Famous Humorous Quotes in English with Images

Here’s a list of famous humorous quotes, along with their meanings and examples to illustrate the humor!


1. "I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying." – Oscar Wilde

  • Meaning: Wilde humorously points out that sometimes people try to sound so smart that they end up confusing even themselves.

  • Example: Imagine someone explaining a complex theory and, in the process, realizing that they’ve confused themselves more than their audience. It’s a reminder that trying too hard to sound smart can backfire.


2. "People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day." – A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

  • Meaning: This quote turns the motivational phrase “nothing is impossible” on its head, suggesting that doing “nothing” is not only possible but enjoyable.

  • Example: If you’ve ever spent a lazy day lounging around, you’re proving that “doing nothing” is a perfectly achievable and satisfying goal!


3. "I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific." – Lily Tomlin

  • Meaning: Tomlin humorously reflects on the idea that we all want to “be somebody,” but it’s often unclear what that actually means.

  • Example: A student dreams of “making it big” but eventually ends up in a job they never expected. It’s a funny reminder that ambition without specifics can lead to unpredictable results.


4. "I find television very educational. Every time someone turns it on, I go in the other room and read a book." – Groucho Marx

  • Meaning: Groucho pokes fun at the idea of “educational” TV, suggesting that he finds it more educational to avoid it altogether.

  • Example: When everyone’s watching reality TV, a book lover might leave the room for some peace and quiet with a novel—turning “education” into a matter of personal choice.


5. "I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." – Thomas Edison

  • Meaning: Edison humorously reframes his failures as discoveries of what doesn’t work, showing resilience and optimism.

  • Example: A person learning to cook tries recipe after recipe before getting it right, claiming each failure as a step toward the “perfect dish.”


6. "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." – Jim Carrey

  • Meaning: Carrey humorously suggests that, while some men may take themselves very seriously, their partners are often there to keep them grounded.

  • Example: Imagine a man boasting about fixing a minor household issue while his partner rolls her eyes, knowing it took him much longer than expected. It’s a funny way to show the balance in relationships.


7. "The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." – Bill Watterson

  • Meaning: Watterson jokes that if intelligent life does exist, they’re probably staying far away from us because of our own quirky behaviors.

  • Example: When humans do something outrageous or silly, it’s amusing to think aliens are watching and deciding to avoid us entirely.


8. "If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments." – Earl Wilson

  • Meaning: This quote pokes fun at the idea of financial institutions’ “care” for us—suggesting they’ll quickly remind us of our importance if we owe them money.

  • Example: If someone feels unnoticed or unimportant, they might realize how much the bank notices them once they’re a little late on a payment!


9. "Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese." – Billie Burke

  • Meaning: Burke humorously suggests that aging isn’t a big deal—except if you’re cheese, where age (and flavor) matters a lot!

  • Example: When someone worries about getting older, a friend might remind them that only cheese should be concerned with “aging” in a humorous, lighthearted way.


10. "I’m not arguing, I’m just explaining why I’m right." – Anonymous

  • Meaning: This quote humorously reflects how people often try to “explain” their views without admitting they’re in an argument.

  • Example: In a friendly debate, a person might insist they’re just “explaining” their point while actually arguing, which makes for a funny twist on how people can get defensive.


Each of these quotes uses humor to poke fun at common situations and ideas, making light of things we often take too seriously.

Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor, for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest which will not bear serious examination is false wit.

- Humorous Quotes by Aristotle

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing.  The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.

- Mark Twain Quotes

Humor is always based on a modicum of truth.  Have you ever heard a joke about a father-in-law?

- Dick Clark Quotes

A sense of humor is part of the art leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower Quotes

Where humor is concerned there are no standards - no one can say what is good or bad, although you can be sure that everyone will.

- John Kenneth Galbraith Quotes

Humor is everywhere, in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.

- Humorous Quotes by Bill Nye

Humor is everywhere, in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.

- Humorous Quotes by Bill Nye Download or Share

All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.

- Humorous Quotes by Charlie Chaplin

All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.

- Humorous Quotes by Charlie Chaplin Download or Share

Total absence of humor renders life impossible.

- Humorous Quotes by Colette

Total absence of humor renders life impossible.

- Humorous Quotes by Colette Download or Share

That is the saving grace of humor, if you ail no one is laughing at you.

- Humorous Quotes by A. Whitney Brown Download or Share

If there's one thing I know it's God does love a good joke.

- Hugh Elliott Quotes Download or Share

The only rules comedy can tolerate are those of taste, and the only limitations those of libel.

- James Thurber Quote

Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.

- Quotes by Edward De Bono

The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.

- Horace Walpole Quotes

The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself.

- James Thurber Quotes

One doesn't have a sense of humor.  It has you.

- Larry Gelbart Quotes

Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.

- Lewis Mumford Quotes

Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.

- Lewis Mumford Quotes

Humor is just another defense against the universe.

- Mel Brooks Quotes

Humor is a rubber sword - it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.

- Mary Hirsch Quotes

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.

- Mel Brooks Quotes

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.

- Peter Ustinov Quotes

Comedy is nothing more than tragedy deferred.

- Pico Iyer Quotes

Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind.

- E. B. White Quotes

Wit makes its own welcome, and levels all distinctions.  No dignity, no learning, no force of character, can make any stand against good wit.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

Defining and analyzing humor is a pastime of humorless people.

- Robert Benchley Quotes

Life is though, and if you have the ability to laugh at it you have the ability to enjoy it.

- Salma Hayek Quotes

Humor is also a way of saying something serious.

- T.S. Eliot Quotes

There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.

- Will Rogers Quotes