammy Davis, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/)

## More Belly quotes

> [I'm bigger than you! I'm higher on the food chain - get in my belly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/i-m-bigger-than-you-i-m-higher-on-the-food-chain-get-in-my-belly/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [I was the first to win a major with a belly putter, and I've spent hours practicing that way, so I hope they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/i-was-the-first-to-win-a-major-with-a-belly-putter-and-i-ve-spent/)

[Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/)

> [That devilish Iron Horse, whose ear-rending neigh is heard throughout the town, has muddied the Boiling Spring with his foot, and he it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-devilish-iron-horse-whose-ear-rending-neigh-is-heard-throughout/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-liked-the-taste-of-beer-its-live-white-lather-its-brass-bright/)

[Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/)

> [“Somewhere squidgy. Your belly, maybe?” “I can’t believe you called my belly ‘squidgy.’ It’s not squidgy, it’s pillowy. And sexy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-peeler/somewhere-squidgy-your-belly-maybe-i-can-t-believe-you-called-my/)

[Nicole Peeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-peeler/)

> [“That man’s so low he has to reach up to rub the belly of a snake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-carson/that-man-s-so-low-he-has-to-reach-up-to-rub-the-belly-of-a-snake/)

[Rae Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-carson/)

> [We sat there, not talking, for a few minutes. He ate the Moon Pie; only skinny people can scarf down junk food like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/we-sat-there-not-talking-for-a-few-minutes-he-ate-the-moon-pie-only/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I get so nervous, I get belly pains before I go on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/i-get-so-nervous-i-get-belly-pains-before-i-go-on-stage/)

[Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/)

> [I can reason down or deny everything, except this perpetual Belly: feed he must and will, and I cannot make him respectable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-can-reason-down-or-deny-everything-except-this-perpetual-belly-feed/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I've learned ballet for seven years and Kathak and belly dancing for some time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhhi-agerwal/i-ve-learned-ballet-for-seven-years-and-kathak-and-belly-dancing-for/)

[Nidhhi Agerwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhhi-agerwal/)

> [It's very important to not repeat yourself. After 'Delhi Belly,' I was offered 40 'Delhi Belly's and you can't do that! So 'Revolver Rani'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vir-das/it-s-very-important-to-not-repeat-yourself-after-delhi-belly-i-was/)

[Vir Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vir-das/)

> [I asked these Indians: "Do men ever make Chicha?" My question was met with gales of laughter. The women howled. Bent over in hilarity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-d-eames/i-asked-these-indians-do-men-ever-make-chicha-my-question-was-met/)

[Alan D. Eames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-d-eames/)

> [Wit, like the Belly, if it be not fed, Will starve the Members, and distract the Head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wit-like-the-belly-if-it-be-not-fed-will-starve-the-members-and/)

[Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/)

> [After three years down here, I've not learned too much. But one thing I do know is that our bellies aren't big enough for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-three-years-down-here-i-ve-not-learned-too-much-but-one-thing-i/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [The City of New York is like an enormous citadel, a modern Carcassonne. Walking between the magnificent skyscrapers one feels the presence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-city-of-new-york-is-like-an-enormous-citadel-a-modern-carcassonne/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

[Browse all 662 Belly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing myself say them so I drop them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sammy Davis, Jr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to-get-a-belly-laugh-but-after/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Belly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to-get-a-belly-laugh-but-after/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/sammy-davis-jr-9783_belly_there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to_1008527.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing…” — Sammy Davis, Jr",
                "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": "Sammy Davis, Jr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-davis-jr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are lines that I know...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to-get-a-belly-laugh-but-after/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-davis-jr/there-are-lines-that-i-know-are-going-to-get-a-belly-laugh-but-after/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
