---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're comic. We're all comics. We live in…"
description: "\"We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.\" — William Gaddis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg"
---

#  We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time…

![“We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.” quote by William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg)

> “We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.”

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

## About This Quote

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

Society increasingly feels absurd, turning hardships into dark humor.

**In simple terms:** Hardships become comedic.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humor amid chaos.

Themes

absurdity humor societal critique

Mood

wry reflective

Type

satirical observational

When to use this quote

- political protest
- media overload
- personal crises

Key Concepts

postmodernism satire

Questions to Reflect On

- How does comedy help cope with crisis?
- When does satire become denial?

A Different Perspective

Humor can mask deeper pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-comics-2553149/) [Comic Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-time-793929/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Gets Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-comic-1779727/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I taught myself how to draw, and I soon found out it was what I really wanted to do. I didn't think I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/i-taught-myself-how-to-draw-and-i-soon-found-out-it-was-what-i-really/)

[Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/)

> [The experience of reading a comic should not be the time it takes to turn each page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/the-experience-of-reading-a-comic-should-not-be-the-time-it-takes-to/)

[Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/)

> [He sort of gets comic moments. Not a lot of directors do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcdonald/he-sort-of-gets-comic-moments-not-a-lot-of-directors-do/)

[Kevin McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcdonald/)

> [At the very core of what a comic is, time and space are kind of the same thing. When your reader moves her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-luen-yang/at-the-very-core-of-what-a-comic-is-time-and-space-are-kind-of-the/)

[Gene Luen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-luen-yang/)

> [I'm sort of killing two birds with one stone here, getting to write for 'True Blood' and being able to put myself in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcmillian/i-m-sort-of-killing-two-birds-with-one-stone-here-getting-to-write/)

[Michael McMillian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcmillian/)

> [Art uses many different styles, but his voice is very consistent. He's always concise and clever and funny. That's true of somebody like Chris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-mouly/art-uses-many-different-styles-but-his-voice-is-very-consistent-he-s/)

[Francoise Mouly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-mouly/)

> [The main way I start to allocate color is that it comes from the comics. That's where it all starts from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-byrne/the-main-way-i-start-to-allocate-color-is-that-it-comes-from-the/)

[Alexandra Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-byrne/)

> [I stopped doing comics because I found the pressure really high to nail it every time. It's really difficult to be creative all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/i-stopped-doing-comics-because-i-found-the-pressure-really-high-to/)

[Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/)

> [I grew up with comics. Whether it be from the East or the West, I devoured them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ng-chin-han/i-grew-up-with-comics-whether-it-be-from-the-east-or-the-west-i/)

[Ng Chin Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ng-chin-han/)

> [I don't buy comics anymore, for the most part. I eat my lunch off of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/i-don-t-buy-comics-anymore-for-the-most-part-i-eat-my-lunch-off-of/)

[Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/)

> [I've been reading Ed Brubaker comics since the first appearance of Ed Brubaker comics and every single time he announces a new title I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/i-ve-been-reading-ed-brubaker-comics-since-the-first-appearance-of-ed/)

[Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/)

> [In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/in-their-heyday-comics-were-a-dominant-force-in-popular-culture-but/)

[Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/)

> [Comics seem to be cooking these days. It's like being a rock star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-spiegelman/comics-seem-to-be-cooking-these-days-it-s-like-being-a-rock-star/)

[Art Spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-spiegelman/)

> [When I was auditioning for 'Gotham,' I got a handful of comics from different decades, so I had a perspective - it's been around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-michael-smith/when-i-was-auditioning-for-gotham-i-got-a-handful-of-comics-from/)

[Cory Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-michael-smith/)

> [I enjoy the fact that we have these mobile comics now, which are sort of a cross between a comic book and an animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-enjoy-the-fact-that-we-have-these-mobile-comics-now-which-are-sort/)

[Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/)

## More by William Gaddis

> [“That after an hour's silence he can say, The one thing I cannot stand is dampness... That's all, it took him an hour to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/that-after-an-hour-s-silence-he-can-say-the-one-thing-i-cannot-stand/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“What is it they want from a man that they didn't get from his work? What do they expect? What is there left of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/what-is-it-they-want-from-a-man-that-they-didn-t-get-from-his-work/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“-We live in Rome, he says, turning his face to the room again, -Caligula's Rome, with a new circus of vulgar bestialized suffering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-live-in-rome-he-says-turning-his-face-to-the-room-again-caligula-s/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“It is a naked city. Faith is not pampered, nor hope encouraged; there is no place to lay one's exhaustion: but instead pinnacles skewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/it-is-a-naked-city-faith-is-not-pampered-nor-hope-encouraged-there-is/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“-And there's this twelve thousand dollars item for books. -That supposed to be twelve hundred, the twelve thousand is for paper. towels. Besides there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/and-there-s-this-twelve-thousand-dollars-item-for-books-that-supposed/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“There was the cell where Fr. Eulalio, a thriving lunatic of eighty-six who was castigating himself for unchristian pride at having all the vowels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/there-was-the-cell-where-fr-eulalio-a-thriving-lunatic-of-eighty-six/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/stupidity-is-the-deliberate-cultivation-of-ignorance/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“Venerable age had not, for him, arranged that derelict landscape against which it is privileged to sit and pick its nose, break wind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/venerable-age-had-not-for-him-arranged-that-derelict-landscape/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“They write for people who read with the surface of their minds, people with reading habits that make the smallest demands on them, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/they-write-for-people-who-read-with-the-surface-of-their-minds-people/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“Esther liked books out where everyone could see them, a sort of graphic index to the intricate labyrinth of her mind arrayed to impress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/esther-liked-books-out-where-everyone-could-see-them-a-sort-of/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“What greater comfort does time afford, than the objects of terror re-encountered, and their fraudulence exposed in the flash of reason?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/what-greater-comfort-does-time-afford-than-the-objects-of-terror-re/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“The function of this school is custodial. It’s here to keep these kids off the streets until the girls are big enough to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/the-function-of-this-school-is-custodial-it-s-here-to-keep-these-kids/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“where would Christianity be today if Jesus had been given ten to twenty with time off for good behavior”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/where-would-christianity-be-today-if-jesus-had-been-given-ten-to/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/i-see-the-player-piano-as-the-grandfather-of-the-computer-the/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

> [“The ship's surgeon was a spotty unshaven little man whose clothes, arrayed with smudges, drippings, and cigarette burns, were held about him by an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/the-ship-s-surgeon-was-a-spotty-unshaven-little-man-whose-clothes/)

[William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

[Explore all 87 William Gaddis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/)

## More Comic quotes

> [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/)

[Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/)

> [I always loved as a kid reading 'Spider-Man,' and the 'Fantastic Four' would show up... it was all about that larger universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-always-loved-as-a-kid-reading-spider-man-and-the-fantastic-four/)

[Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/)

> [One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-key-characteristics-of-the-comic-book-medium-is-that-it-is/)

[Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/)

> [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/)

[Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/)

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

> [If you look at Marvel Comics, there are very few Marvel characters I would like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-ennis/if-you-look-at-marvel-comics-there-are-very-few-marvel-characters-i/)

[Garth Ennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-ennis/)

> [The big problem for comic art is you don't want to overwork it. If a drawing is overworked it isn't funny. It's the spontaneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sorel/the-big-problem-for-comic-art-is-you-don-t-want-to-overwork-it-if-a/)

[Edward Sorel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sorel/)

> [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [Batman doesn't have any superpowers. He's not superhuman. He's not super. So therefore he can't be a superhero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/batman-doesn-t-have-any-superpowers-he-s-not-superhuman-he-s-not/)

[Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/)

> [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/)

[Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/)

> [I was really into the first 'Spider-Man' films with Tobey Maguire, so it's pretty cool how it all came full circle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-batalon/i-was-really-into-the-first-spider-man-films-with-tobey-maguire-so-it/)

[Jacob Batalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-batalon/)

> [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [I'll only diet for a Marvel movie. I will give up bacon and waffles to be Storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/i-ll-only-diet-for-a-marvel-movie-i-will-give-up-bacon-and-waffles-to/)

[Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

[Browse all 5,841 Comic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Gaddis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in-a-comic-time-and-the-worse-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in-a-comic-time-and-the-worse-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/william-gaddis-7794_comic_we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in_258390.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.” — William Gaddis",
                "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": "William Gaddis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We're comic. We're all comics. We...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in-a-comic-time-and-the-worse-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in-a-comic-time-and-the-worse-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
