Quotation by

Alexander Payne

I get asked, 'How can you have such failures in your films?' Well, what else is life about? There's some sense of constant failure in something. Humor gives you a distance from it.

Advertisement

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Alexander Payne is saying that experiencing failure is a natural and ongoing part of life, including in his work as a filmmaker. He believes humor helps people cope by creating a space where they can view these failures from a more detached and less painful perspective.

More by this author

All quotes by Alexander Payne →

More quotes about Humor

See all →
Humor results when society says you can't scratch certain things in public, but they itch in public.

Advertisement

Humor has historically been tied to the mores of the day. The Yellow Kid was predicated on what people thought was funny about the immigrant Irish. When you're different in a society, you're funny.