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Gilda Radner

Gilda Radner Quotes

Comedian

Gilda Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live (SNL). She created iconic characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna and Emily Litella, becoming a trailblazer for women in comedy. Her unique blend of physical humor, sharp wit, and vulnerability made her a beloved figure in 1970s television. Radner also starred in films and wrote the bestselling memoir It's Always Something, detailing her battle with ovarian cancer. She passed away at age 42, but her legacy continues to inspire comedians worldwide.

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All Cancer Ambiguity Ifs Laughing Life Stories Thinking Beginning Middle And End Beginnings And Endings Beginnings And Ends

Famous Gilda Radner Quotes

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”

Life Stories Uncertainty Ambiguity Unpredictability

Author:Gilda Radner

“The more I protested about this ambiguity, the more Joanna pointed out to me that it was both a terrible and wonderful part of life: terrible because you can't count on anything for sure—like certain good health and no possibility of cancer; wonderful because no human being knows when another is going to die—no doctor can absolutely predict the outcome of a disease. The only thing that is certain is change. Joanna calls all of this 'delicious ambiguity.' 'Couldn't there be comfort and freedom in no one knowing the outcome of anything and all things being possible?' she asked. Was I convinced? Not completely. I still wanted to believe in magic thinking. But I was intrigued.”

Honest Possibilities Intriguing Ambiguous

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“It's like my father always said to me, he said to me, he said, Roseanna Roseanadana, it's always something. If it isn't one thing--it's another! It's always something.”

Ifs Said Father One Thing

Author:Gilda Radner

“Show business is like riding a bicycle - when you fall off, the best thing to do is get up, brush yourself off and get back on again.”

Shows Fall Actors Get Up Best Things Things To Do Get Back Riding Brushes Show Business Bicycle Riding A Bicycle

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“You cannot live in Los Angeles for any period of time without eventually trying to write a screenplay. It's like a flu bug that you catch ... Even the plumber has a screenplay in his truck.”

Writing Trying Periods Hollywood Los Angeles Bugs Truck Flu Screenplays Plumber

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“It is so hard for us little human beings to accept this deal that we get. It's really crazy, isn't it? We get to live, then we have to die. ... What spirit human beings have! It is a pretty cheesy deal - all the pleasures of life, and then death.”

Humans Littles Hard Spirit Dies Human Beings Pleasure Deals Accepting Crazy Life And Death Life Death Cheesy Pleasures Of Life

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“What we put into every moment is all we have. You can drug yourself to death or you can smoke yourself to death or eat yourself to death, or you can do everything right and be healthy and then get hit by a car. Life is so great, such a neat thing, and yet all during it we have to face death, which can make you nuts and depressed.”

Moments Faces Life Is Can Do Car Healthy Drug Smoke Life And Death Nuts Neat

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“[Roseanne Roseannadanna line:] It's always something.”

Author:Gilda Radner

“[Emily Litella line:] Never mind.”

Mind Lines Emily

Author:Gilda Radner

“... every time I got disappointed I'd remember the Roseannadanna philosophy that says that you shouldn't cry over split milk 'cause if you spill some milk and instead of cleaning it up you just walk over it and start crying, they're gonna put you on lithium.”

Ifs Philosophy Remember Causes Walks Cry Over It Disappointed Milk Splits Cleaning Spills Lithium

Author:Gilda Radner

“Humor is just truth, only faster!”

Author:Gilda Radner

“I would rather be funny than gorgeous, absolutely. Because it's too hard to be gorgeous, you know. I could make a stab at gorgeous as long as I had something funny to say to get out of it.”

Knows Long Hard Gorgeous

Author:Gilda Radner

“I have always found men who were funny, irresistible. It's rare that I ever based love on looks or superficial things, but it a guy made me laugh-and that didn't mean he had to be in comedy professionally - I was hooked.”

Men Looks Mean Made Guy Found Laughing Comedy Superficial Irresistible Hooked Superficial Things

Author:Gilda Radner

“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.”

Source: It's Always Something

“The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity. No matter what happens, whether the cancer never flares up again or whether you die, the important thing is that the days that you have had you will have lived.”

“While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness.”

Life Seems Death Spirit Dies Challenges Creativity Tragedy Live Life Glorious Uniqueness Gifts Of Life Tragedy And Comedy

Author:Gilda Radner

“I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.”

Fashion Style Taste Witty Life And Love Funny Inspirational Modern Life Fashionable Itching

Author:Gilda Radner

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end.”

Source: It's Always Something

“I'd much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they're the first to be rescued off sinking ships.”

Men Firsts Funny Women Cry Clothes Ships Cute Rescue Weeping Sinking Being Smart Funny Women Smart Women Funny Strong Women

Author:Gilda Radner

“I can always be distracted by love, but eventually I get horny for my creativity.”

Love I Can Creativity Ignorance Distracted Horny

Author:Gilda Radner

“I think clothes should make you feel safe. I like clothes you want to go to sleep in. I sometimes stand in front of a mirror and change a million times because I know I really want to wear my nightgown.”

Thinking Knows Want Feels Should Sometimes Sleep Millions Fronts Safe Clothes Mirrors Going To Sleep

Author:Gilda Radner

“Having cancer gave me membership in an elite club I'd rather not belong to.”

Cancer Clubs Elites Membership

Author:Gilda Radner

“Adopted kids are such a pain - you have to teach them how to look like you.”

Looks Kids Pain Teach Like You Adopted

Author:Gilda Radner

“Dreams are like paper, they tear so easily.”

Dream Tears Paper

Author:Gilda Radner

“There is no real security except for whatever you build inside yourself.”

Author:Gilda Radner

“Comedy is very controlling - you are making people laugh.”

People Laughing Comedy Making People Laugh

Author:Gilda Radner

“I would say that Lucy, 'I Love Lucy,' she was my idol.”

Author:Gilda Radner

“You feel completely in control when you hear a wave of laughter coming back at you that you have caused.”

Feels Happiness Joy Laughter Wave Coming Back

Author:Gilda Radner

“It's always something”

Uplifting Clutter

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”

Source: It's Always Something

“Cancer is probably the most unfunny thing in the world, but I'm a comedian, and even cancer couldn't stop me from seeing the humor in what I went through.”

World Happiness Joy Laughing Seeing Laughter Cancer Comedian

Author:Gilda Radner

“[Motherhood is] the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It's huge and scary-it's an act of infinite optimism.”

World Inspiration Mother Force Huge Mom Optimism Infinite Scary Motherhood Glorious Gamble Happy Mothers Day Best Mother Working Mom Glorious Life

Author:Gilda Radner

“It's such an act of optimism to get through a day and enjoy it and laugh and do all that without thinking about death. What spirit human beings have!”

Thinking Humans Spirit Enjoy Human Beings Laughing Optimism Optimistic

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“Motherhood . . . is an act of infinite optimism.”

Inspirational Optimism Infinite Motherhood

Author:Gilda Radner

“I've learned what I can control is whether I am going to live a day in fear and depression and panic, or whether I am going to attack the day and make it as good a day, as wonderful a day, as I can.”

I Can Wonderful I've Learned Panic

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“Fame changes a lot of things, but it can't change a light bulb.”

Light Fame Can't Change Bulbs Light Bulb

Author:Gilda Radner

“My life had made me funny, and cancer wasn't going to change that.”

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“Cancer changes your life, often for the better. You learn what's important, you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You tell people you love them. My friend Gilda Radner used to say, 'If it wasn't for the downside, having cancer would be the best thing and everyone would want it.' That's true. If it wasn't for the downside.”

People Ifs Want Important Would Be Used Waste My Friends Cancer Best Things Being The Best Changing Your Life What's Important Prioritize People With Cancer

Author:Gilda Radner

“I love being a woman. You can cry. You get to wear pants now. If you're on a boat and it's going to sink, you get to go on the rescue boat first. You get to wear cute clothes. It must be a great thing, or so many men wouldn't be wanting to do it.”

Ifs Men Firsts Women Love Is Cry Goes On Clothes Great Things Boat Cute Pants Rescue Being A Woman

Author:Gilda Radner

“There are those who open their hearts to others...who never think twice about giving of themselves. They are the wonderful warmhearted people who make all the difference in our lives.”

People Thinking Giving Heart Differences Our Lives Wonderful Think Twice

Author:Gilda Radner

“... I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Suddenly I had to spend all my time getting well.”

Wells Cancer Illness My Time Get Well Ovarian Cancer

Book:It's Always Something

Source: It's Always Something

“I grew up in front of a television. I guess I'll grow old inside of one.”

Grows Fronts Television Grew Grew Up

Author:Gilda Radner

“I'm not really an impersonator.”

Author:Gilda Radner

“Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end.”

Source: It's Always Something

About the Author

Born: June 28, 1946
Died: May 20, 1989
Known for: Comedian
Quotes: 44

Related Topics

Cancer Ambiguity Ifs Laughing Life Stories Thinking Beginning Middle And End Beginnings And Endings Beginnings And Ends

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

It's Always SomethingRelated source material

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