---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Comedy is often a short career because…"
description: "\"Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point where you are no longer a small thing punching up at targets; you are the big thing, and it's..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png"
---

#  Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point…

![“Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point where you are no longer a small thing punching up at targets; you are the big thing, and it's hard to write from that position.” quote by Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png)

> “Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point where you are no longer a small thing punching up at targets; you are the big thing, and it's hard to write from that position.”

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

## About This Quote

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

Comedy loses edge when the performer becomes the powerful target rather than the underdog.

**In simple terms:** Power changes comedic perspective.

Key Takeaway

Stay humble, keep punching up.

Themes

comedy power humor career authenticity

Mood

reflective wry

Type

observational critical

When to use this quote

- stand‑up routines
- political satire
- media commentary

Key Concepts

satire social dynamics creative tension

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you preserve edge when you gain influence?
- Can power ever be funny?

A Different Perspective

Humor can become stale if the joker loses outsider status.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/)

## Related quotes

> [Animation is very similar to sketch comedy: you have a short amount of time to do something big and ridiculous and funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/animation-is-very-similar-to-sketch-comedy-you-have-a-short-amount-of/)

[Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/)

> [The Sneeze' is comedy - it's five short plays and it was Chekhov showing his comedic streak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/the-sneeze-is-comedy-it-s-five-short-plays-and-it-was-chekhov-showing/)

[Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/)

> [What begins with comedy ends with comedy... in my short view of the matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/what-begins-with-comedy-ends-with-comedy-in-my-short-view-of-the/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Warren Beatty took an interest in my career at one point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/warren-beatty-took-an-interest-in-my-career-at-one-point/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [One has to be fully committed to one's career. Otherwise, there's no point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lata-mangeshkar/one-has-to-be-fully-committed-to-one-s-career-otherwise-there-s-no/)

[Lata Mangeshkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lata-mangeshkar/)

> [A lot of people talked down about my career at some point, which makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-babel/a-lot-of-people-talked-down-about-my-career-at-some-point-which-makes/)

[Ryan Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-babel/)

> [I think at the age I'm at, it's really hard for a film career, and I'm at a point in my life where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayden-panettiere/i-think-at-the-age-i-m-at-it-s-really-hard-for-a-film-career-and-i-m/)

[Hayden Panettiere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayden-panettiere/)

> [I made a lot of big threes throughout my career, but it was the 3-point shot that allowed me to maneuver inside the paint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-miller/i-made-a-lot-of-big-threes-throughout-my-career-but-it-was-the-3/)

[Reggie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-miller/)

> [It would be nice if you have a hit. But I don't think it's necessary to continue with my career at this point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-summer/it-would-be-nice-if-you-have-a-hit-but-i-don-t-think-it-s-necessary/)

[Donna Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-summer/)

> [I don't want to look back on my career at some point and say, 'What a pity, I came close a few times, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ballack/i-don-t-want-to-look-back-on-my-career-at-some-point-and-say-what-a/)

[Michael Ballack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ballack/)

> [Never in my short career, I've never had that experience where I wasn't sure if I was acting or if it was real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-arterton/never-in-my-short-career-i-ve-never-had-that-experience-where-i-wasn/)

[Gemma Arterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-arterton/)

> [Then when I cut my hair short, my career tanked for about four years!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/then-when-i-cut-my-hair-short-my-career-tanked-for-about-four-years/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [It's a business and it's a short career. You need to get in, earn as much money as possible. Get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonjo-shelvey/it-s-a-business-and-it-s-a-short-career-you-need-to-get-in-earn-as/)

[Jonjo Shelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonjo-shelvey/)

> [If you lose a game of football that can't take over your whole life, otherwise I would have been sat in a house not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ramsdale/if-you-lose-a-game-of-football-that-can-t-take-over-your-whole-life/)

[Aaron Ramsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ramsdale/)

> [The whole object of the players' association is to try and make sure that any individual is able to capitalise on his ability, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-taylor/the-whole-object-of-the-players-association-is-to-try-and-make-sure/)

[Gordon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-taylor/)

## More by Tim Minchin

> [Because I'm on my own on stage and wear bare feet and look like a pixie, people always think I'm little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/because-i-m-on-my-own-on-stage-and-wear-bare-feet-and-look-like-a/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [Fight for what is true. What is true is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/fight-for-what-is-true-what-is-true-is-enough/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [Love without evidence is stalking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/love-without-evidence-is-stalking/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I spent thousands of thousands of hours playing the piano, and by thousands of hours, I mean playing in cover bands or wedding bands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-spent-thousands-of-thousands-of-hours-playing-the-piano-and-by/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [There's a lot of great, talented, passionate musical theatre practitioners and directors here. But it's very hard to suddenly start building great musicals in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/there-s-a-lot-of-great-talented-passionate-musical-theatre/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [You've got to teach yourself you can do your job no matter what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/you-ve-got-to-teach-yourself-you-can-do-your-job-no-matter-what/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I never thought I was going to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-never-thought-i-was-going-to-be-an-actor/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [Acting's just always been one of those things I've enjoyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/acting-s-just-always-been-one-of-those-things-i-ve-enjoyed/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I had terrible ear problems and asthma and allergies. I spent quite a bit of time in hospital up to the age of eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-had-terrible-ear-problems-and-asthma-and-allergies-i-spent-quite-a/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [Throughout history, every mystery ever solved has turned out to be NOT magic..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/throughout-history-every-mystery-ever-solved-has-turned-out-to-be-not/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [It's an incredibly exciting thing, this one meaningless life of yours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/it-s-an-incredibly-exciting-thing-this-one-meaningless-life-of-yours/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I want to be here for my family. I want to make stuff in Australia. I want to take what I've learned and contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-want-to-be-here-for-my-family-i-want-to-make-stuff-in-australia-i/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I'm the son of a surgeon and the grandson of a surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-m-the-son-of-a-surgeon-and-the-grandson-of-a-surgeon/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I don't like courting controversy because I don't like people not liking me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-don-t-like-courting-controversy-because-i-don-t-like-people-not/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

> [I've spent years on stage adjusting the timing of a line to infinitesimal degrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-ve-spent-years-on-stage-adjusting-the-timing-of-a-line-to/)

[Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

[Explore all 134 Tim Minchin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/)

## More Big quotes

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/)

[Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/)

[Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/)

> [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/)

[Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/)

> [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/)

[Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/)

> [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/)

[Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/)

> [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/)

[Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/)

Browse all 12,477 Big quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point where you are no longer a small thing punching up at targets; you are the big thing, and it's hard to write from that position.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tim Minchin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-you-get-to-a-point-where-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Big"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-you-get-to-a-point-where-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/tim-minchin-3287_big_comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-y_1785007.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Comedy is often a short career because you get to a point where you are no longer a small thing punching up…” — Tim Minchin",
                "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": "Tim Minchin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Comedy is often a short career...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-you-get-to-a-point-where-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/comedy-is-often-a-short-career-because-you-get-to-a-point-where-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
