--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: John Cleese was with a group called…" description: "\"John Cleese was with a group called Cambridge Circus, who had come to New York, and we became friends. Years later that produced a certain team effort...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/terry-gilliam-7704_cambridge_john-cleese-was-with-a-group-called-camb_2833786.jpg" --- # John Cleese was with a group called Cambridge Circus, who… ![“John Cleese was with a group called Cambridge Circus, who had come to New York, and we became friends. Years later that produced a certain team effort.” quote by Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/terry-gilliam-7704_cambridge_john-cleese-was-with-a-group-called-camb_2833786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/terry-gilliam-7704_cambridge_john-cleese-was-with-a-group-called-camb_2833786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/terry-gilliam-7704_cambridge_john-cleese-was-with-a-group-called-camb_2833786.jpg) > “John Cleese was with a group called Cambridge Circus, who had come to New York, and we became friends. Years later that produced a certain team effort.” [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recounts early collaborative experiences that later fostered teamwork. **In simple terms:** Early group work led to later teamwork. Key Takeaway Value early collaborations. Themes collaboration history networking Mood nostalgic insightful Type creative historical When to use this quote - film projects - writing teams - industry events Key Concepts creative process career development Questions to Reflect On - How did early friendships shape your career? - What role does teamwork play in creative fields? A Different Perspective Later success also depends on individual talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cambridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cambridge/) [Cambridge Circus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cambridge-circus-3677279/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Circus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circus/) [Circus Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circus-come-852601/) [Cleese Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleese-group-3677278/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-cleese/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Team effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-effort/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [York Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-friends-3677280/) ## Related quotes > [The circus goes from town to town, so why run away to join it? It should be, I've decided to wait for the circus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/the-circus-goes-from-town-to-town-so-why-run-away-to-join-it-it/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [My father used to describe how he'd love going, early in the morning, out on a location and waiting for the trucks to arrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-broccoli/my-father-used-to-describe-how-he-d-love-going-early-in-the-morning/) [Barbara Broccoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-broccoli/) > [I shouldn't be surprised if John Cleese's scripts don't become set texts for examinations-they're classics. And I can't tell you how service in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prunella-scales/i-shouldn-t-be-surprised-if-john-cleese-s-scripts-don-t-become-set/) [Prunella Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prunella-scales/) > [John Cleese was my personal favorite because he played my husband for a whole season - and Minnie Driver. We almost had our own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/john-cleese-was-my-personal-favorite-because-he-played-my-husband-for/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [John Cleese once told me he'd do anything for money. So I offered him a pound to shut up, and he took it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/john-cleese-once-told-me-he-d-do-anything-for-money-so-i-offered-him/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [ \[On John Cleese:\] He sometimes seems to swat at his own thoughts as if they were bees. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-gilliatt/on-john-cleese-he-sometimes-seems-to-swat-at-his-own-thoughts-as-if/) [Penelope Gilliatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-gilliatt/) > [Something about John Cleese was always very unsettled, I felt. There was always something else he wanted to do. He seemed constantly driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/something-about-john-cleese-was-always-very-unsettled-i-felt-there/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [I wanted to be a writer-performer like the Pythons. In fact, I wanted to be John Cleese, and it took me some time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-performer-like-the-pythons-in-fact-i-wanted/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I wanted to be John Cleese. It took me some time to realise that the job was taken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-wanted-to-be-john-cleese-it-took-me-some-time-to-realise-that-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I got my first television at Stanford when I was 20, and I used to watch 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. He played my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-danson/i-got-my-first-television-at-stanford-when-i-was-20-and-i-used-to/) [Ted Danson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-danson/) > [It's a good tip for writers, that - write with an actor in mind. Even if you have no hope of getting John Cleese,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/it-s-a-good-tip-for-writers-that-write-with-an-actor-in-mind-even-if/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) > [“If we’re friends, I’m only the funniest guy you know because you don’t know John Cleese. Or Steve Martin. Or Jack Handey. Or, or, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-we-re-friends-i-m-only-the-funniest-guy-you-know-because-you-don-t/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I see myself as the female John Cleese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-see-myself-as-the-female-john-cleese/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [To me, if you are in the same building with Peter Sellers or John Cleese, or any of those guys and holding your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/to-me-if-you-are-in-the-same-building-with-peter-sellers-or-john/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [John Cleese is a very fast worker and a highly disciplined one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prunella-scales/john-cleese-is-a-very-fast-worker-and-a-highly-disciplined-one/) [Prunella Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prunella-scales/) ## More by Terry Gilliam > [The English are such a frightened, nervous, insecure group of people - they no longer rule the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/the-english-are-such-a-frightened-nervous-insecure-group-of-people/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [Well, I really want to encourage a kind of fantasy, a kind of magic. I love the term magic realism, whoever invented it –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/well-i-really-want-to-encourage-a-kind-of-fantasy-a-kind-of-magic-i/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [I was doing political cartoons and getting angry to the point where I felt I was going to have to start making and throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-was-doing-political-cartoons-and-getting-angry-to-the-point-where-i/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [I'm trying to escape by forming my own kind of world. 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Most people aren't impressed by writers, but if you can draw a cartoon or a picture, they think you're magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-m-overwhelmed-by-writers-most-people-aren-t-impressed-by-writers/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [Nobody went to see Tideland! I was hoping people would get angry about it but those that saw it didn't want to talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/nobody-went-to-see-tideland-i-was-hoping-people-would-get-angry-about/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [Fantasy isn't just a jolly escape: It's an escape, but into something far more extreme than reality, or normality. It's where things are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/fantasy-isn-t-just-a-jolly-escape-it-s-an-escape-but-into-something/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [It's hard for me to worry about the studios losing money. I'm not very sympathetic to their money problems, because they certainly haven't been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/it-s-hard-for-me-to-worry-about-the-studios-losing-money-i-m-not-very/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [Hyperbole is something I'd better avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/hyperbole-is-something-i-d-better-avoid/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [When it came to slaughtering sacred cows with such crude yet perfect musical precision, there was no one better than Frank. I wonder what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/when-it-came-to-slaughtering-sacred-cows-with-such-crude-yet-perfect/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [I've given up asking questions. l merely float on a tsunami of acceptance of anything life throws at me ... and marvel stupidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-ve-given-up-asking-questions-l-merely-float-on-a-tsunami-of/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [You know the hardest thing to do in Hollywood is burn bridges. There is usually some sucker who still likes me. 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