--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull…" description: "\"“Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and omnipresent Criticize things you don't know about Be oblong and have your knees removed”\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg" --- # Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and… ![“Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and omnipresent Criticize things you don't know about Be oblong and have your knees removed” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg) > ““Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and omnipresent Criticize things you don't know about Be oblong and have your knees removed”” [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The lyric satirically lists absurd demands to mock pretentiousness and ignorance. **In simple terms:** It mocks pretentious demands and ignorance. Key Takeaway Question absurd expectations. Themes satire humor absurdity social critique identity Mood playful irreverent Type satirical humorous When to use this quote - comedy routine - social media memes - political satire - artistic performance Key Concepts Parody cultural commentary self‑deprecation Questions to Reflect On - What social norms are being mocked? - Why use absurdity to critique? A Different Perspective Some may find it offensive or confusing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) ## Related quotes > [“Be courteous, kind, and forgiving. Be gentle and peaceful each day. 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I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. 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I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) [Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## More Cactus quotes > [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I had forgotten that talking to you is like trying to pet a cactus." Saiman said dryly. "Thank you for reminding me." "Always happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-had-forgotten-that-talking-to-you-is-like-trying-to-pet-a-cactus/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [The one thing that seems to be consistent through all my work that I like, and I experimented a lot, is the viewer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-misrach/the-one-thing-that-seems-to-be-consistent-through-all-my-work-that-i/) [Richard Misrach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-misrach/) > [“What a surprise. That boy doesn't have the sense God gave a cactus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-peacock/what-a-surprise-that-boy-doesn-t-have-the-sense-god-gave-a-cactus/) [Kathleen Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-peacock/) > [Texas is a hell hole, man. Dirt, cactus, lizards, dirt, cactus, the Bush family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/texas-is-a-hell-hole-man-dirt-cactus-lizards-dirt-cactus-the-bush/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-bought-a-cactus-a-week-later-it-died-and-i-got-depressed-because-i/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [John flung himself into a pseudo-karate stance, one hand poised behind him and one in front, posed like a cartoon cactus. I thought for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/john-flung-himself-into-a-pseudo-karate-stance-one-hand-poised-behind/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/she-was-elusive-she-was-today-she-was-tomorrow-she-was-the-faintest/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“Well what I was going to say was that it reminds me of us because a cactus can grow and thrive without a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-bloom/well-what-i-was-going-to-say-was-that-it-reminds-me-of-us-because-a/) [Rebecca Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-bloom/) > [The desert seems to be a brown wasteland of dry, prickly scrub whose only purpose is to serve as a setting for the majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/the-desert-seems-to-be-a-brown-wasteland-of-dry-prickly-scrub-whose/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [I'm always very interested in breeding. Raising cacti is breeding. My lotus plant collection is breeding. The insects are breeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-murakami/i-m-always-very-interested-in-breeding-raising-cacti-is-breeding-my/) [Takashi Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-murakami/) > [“So I came down here, to breathe dust and walk with the dogs-- to look at a rock or a cactus and know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/so-i-came-down-here-to-breathe-dust-and-walk-with-the-dogs-to-look-at/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I remember very clearly someone saying, 'Don't shake hands with the cactus,' and I thought, 'Well, why not? What could possibly go wrong?' Shaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-remember-very-clearly-someone-saying-don-t-shake-hands-with-the/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) Browse all 96 Cactus quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and omnipresent Criticize things you don't know about Be oblong and have your knees removed”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull-and-boring-and-omnipresent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cactus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull-and-boring-and-omnipresent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/steve-martin-593_cactus_be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull_2352887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus Be dull and boring and omnipresent Criticize things you don't know about…” — Steve Martin", "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": "Steve Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull-and-boring-and-omnipresent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-pompous-obese-and-eat-cactus-be-dull-and-boring-and-omnipresent/#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 } } ] } ```