Quotes about fun
page 9

Roger Manganelli photo
Burt Rutan photo
Roger Manganelli photo
Rudyard Kipling photo

“I've taken my fun where I've found it;
I've rogued an' I've ranged in my time.”

The Ladies, Stanza I.
Barrack-Room Ballads (1892, 1896)

Bill Nye photo

“People like to grab stuff, hold things in their hands and make things happen. Children’s museums are ideal for these kinds of things. There’s nothing more fun, to me.”

Bill Nye (1955) American science educator, comedian, television host, actor, writer, scientist and former mechanical engineer

[NewsBank, Mark Bennett, Bill Nye still rocking science - TV personality making weekend appearance in town to help open Children's Museum, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Indiana, September 24, 2010]

Oliver Wendell Holmes photo
Karl Pilkington photo

“I'm just sayin', I don't like fun”

Karl Pilkington (1972) English television personality, social commentator, actor, author and former radio producer

The Podfather Trilogy, Episode 2 Thanksgiving
On Life

John Updike photo
Lawrence Taylor photo

“Let's go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs and have some fun.”

Lawrence Taylor (1959) All-American college football player, professional football player, linebacker, Pro Football Hall of Fame member
Ethan Hawke photo
Alison Lohman photo
Manny Ramirez photo
Will Cuppy photo

“The moral of the story of the Pilgrims is that if you work hard all your life and behave yourself every minute and take no time out for fun you will break practically even, if you can borrow enough money to pay your taxes.”

Will Cuppy (1884–1949) American writer

The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (1950), Part VI: Now We're Getting Somewhere, Miles Standish

“John Updike is always fun. And one of my former students, Tom Pynchon. I like to read Archie Ammons, my great friend. And Harold Bloom, another former student.”

M. H. Abrams (1912–2015) American literary theorist

On his reading preferences.
Cornell Chronicle interview (1999)

Sherilyn Fenn photo
Lauren Southern photo

“You can't make fun of anything anymore. Comedy is the last bastion of free speech. Let's try not to kill it.”

Lauren Southern (1995) Canadian libertarian commentator

3:58-4:04
2017 New Year's Resolutions for Millennials

Piper Laurie photo

“It was the most fun I ever had. I would just laugh between takes. It was fun to be so mean.”

Piper Laurie (1932) actress

About acting in Carrie. Theodore P. Mahne, "Actress Piper Laurie charms audience, interviewer at Tennessee Williams Festival" (25 March 2012), Times-Picayune at nola.com (New OrleansNet) http://www.nola.com/arts/index.ssf/2012/03/actress_piper_laurie_charms_au.html

“It's fun to watch butter on the hoof.”

Radio From Hell (April 19, 2006)

Will Cuppy photo

“Taking elephants across the Alps is not as much fun as it sounds. The Alps are difficult enough when alone, and elephants are peculiarly fitted for not crossing them.”

Will Cuppy (1884–1949) American writer

The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (1950), Part II: Ancient Greeks and Worse, Hannibal

Neil Patrick Harris photo
Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“I want to deal with one or two of these mighty precious values that we've left behind, that if we're to go forward and to make this a better world, we must rediscover. The first is this—the first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws. I'm not so sure we all believe that. We never doubt that there are physical laws of the universe that we must obey. We never doubt that. And so we just don't jump out of airplanes or jump off of high buildings for the fun of it—we don't do that. Because we unconsciously know that there is a final law of gravitation, and if you disobey it you'll suffer the consequences—we know that. Even if we don't know it in its Newtonian formulation, we know it intuitively, and so we just don't jump off the highest building in Detroit for the fun of it—we don't do that. Because we know that there is a law of gravitation which is final in the universe. (Lord) If we disobey it we'll suffer the consequences. But I'm not so sure if we know that there are moral laws just as abiding as the physical law. I'm not so sure about that. I'm not so sure if we really believe that there is a law of love in this universe, and that if you disobey it you'll suffer the consequences.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement

1950s, Rediscovering Lost Values (1954)

Daniel Handler photo
Leonard Nimoy photo

“I’m much more emotional than Mr. Spock. Spock rarely betrays what he is thinking or feeling. He’s fun to portray. But I hope I won’t explode one of these days.”

Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015) American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer

"Leonard Nimoy's Confessions About His Emotions", TV And Movie Play magazine (1967)

Chris Cornell photo

“They were [my] friends. Those guys were like The Monkees. They lived in this house all together… no joke, the whole band all together in the same house, and they were really fun. They were really young guys and they lived the real Rock life. Of course it all went horribly wrong later, but they were great.”

Chris Cornell (1964–2017) American singer-songwriter, musician

When asked about Alice in Chains - Howard Stern Show, June 2007 ** Chris Cornell on Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQzyZfhutYk,
Solo career Era

Hakeem Olajuwon photo

“I respect a lot of players in this league. But to me basketball is just a little aspect of my life. I enjoy the game because it's fun. But it is a game.”

Hakeem Olajuwon (1963) Nigerian–American basketball player

Slam dunk - interview with basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon - Interview, Feb, 1994 by Spike Lee.
Sourced Quotes

Rush Limbaugh photo

“It's sort of like hazing, a fraternity prank. Sort of like that kind of fun.”

Rush Limbaugh (1951) U.S. radio talk show host, Commentator, author, and television personality

Stated about abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib by United States soldiers (May 3-4, 2004), quoted in — [Hunt, Jim, They Said What?: Astonishing Quotes on American Democracy, Power, and Dissent, Polipoint Press, 2009, 196, 23398015M, 9780981709161, 0981709168, 2009023037, 313653904, [JK31.H88 2009]]

Nathan Lane photo
Eric S. Raymond photo
Jesse Ventura photo
Dave Barry photo
Camille Paglia photo

“When I meet gay men anywhere in the world, there is a spontaneity and a spirit of fun and mischief that lesbians seem incapable of.”

Camille Paglia (1947) American writer

Source: Vamps and Tramps (1994), "No Law in the Arena: A Pagan Theory of Sexuality", p. 78

Jeremy Clarkson photo
Sherilyn Fenn photo

“They’ve offered me every variation on Audrey Horne, none of which were as good or as much fun.”

Sherilyn Fenn (1965) American actress

Sherilyn Fenn, quoted in "Fenn de Siècle", by Joshua Mooney. Movieline (USA). July 1993. p. 36-40, 80-82.
on being typecast after starring as Audrey Horne in Twin Peaks.

Heidi Klum photo
Esther Williams photo
Babe Ruth photo

“I'll promise to go easier on drinking and to get to bed earlier, but not for you, fifty thousand dollars, or two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars will I give up women. They're too much fun.”

Babe Ruth (1895–1948) American baseball player

As quoted in The Business of Baseball (2003) by Albert Theodore Powers, p. 61

Gloria Estefan photo
Brandon Boyd photo
Christopher Hitchens photo
Laura Dern photo
Liam Hemsworth photo

“Jennifer Lawrence is an incredible person and the most unpredictable person you will ever meet. You never know what she's going to say and why she's saying it. She's extremely fun to work with her and obviously perfect for Katniss.”

Liam Hemsworth (1990) Australian actor

On working with Lawrence on The Hunger Games. — [Davia L. Mosley, 'The Hunger Games' exclusive Cast members share highlights, behind-the-scenes action, Marietta Daily Journal, Georgia, United States, March 13, 2012]

Thomas Merton photo
Donald Barthelme photo
Robert Smith (musician) photo
Aaron Judge photo

“It was fun. It was fun coming to the ballpark and competing with these guys. If we were down, if we were up, it didn’t matter. We were always having fun. It was a joy.”

Aaron Judge (1992) American baseball player

quoted by Newsday https://www.newsday.com/sports/aaron-judge-makes-spectacular-catch-but-falls-short-at-the-plate-in-yankees-game-7-loss-1.14574441

Ted Ginn, Jr. photo

“In order to be the go-to guy, you must have everything right. You have to be on point with your routes and catch the ball no matter where the quarterback puts it. You just have to have confidence. I'm rolling, and I want to go out and have fun.”

Ted Ginn, Jr. (1985) American football wide receiver, kick returner

[Carlton, Chuck, Ohio State's Ginn ready to be go-to guy, Dallas Morning News, 2006-09-08, 2007-01-23]

Rick Perry photo

“It's a good issue to keep alive. It's fun to poke at him.”

Rick Perry (1950) 14th and current United States Secretary of Energy

2011

Isaac Asimov photo

“Science Digest asked me to see the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind and write an article for them on the science it contained. I saw the picture and was appalled. I remained appalled even after a doctor’s examination had assured me that no internal organs had been shaken loose by its ridiculous soundwaves. (If you can’t be good, be loud, some say, and Close Encounters was very loud.) … Hollywood must deal with large audiences, most of whom are utterly unfamiliar with good science fiction. It has to bend to them, meet them at least half-way. Fully appreciating that, I could enjoy Planet of the Apes and Star Wars. Star Wars was entertainment for the masses and did not try to be anything more. Leave your sophistication at the door, get into the spirit, and you can have a fun ride. … Seeing a rotten picture for the special effects is like eating a tough steak for the smothered onions, or reading a bad book for the dirty parts. Optical wizardry is something a movie can do that a book can’t but it is no substitute for a story, for logic, for meaning. It is ornamentation, not substance. In fact, whenever a science fiction picture is praised overeffusively for its special effects, I know it’s a bad picture. Is that all they can find to talk about?”

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …

"Editorial: The Reluctant Critic", in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 6, (12 November 1978) https://archive.org/stream/Asimovs_v02n06_1978-11-12/<!-- Asimovs_v02n06_1978-11-12_djvu.txt -->
General sources

Katherine Harris photo

“I'm actually very sensitive about those things, and it's personally painful…You know, whenever they made fun of my makeup, it was because the newspapers colorized my photograph.”

Katherine Harris (1957) U.S. politician

On Sean Hannity's talk radio program, August 1, 2005, responding to Hannity asking Harris whether the jokes bothered her.

Edward Condon photo
Will Arnett photo

“(on Blades of Glory) Playing the assholes in the movie is fun.”

Will Arnett (1970) Canadian actor

"Interview:Will Arnett and Amy Poehler," CHUD.com (March 29, 2007) http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=interviews&id=9525
2007

Kurt Schwitters photo
Elyse Knox photo
Russell L. Ackoff photo
Paul Simon photo

“Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones.
Looking for fun and Feelin' Groovy.”

Paul Simon (1941) American musician, songwriter and producer

The 59th Street Bridge Song
Song lyrics, Parsley (1966)

Bowe Bergdahl photo

“We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them.”

Bowe Bergdahl (1986) American soldier captured by the Taliban in 2009 and released in 2014 as part of a prisoner swap

Last e-mail to parents (2009)

H.L. Mencken photo

“When I hear artists or authors making fun of business men, I think of a regiment in which the band makes fun of the cooks.”

H.L. Mencken (1880–1956) American journalist and writer

Reported in various works including Eugene C. Gerhart, Quote It Completely!: World Reference Guide to More Than 5,500 Memorable Quotes from Law and Literature (1998), p. 113, which cites the quote to MENCKEN, HL, A New Dictionary of Quotations, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957, p. 134. However, the authorship of the quote does not lie with any work original to Mencken, and was previously reported as an anonymous quote.
Misattributed

Jerome Corsi photo
James Thurber photo

“The dog has got more fun out of Man than Man has got out of the dog, for the clearly demonstrable reason that Man is the more laughable of the two animals.”

James Thurber (1894–1961) American cartoonist, author, journalist, playwright

"An Introduction", The Fireside Book of Dog Stories (Simon and Schuster, 1943); reprinted in Thurber's Dogs (1955)
From other writings

Katie Melua photo
Heath Ledger photo

“I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices — it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath — someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts … just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown …. [being given] free rein [by director Christopher Nolan was] fun, because there are no real boundaries to what The Joker would say or do. Nothing intimidates him, and everything is a big joke.”

Heath Ledger (1979–2008) Australian actor

Interview remarks published in Empire, from interviews conducted in November 2007.
[Dan Jolin, Fear Has a Face, http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/covers/image.asp?id=24227&gallery=1365&caption=%23223%20%28January%202008%29, Empire, 223, January, 2008, 87–88, Bauer Verlagsgruppe, 2008-07-08]
[Dan Jolin, The Dark Knight, http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/covers/image.asp?id=27819&gallery=1365&caption=%23229+%28July+2008%29, Empire, 229, July, 2008, 92–100, Bauer Verlagsgruppe, 2008-08-18]
[Olly Richards, World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks: He's a Cold-blooded Mass-murdering Clown, http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?nid=21560, Empire, Web, Bauer Verlagsgruppe, November 28, 2007, 2008-08-18]

Warren Farrell photo
Natalie Portman photo

“Fun without sell gets nowhere, but sell without fun tends to become obnoxious.”

Leo Burnett (1891–1971) American advertising executive

Communications of an Advertising Man (1961)

Paul Krugman photo
Anton Mauve photo

“Come on, don't wait, come! Or don't you like to roll into the lush grass? I really would like to be completely a cow, to feel in that way the childish fun that such a beast gets when it is running about in the pasture and makes all that kind of silly jumps with its tail high in the air.”

Anton Mauve (1838–1888) Dutch painter (1838–1888)

translation from original Dutch, Fons Heijnsbroek, 2018
(version in original Dutch / origineel citaat van Anton Mauve, uit zijn brief:) Toe kerel, laat je niet wachten, kom hier. Of heb je er geen behoefte aan eens te rollen in het welige gras? Wat zou ik graag eens helemaal koe wezen om zoo recht eens dat kinderlijke plezier te voelen, dat zoo'n beest heeft as het in de wei rondholt en met de staart in den hoogte allerlei malle sprongen doet..
In a letter to Willem Maris, c. 1860's; from: 'Brieven van Anton Mauve aan Willem Maris'- microfiche, RKD Mauve Archive, The Hague
1860's

“I am individual, stylish, mad and a lot of fun to be with.”

Deepak Perwani (1973) Pakistani fashion designer

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2257395/Interview-with-Deepak-Perwani

Adam Goldstein photo
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall photo

“English students don't spend much time on their studies. They're more interested in partying and having fun.”

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (1947) second wife of Prince Charles

The Duchess of Cornwall compares hardworking Pakistani students to the National Union of Students, October 2006.
Guardian, 5 Nov 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2006/nov/05/7days.observermain

William Glasser photo
Ginger Stanley photo
Jonathan Franzen photo
Neil deGrasse Tyson photo
Shreya Ghoshal photo
Edgar Wilson Nye photo
Noam Chomsky photo

“…evidence-based approach, the U. S. negotiators argued, is interference with free markets, because corporations must have the right to deceive. […] The claim itself is kind of amusing, I mean, even if you believe the free market rhetoric for a moment. The main purpose of advertising is to undermine markets. If you go to graduate school and you take a course in economics, you learn that markets are systems in which informed consumers make rational choices. That's what's so wonderful about it. But that's the last thing that the state corporate system wants. It is spending huge sums to prevent that, which brings us back to the viability of American democracy. For many years, elections here, election campaigns, have been run by the public relations industry and each time it's with increasing sophistication. And quite naturally, the industry uses the same technique to sell candidates that it uses to sell toothpaste or lifestyle drugs. The point is to undermine markets by projecting imagery to delude and suppressing information, and similarly, to undermine democracy by the same method, projecting imagery to delude and suppressing information. The candidates are trained, carefully trained, to project a certain image. Intellectuals like to make fun of George Bush's use of phrases like “misunderestimate,” and so on, but my strong suspicion is that he's trained to do that. He's carefully trained to efface the fact that he's a spoiled frat boy from Yale, and to look like a Texas roughneck kind of ordinary guy just like you, just waiting to get back to the ranch that they created for him…”

Noam Chomsky (1928) american linguist, philosopher and activist

25th anniversary of the International Relations Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 26, 2005
Quotes 2000s, 2005

Jay Leno photo

“Welcome back! If you're wondering where our good friend -- Kevin Eubanks couldn't be here. Kevin is on tour. He's in France right now. He called me today and he's over there and he wouldn't be back until next week. So if you're wondering where Kevin Eubanks is, he's with us in spirit certainly.
Okay. Boy, this is the hard part. I want to thank you, the audience. You folks have been just incredibly loyal. (emotionally) This is tricky. (laughs) We wouldn't be on the air without you people. Secondly, this has been the greatest 22 years of my life. (applause)
I am the luckiest guy in the world. I got to meet presidents, astronauts, movie stars, it's just been incredible. I got to work with lighting people who made me look better than I really am. I got to work with audio people who made me sound better than I really do. (voice breaking) And I got to work with producers! And writers! (choked pause) And just all kinds of talented people who make me look a lot smarter than I really am.
I'll tell you something. First year of this show, I lost my mom. Second year, I lost my dad. Then my brother died. And after that, I was pretty much out of family. And the folks here became my family. Consequently, when they went through rough times, I tried to be there for them. The last time we left the show, you might remember we had the 64 children that were born among all our staffers that married. That was a great moment.
And when people say to me, hey why don't you go to ABC? Why don't you go to FOX? Why don't you go…? I didn't know anybody over there. These are the only people I have ever known. I'm also proud to say this is a a union show. And I have never worked (applause) -- I have never worked with a more professional group of people in my life. They get paid good money and they do a good job.
And when the guys and women on this show would show me the new car they bought or the house up the street here in Burbank that one of the guys got, I felt I played a bigger role in their success as they played in mine. That was just a great feeling.
And I'm really excited for Jimmy Fallon. You know, it's fun to kind of be the old guy and sit back here and see where the next generation takes this great institution, and it really is. It's been a great institution for 60 years. I am so glad I got to be a part of it, but it really is time to go, hand it off to the next guy; it really is.
And in closing, I want to quote Johnny Carson, who was the greatest guy to ever do this job. And he said, I bid you all a heartfelt good night. Now that I brought the room down, hey, Garth, have you got anything to liven this party up? Give it a shot! Garth Brooks!”

Jay Leno (1950) American comedian, actor, writer, producer, voice actor and television host

Farewell speech, February 6, 2014
The Tonight Show

Sinclair Lewis photo
Jesper Kyd photo

“I am interested in music that, while being experimental, is still great and fun to listen to.”

Jesper Kyd (1972) musician

Teamxbox, Audiophile interview, 2003

Marc Maron photo

“I don't want to offend people right out of the gate. I know that some of you believe and I certainly don’t want to mock the myths that define some of you, but um. I choose not to believe in god. That's ok still, i can do that, right? It's my choice to go through life filled with dread, panic and fear... because I think that's a more objective and real way to live. Just be like…"Aaaaahh' what's gonna happen?!" I think that's needed, honestly. And again I don't want to make fun of what you believe in. I think the reason Jesus is so popular, just on a celebrity level, is that he died at the peak of his career, ok. He was…hear me out…. he was young, he was hot. He was well spoken from all accounts. I really think it would have been different had he lived longer, alright. Say had he gotten old enough to get bitter. Alright, just hear me out. Picture there's a third testament to the bible' alright. This point Jesus is in his 50's. He's got one apostle left. And the book opens with him knee deep in water saying, "I used to be able to do this!" The apostle's saying, "Come on…don't yell at the water, Jesus. Come on in. It's not your day, buddy. Come on. People are gathering for the wrong reason. Can we just go, please. Let's go to the deli…we'll have a sandwich. We'll try again tomorrow. Come on, yes you are god, come on. And again, you know, if you're a religious person, I understand why you believe. It makes you feel better, you know. But a lot of us do not have the patience or disposition to have faith or belief. Thank god there's medication for those people because if you're properly medicated, it will provide roughly the same effect as religion, you know. If you're on the right combination of anti-depressants, it will alleviate your ability to see the truth clearly and provide a false sense of hope.”

Marc Maron (1963) Comedian

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/zt2b7c/comedy-central-presents-faith-medication
Comedy Central Presents (2007)

David Boreanaz photo

“It's just a television show, we have fun with it and try to make each other crack up.”

David Boreanaz (1969) American actor, famous for Angel and Buffy

BBC interview

Cesare Pavese photo

“We must never say, even in fun, that we are disheartened, because someone might take us at our word.”

Cesare Pavese (1908–1950) Italian poet, novelist, literary critic, and translator

This Business of Living (1935-1950)

Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland photo

“It was so much fun the other day. Dad took out all of our old toys that he found in the old barn. Now Estelle is playing with the old stuff and she loves it.”

royalcorrespondent.com interview http://royalcorrespondent.com/2013/07/15/we-really-are-a-team-says-princess-madeleine-in-a-new-interview/

Pricasso photo

“I'm excited to be part of [Sexpo 2011]. Everyone has sex, it's meant to be fun.”

Pricasso (1949) Australian painter

[Daily News staff, Daily News, South Africa, Portraiture painful for penile artist, 24 August 2011, 2, Independent Online]

Laurie Penny photo
Prince photo
Halle Berry photo
Maddox photo

“u know what? i thought about it and ive decided that your right, i shouldnt make fun of people who get fast cars. please accept my apology………….. psych! yeah right homo.”

Maddox (1978) American internet writer

hate mail. (April Fools 2004) http://maddox.xmission.com/hatemail.cgi?p=af.
The Best Page in the Universe, April Fools