--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a generally liberal audience, but…" description: "\"I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud when I nail a liberal lion.\" — Stephen Colbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png" --- # I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud… ![“I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud when I nail a liberal lion.” quote by Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png) > “I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud when I nail a liberal lion.” [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He knows his audience’s political leanings and tailors jokes to resonate while still challenging them. **In simple terms:** Tailor jokes to your audience’s views. Key Takeaway Use humor to engage and provoke thought. Themes politics comedy audience engagement satire Mood witty provocative entertaining Type satire commentary humor When to use this quote - political rallies - talk shows - social media commentary - public speaking Key Concepts media strategy rhetorical framing balancing act Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance satire with sincerity? - What boundaries exist for political humor? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating moderate listeners if jokes are too partisan. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Applaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-applaud-2638199/) [Generally Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generally-liberal-5790376/) [Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal/) [Liberal Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-audience-4759929/) [Liberal Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-lion-1239802/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nails/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [I don't mind going into a liberal lion's den. That's where you test yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/i-don-t-mind-going-into-a-liberal-lion-s-den-that-s-where-you-test/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“As he broadcast his birther charge against Obama, Nielsen ratings for The Celebrity Apprentice took a sharp turn for the worse. “Given the downward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/as-he-broadcast-his-birther-charge-against-obama-nielsen-ratings-for/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [ Oh sure, now you like him \[after the audience applaud David Oyelowo\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/oh-sure-now-you-like-him-after-the-audience-applaud-david-oyelowo/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [Teddy Kennedy rose to become a liberal lion by collaborating with Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/teddy-kennedy-rose-to-become-a-liberal-lion-by-collaborating-with/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [And, for the record, I didn't murder anybody. I want to make that clear. It's entertainment and it brings about the message I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-sarchie/and-for-the-record-i-didn-t-murder-anybody-i-want-to-make-that-clear/) [Ralph Sarchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-sarchie/) > [A label is a soul-tattoo that is ingrained deep in our hearts, so much so that it determines how we see ourselves, And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derwin-l-gray/a-label-is-a-soul-tattoo-that-is-ingrained-deep-in-our-hearts-so-much/) [Derwin L. Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derwin-l-gray/) > [I have no problem with the idea of comfort, but it is not an important thing aesthetically. If you look at a shoe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/i-have-no-problem-with-the-idea-of-comfort-but-it-is-not-an-important/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/an-actor-needs-something-to-stabilize-his-personality-something-to/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [Sometimes I would be very upset because my memories are very murky from my childhood, but there are certain emotional memories or emotional truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/sometimes-i-would-be-very-upset-because-my-memories-are-very-murky/) [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) > [I don't have a stylist, and I do most of my shopping online, just because it's easier. I don't have any nails to manicure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-phillips/i-don-t-have-a-stylist-and-i-do-most-of-my-shopping-online-just/) [Zara Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-phillips/) > [Painting my nails is the easiest way to look as though I've made an effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fallon/painting-my-nails-is-the-easiest-way-to-look-as-though-i-ve-made-an/) [Jane Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fallon/) > [I don't do yoga. I bite the hella outta my nails. I smoke, I eat all the wrong food, I don't exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/i-don-t-do-yoga-i-bite-the-hella-outta-my-nails-i-smoke-i-eat-all-the/) [Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) > [Overall, we had about 50 meetings where the brothers would say that I couldn't do any solo records, I couldn't write for other people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/overall-we-had-about-50-meetings-where-the-brothers-would-say-that-i/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [“Now, from the crown of my head to the curve of my toe-nails, there was an unguent for every part of me - oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/now-from-the-crown-of-my-head-to-the-curve-of-my-toe-nails-there-was/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) ## More by Stephen Colbert > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I've long been against illegal aliens, partly because they distract us from an even bigger threat: real aliens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-ve-long-been-against-illegal-aliens-partly-because-they-distract-us/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Believe in me, cause I don't believe in anything, and I wanna be someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/believe-in-me-cause-i-don-t-believe-in-anything-and-i-wanna-be/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Try to love others and serve others and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/try-to-love-others-and-serve-others-and-hopefully-find-those-who-love/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Thirty seconds is the exact amount of time Americans can tolerate something they don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/thirty-seconds-is-the-exact-amount-of-time-americans-can-tolerate/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I used to make up stuff in my bio all the time, that I used to be a professional ice-skater and stuff like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-used-to-make-up-stuff-in-my-bio-all-the-time-that-i-used-to-be-a/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I live by syllogisms: God is love. Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God. I don't know what I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-live-by-syllogisms-god-is-love-love-is-blind-stevie-wonder-is-blind/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Unlike Paul Newman, who seems to think that salad dressing is the cure-all for America's ills, I'm a man of action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/unlike-paul-newman-who-seems-to-think-that-salad-dressing-is-the-cure/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Now, for my younger viewers out there, a book is something we used to have before the internet. It’s sort of a blog for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/now-for-my-younger-viewers-out-there-a-book-is-something-we-used-to/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/jesus-forgives-sinners-not-criminals/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Divorce is a marital welfare. It's just couples asking society to bail them out because they didn't do enough research before they got married.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/divorce-is-a-marital-welfare-it-s-just-couples-asking-society-to-bail/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) [Explore all 514 Stephen Colbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud when I nail a liberal lion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Colbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but-they-will-applaud-when-i-nail/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but-they-will-applaud-when-i-nail/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0d/stephen-colbert-503_audience_i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but_1549841.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have a generally liberal audience, but they will applaud when I nail a liberal lion.” — Stephen Colbert", "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": "Stephen Colbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have a generally liberal audience,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but-they-will-applaud-when-i-nail/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-have-a-generally-liberal-audience-but-they-will-applaud-when-i-nail/#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 } } ] } ```