Lenny Bruce

"Art without risk is just decoration."

"I've paid the price for my freedom, and it was worth every penny."

"The what's the difference between a clown in the circus and a clown in power?"

"I think it's about time we gave up religion and got back to God."

"Every group has a comedian. That's how you know you're still alive."

"The role of a comedian is to make people laugh at truth they're afraid to face."

"You can't do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now."

"Obscenity is a matter of perspective. What's obscene is the world we've created."

"Sailing is the closest thing to flying without leaving the earth."

"The difference between a sick society and a healthy one is laughter."

"We're all puppets, but at least I can see the strings."

"Money is just congealed energy."

"To die for an idea is still a pretty good way to spend your life."

"The real obscenity is war, poverty, and injustice."

"If you're offended by my words, good—that means you're paying attention."

"Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed."

"Knowledge without action is just philosophy."

"The only real obscenity is the silence of good people."

"Comedy is truth told slightly slanted."

"Every institution we've created is designed to keep us from thinking."

"Life is like a sewer—you get out of it what you put into it."

"The worst part about being honest is that it makes you lonely."

"More people died from the Spanish Flu than all of World War I."

"Satire is the only safe way to tell the truth in dangerous times."

"The system isn't broken—it's working exactly as designed."

"What you do in private determines what you do in public."

"Fear is the only true enemy."

"The greatest gift you can give someone is permission to be themselves."

"Freedom of speech means nothing if you're afraid to speak."

"We spend our whole lives preparing for something that never happens."