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Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais Quotes

Comedian

Ricky Gervais is a British comedian, screenwriter, and director known for his distinctive humor style and satirical wit. He is best known for his work on 'The Office' and 'The Big Bang Theory'. Born on June 25, 1961, Gervais began his career in the 1980s and gained widespread recognition in the 1990s with the success of 'The Office'.

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Famous Ricky Gervais Quotes

“I don't live by "The Rules" you know, and if there's one person who has influenced me in that way of thinking, someone who is a maverick, someone who does 'that' to the system then it's Ian Botham.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Way Persons Doe Live By Way Of Thinking Maverick Thinking Someone

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think Hollywood's gotten more reactionary and conservative over the years, because there's no longer art in Hollywood. Art suffers in Hollywood.”

Thinking Years Art Suffering Hollywood Conservative Reactionaries

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think comedy has to be an intellectual pursuit. It comes down to logic and analysis. As soon as it becomes emotional, it's not comedy anymore.”

Thinking Comedy Emotional Intellectual Logic Pursuit Analysis

Author:Ricky Gervais

“The most important thing in comedy - apart from empathy, which I think is important even if disguised - is surprise. I like surprising people with the fact that something's even a joke at all.”

People Ifs Thinking Important Facts Comedy Empathy Jokes Important Things Surprise Surprising

Author:Ricky Gervais

“It's quite easy to make a load of people laugh, it's often a reflex action, but I think to make them cry is harder without manipulating them.”

People Thinking Action Easy Laughing Cry Harder Load Reflexes

Author:Ricky Gervais

“People think that it's fun to meet celebrities - but what do you mean by "celebrity"? Someone you recognise? What are they famous for? It's people who've done something that are exciting.”

People Thinking Mean Done Fun Exciting Recognise

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think the social faux par is probably what most people fear... more people fear public speaking than death and that's because we don't want to make a fool of ourselves. It's fundamental.”

People Thinking Want Social Fool Fundamentals Public Speaking Faux

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think doing something creative is the most important thing to me, and I think it's probably just good for the soul for anyone, whatever it is. You don't have to be a film director - you can do gardening or something - but I think everyone needs to create something.”

Thinking Needs Important Soul Film Can Do Creative Directors Important Things Gardening Film Directors

Author:Ricky Gervais

“We only do what we think is good and what we're happy with. I do that in stand-up, I even do it with my children's books. I don't do market research, I don't have focus groups, I don't care. I don't care if it fails, honestly. I'd rather have something that's completely mine fail than something succeed that I'm not proud of.”

Ifs Thinking Children Book Care Focus Failing Groups Mines Proud Succeed Research Don't Care Honestly I Don't Care My Children Children's Books Market Research Focus Groups

Author:Ricky Gervais

“For every wacky postcard, there's a million people waiting to buy it, and for every $10 million of those things, there's one Rembrandt. Purposely, I think I want to aim at doing something that a lot of people won't like. I'm just worried that it looks like I've compared my work with Rembrandt. "Gervais says he's better than Rembrandt!".”

People Thinking Want Looks Waiting Millions Aim Worried Wacky Postcards

Author:Ricky Gervais

“Most people sitting at home aren't cool, successful, witty Hollywood stars, but they all worry about what people think of them when they faux pas.”

People Thinking Home Stars Worry Successful Sitting Hollywood Witty Faux Hollywood Stars Faux Pas

Author:Ricky Gervais

“When you think of things like The Sopranos, The Wire, Damages, they are beating film on a regular basis. Most films are terrible. It's only the 2% that are good. There's things you can do on TV which you can't do on film. There is something about those episodic, serialisations that are grand and operatic.”

Thinking Film Can Do Tvs Terrible Bases Damage Wire Sopranos

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think the job of a comedian is to make people laugh, but also challenge them to laugh at things they didn't know they could until now.”

People Thinking Knows Jobs Challenges Laughing Comedian Making People Laugh

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I never think of myself as a celebrity - or even an actor, actually. I think of myself as a writer-director.”

Thinking Actors Directors

Author:Ricky Gervais

“Sometimes I'll be confident and go into a shop and say, "Hello, yeah, all right," and then the next day, if someone looks at me or talks to me, I just don't know what to do. If you're walking down the street with a baseball cap, you might be fine. But if you're in a pub and you see someone look at you, you think the worst thing in the world now is if they come over. It's a really weird feeling.”

“I think everyone has the ability to be loved.”

Thinking Ability

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think sometimes you get given a good pile of goodwill, and it's whether you use it up in the first six months or spread it out over a career.”

Thinking Firsts Sometimes Use Given Careers Months Six Spread Six Months Goodwill

Author:Ricky Gervais

“Comedy and drama are different sides of the same coin. And the thing about comedy and drama is about likability. It's about character first. It's about story. And for me, it's about empathy, and I think the realer someone is, the further you can go either way with them.”

Thinking Way Firsts Different Character Stories Sides Comedy Drama Empathy Coins Different Sides

Author:Ricky Gervais

“Being an atheist makes someone a clearer thinking, fairer person. They [atheists] are not doing things to be rewarded in heaven; they're doing things because they're right, because they live by a moral code.”

Thinking Persons Heaven Moral Atheist Code Live By Moral Code

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think what makes us human is those choices - whether to tell the truth or not.”

Thinking Humans Choices Telling The Truth

Author:Ricky Gervais

“You try to make characters you care about, and I think realism helps. Even though this is a high concept, the characters have got to be real.”

Thinking Trying Real Character Helping Care Concepts Being Real Realism

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think that's the fundamental thing - you can go anywhere you like as long as you're following a character that the audience likes and understands.”

Thinking Long Character Audience Fundamentals Following Likes

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think, as a comedian, the funniest you can be is with people you know, and [whom] you've known for years, in a pub. That's as funny as you get, and so the aim [while stand-up] is to get that funny on stage with 5,000 strangers, to get that funny in a room where people shouldn't be listening but they are.”

People Thinking Knows Years Rooms Known Stage Listening Aim Stranger Comedian Pubs

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I remember one review of The Office Christmas Special that compared it unfavourably to Dickens. What? You're saying I'm not as good as the greatest storyteller ever. Boo! Boo! I think I can live with that.”

Thinking I Can Remember Special Office Reviews Storyteller Dickens Boo Boo

Author:Ricky Gervais

“People think "The Office" was improvised, but it's all on the page. We do that because what we found is that in the early days of "The Office," we went in with it sort of 80 percent scripted and we did some things and then we improv'd and we did - you know, and it gets a laugh on the floor because it's the first time they've heard it.”

People Thinking Knows Firsts Found Laughing Heard Office Pages Percent First Time Did You Know

Author:Ricky Gervais

“That's what being nervous and sort of out of your comfort zone does. It's the same in "The Office" when a black guy comes to the office and all he thinks is `I better show this guy I'm not a racist.' So what does he do? Only talks about black issues.”

Thinking Doe Shows Guy Black Issues Comfort Office Nervous Zone Racist Comfort Zone This Guy Black Guys

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I think the best advice I'd say to any actor when you do comedy is play it straight.”

Thinking Play Actors Comedy Advice Best Advice

Author:Ricky Gervais

“My greatest hero is Nelson Mandela. What a man. Incarcerated for 25 years, he was released in 1990 and he hasn't reoffended. I think he's going straight, which shows you prison does work.”

Thinking Men Years Doe Shows Hero Prison Nelson

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I've never worked out what the moral of Humpty Dumpty is. I can only think of: Don't sit on a wall, if you're an egg.”

Ifs Thinking I Can Funny Moral Wall Sitting Comedian Eggs Funny Jokes Humpty Dumpty

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I don't think it matters if there is a god or not. I've met people who believe in God that are good and that are bad. And I've met people who don't believe in God that are good and that are bad. So, just be good. I'm good. Not cos I think I'll go to heaven but because when I do something bad, I feel bad. And when I do something good, I feel good.”

People Ifs Thinking Feels Believe Matter Heaven Mets Don't Believe Be Good Feel Good Believe In God If There Is A God I Feel Good

Author:Ricky Gervais

“I don't think a comedian should even be concerned with being cool or sexy, as soon as you do, you aren't a comedian any more. Looks are still the most important thing for women when it comes to meeting a partner. And that's fair enough, but a sense of humour is really important too. For starters, it's a great indicator of whether you are going to get on. If the first time you go on a date you don't find each other funny, there's a fundamental problem.”

“I don't think humans are meant to be looked at when we're buying pants.”

Thinking Humans Fame Buying Meant To Be Pants

Author:Ricky Gervais

About the Author

Born: June 25, 1961
Known for: Comedian
Quotes: 238

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