Denis Norden Quotes

I used to like writing for comedians - I enjoyed the challenge of making other people funny.

Denis Norden

• People
• Writing
• Funny
• Challenge

• Previous
• Next

Quotes to Explore

• At college, I wanted to be a poet. I liked the extremely concentrated language, the atmosphere of otherworldliness.

  

  Walter Kirn
  • College
  • Language
  • Poet

• You see, O Greeks! The enemy already acknowledge the country to be ours; for when they made peace with us, they stipulated that we should not burn the country belonging to the king, and now they set fire to it themselves, as if they looked upon it no longer as their own.

  

  Xenophon
  • Country
  • Peace
  • Fire

• Becoming a vampire means completely changing your identity.

  

  Park Chan-wook
  • Identity
  • Changing
  • Vampire

• I'm privileged to have had some success, but I've never forgotten what it was like to queue for a half-crown gallery seat for 'Oliver!' which is why I ensure that there are £20 day tickets for 'Miss Saigon' and that the balconies in my theatres are as comfortable as I can possibly make them.

  

  Cameron Mackintosh
  • Why
  • Success
  • Day

• I love Dr. Hauschka's blue mascara. It's not so blue that it's like, 'What's wrong with you?' It's more like a secret that you're wearing it.

  

  Lake Bell
  • Like
  • Secret
  • Wrong

• A democracy thrives on diversity. Tyranny oppresses it.

  

  Sam Brownback
  • Democracy
  • Diversity

• My youngest sister belonged to a group called the Twelve Tribes for many years. She recently left, with her husband and four children. Talking to her about her experiences in the group is fascinating, moving, and enlightening.

  

  Kate Christensen
  • Children
  • She
  • Moving

• The music field was the first to break down racial barriers, because in order to play together, you have to love the people you are playing with, and if you have any racial inhibitions, you wouldn't be able to do that.

  

  Oscar Peterson
  • People
  • Music
  • Love

• When I was a kid, there was so much talent outside of recorded music.

  

  Henry Saint Clair Fredericks
  • Music
  • Talent
  • Kid

• Some days, I feel like I should win Best Mom of the Day award, and some days, I find myself doing strange things that don't have any real purpose, in faraway corners in my house, and I realize I am literally and deliberately hiding from my children.

  

  Kate Hudson
  • Children
  • Real
  • House

• Human beings are natural mimickers. The more you're conscious of the other side's posture, mannerisms, and word choices - and the more you subtly reflect those back - the more accurate you'll be at taking their perspective.

  

  Dan Pink
  • Choices
  • Human
  • Perspective

• Everything is a narrative in life. I learned that early on as a reporter at the 'Washington Post.'

  

  Kara Swisher
  • Life
  • Everything
  • Early

• I was able to do well for myself, make a statement in the league. I had a heck of a time doing it, but at the end of the day, it's about me and my family and being comfortable and being fun.

  

  Calvin Johnson
  • Time
  • Family
  • Fun

• I saw Damien Rice in Dublin when I was 13, and that inspired me to want to pursue being a songwriter... I practised relentlessly and started recording my own EPs. At 16, I moved to London and played any gigs I could, selling CDs from my rucksack to fund recording the next, and it snowballed from there.

  

  Ed Sheeran
  • Want
  • Inspired
  • Played

• For me to be as effective as possible, I intend to sharpen those skills I need to successfully lead an organization that is growing in size and complexity with each passing year.

  

  Pamela Nicholson
  • Growing
  • Me
  • Organization

• In the '70s, my playing was completely untutored, but it sounded good to me, and I tried to find ways to make those very simple things work in more ambitious contexts.

  

  Walter Becker Steely Dan
  • Good
  • Work
  • Simple

• What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is.

  

  Dan Quayle
  • Mind
  • True
  • Lose

• It is never too late to get into tennis! While I started playing at the age of 8 when my parents gave me a tennis racquet for Christmas, tennis is a lifelong sport that can be enjoyed by people of almost any age. It's also something you never forget once you learn.

  

  Samantha Stosur
  • People
  • Age
  • Parents

• I'm in awe of the universe, but I don't necessarily believe there's an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for the visual in religious rituals, though, even though they may be completely empty and bereft of substance. The incense is powerful and provocative, whether Buddhist or Catholic.

  

  David Bowie
  • Believe
  • Passion
  • Powerful

• I think that my script, if it gets used, would be great. But if it doesn't, I think it inspired them.

  

  Rae Dawn Chong
  • Great
  • Think
  • Inspired

• My idea of putting the city on is giving inspiration to others to want to put themselves on. You should never depend on someone else to put you on. I used to do that, and it didn't get me anywhere.

  

  Bryson Tiller
  • City
  • Inspiration
  • Idea

• Having to go back and forth between school and filming would sometimes be frustrating because I loved school. It was my chance to be around other people my age. But when you're leaving school to go to a set that's filled with kids your age, then it's fine.

  

  Alexa Vega
  • People
  • School
  • Kids

• I find a way to convince people to come along with me. They want to be persuaded. When I sit in a room with you I'm going to sell you something whether you want it or not. At the end you'll say: 'I'm glad I bought that.'

  

  Jerry Weintraub
  • People

• I used to like writing for comedians - I enjoyed the challenge of making other people funny.

  

  Denis Norden
  • People
  • Writing
  • Funny