Few people have had a more significant impact on the comedy world than Mel Brooks, whose hilarious movies, television shows, and musicals helped redefine the genre. The great funnyman kicked off his writing career in the 1950s on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows before joining the equally talented Carl Reiner to form one of the most hysterical comedy duos of all time.
In 1965, Brooks created the critically acclaimed spy parody Get Smart, further solidifying his reputation as a generational comedic voice. He later achieved true superstardom with the release of 1967’s The Producers, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He went on to produce several other legendary comedies, including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs, all of which are now almost universally considered to be among the funniest films of all time.
Brooks’ legacy has continued through recent decades: The Producers was adapted into a 2001 Broadway musical, which won several Tony Awards and was later turned into its own film. This propelled Brooks to achieve the rare EGOT status, making him one of only 19 people to win a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
In celebration of Brooks’ eternal comedic legacy, here are some of his funniest and wittiest personal quotes that we hope will bring a smile to your face and laughter to your life.
I’m not such a comedy giant. I’m 5’6”. There are guys not as funny, but they’re bigger. And I think that counts.
As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.
Hope for the best. Expect the worst. The world’s a stage. We’re unrehearsed.
I cut my finger. That’s tragedy. A man walks into an open sewer and dies. That’s comedy.
I was born on the kitchen table. We were so poor my mother couldn’t afford to have me; the lady next door gave birth to me.
Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.
Farts are a repressed minority. The mouth gets to say all kinds of things, but the other place is supposed to keep quiet. But maybe our lower colons have something interesting to say. Maybe we should listen to them.
How could this happen? I was so careful. I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast. Where did I go right?
Some critics are emotionally desiccated, personally about as attractive as a year-old peach in a single girl’s refrigerator.
If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.
Look, I don’t want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you’re alive you’ve got to flap your arms and legs, you’ve got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death.
Humor is just another defense against the universe.
If Shaw and Einstein couldn’t beat death, what chance have I got? Practically none.
Featured image credit: Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
