Latest John Cleese Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• I wish you wusses would stop whining about your unhappiness. I'm really fed up with it. Pour yourself a scotch and pull yourself together. Go out and shoot something!

  John Cleese

  Wish, Together, Unhappiness

  Source: bigthink.com

• For those wondering how to deal with anxiety and depression, the first thing to consider is what you're putting into your mouth.

  John Cleese

  Anxiety, Wonder

  Source: bigthink.com

• I would like to do my own eulogy, and then shoot myself and then get in the coffin.

  John Cleese

  Eulogy

  Source: bigthink.com

• As Daniel Levitin writes, our brain is a "giant pattern detector." If we read something that coincides with what we already believe we're more likely to give it credence, while the opposite is not true.

  John Cleese

  Believe, Writing, Giving

  Source: bigthink.com

• This is the most important joke I've ever heard. Niels Bohr, the founder of Quantum Physics, had a friend to dinner. As the friend left, he noticed a horseshoe nailed above Bohr's front door. He said to Bohr, accusingly, "Niels, you're a great scientist. You can't believe in superstitions." Bohr answered, "I don't, but apparently it works anyway."As with confirmation bias, we tend to lean toward superstitions that benefit us.

  John Cleese

  Believe, Important, Physics

  Source: bigthink.com

• Bureaucrats shouldn't be in charge of comedy.

  John Cleese

  Comedy, Bureaucrats

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• The great thing about Florida is you - each city's about two hours' drive from everywhere else.

  John Cleese

  Florida, Cities, Two

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• A lot of humour is about just enjoying life and spontaneity and because you make a joke that puts somebody down - we're always teasing each other. It's with affection. It's nasty teasing that we - not all teasing; nasty teasing you cut out.

  John Cleese

  Cutting, Enjoy Life, Nasty

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• I don't want to hurt people.

  John Cleese

  Hurt, People, Want

  Source: www.abc.net.au

• Political correctness is a bit like a granny, a maiden aunt arriving at a party when everyone's having a good time. And she comes in, they all start sort of buttoning up and becoming self-conscious and behaving properly and then when she leaves, you can have fun again.

  John Cleese

  Fun, Party, Aunt

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• All humour is critical, you know? You make stupid jokes. I mean, stupidity is an infirmity, isn't it?

  John Cleese

  Stupid, Mean, Humour

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• I'm very odd 'cause I think there's more than just a materialist planet, a materialist, reductionist planet.

  John Cleese

  Thinking, Causes, Odd

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• My views are heretical to people who believe in political correctness.

  John Cleese

  Believe, Views, People

  "Interview: John Cleese and Eric Idle, founding members of Monty Python". Interview with Tony Jones, www.abc.net.au. February 18, 2016.

• If you want to know who your friends are, have a major failure.

  John Cleese

  Jail, Who Your Friends Are, Want

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• When people quote sketches to me, half the time I don't know what they're talking about so I have to sort of go, aha, yes, oh yep, I remember that and lie my way out of it.

  John Cleese

  Lying, Talking, People

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• The Americans are so much more positive. They are much more in love with success. In Britain, they're a fairly envious bunch, and they love it if you fail.

  John Cleese

  Failing, Envious, Britain

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• The Americans are just more enthusiastic and more likely to engage in hyperbole.

  John Cleese

  Enthusiastic, Hyperbole

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• The British fans are liable to suddenly be talking to you about something that you don't know how you got into the conversation. I think it's something to do with the fact that they've been watching you for so many years sort of you telling your story.

  John Cleese

  Thinking, Talking, Years

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• When you do comedy in front of an audience, they are the ones who tell you whether it's funny or not and which bits are funny and which bits need to be fixed.

  John Cleese

  Needs, Comedy, Fixed

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• I've always called myself a writer/performer, not an actor because I basically write what I perform.

  John Cleese

  Writing, Actors, Performers

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• The writing is the most important bit, and performing it is just closing the circle because I'm less likely to screw it up than anyone else.

  John Cleese

  Writing, Circles, Important

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• I think that I feel an indignation when I don't understand something.

  John Cleese

  Thinking, Feels, Indignation

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• Naturally, people's image is of a performer, but the reality of it is the writing for me has always been the most important thing and the most rewarding thing.

  John Cleese

  Writing, Reality, People

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• Other people, you know, put a latex rubber on, you know, to become sexually excited. There's so much I don't understand.

  John Cleese

  People, Rubber, Excited

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.

• I don't understand why very, very rich people want to have even more money than they've already got.

  John Cleese

  People, Want, Rich

  "Early On, Comedian John Cleese Says, He Had Good Timing But Little Else". "Fresh Air" with Dave Davies, www.npr.org. October 16, 2015.