“ I don't think any responsible performer would go on stage high. If he convinced himself he is better that way, he is deluding himself. Oliver
“ I like performing because it's direct contact with live people. I write a good deal of the time but that's introspective creation rather than interaction. Oliver
“ If both the performer and audience are on the same plane then it's not ART but SCIENCE, for ART is a personal expression that varies from one individual to another, while SCIENCE commands uniformity &… Ramana Pemmaraju
“ Most people don’t understand performers are really sheltered and protected so much sometimes that they don’t get a chance to live their lives. Diana Ross
“ One forgets that part of one's performance is one's history—or sometimes the lack of it. You're playing against what an audience knows, what they expect. This seems to be true of all performers; there… David Byrne
“ Strive hard to be among the top performers. To do this, create a standard. Go higher than this standard. Set another higher standard; surpass it and repeat the process. Israelmore Ayivor
“ …you either do or do not have a comedy mind, whatever that is, maybe a heightened sense of the ridiculous and the absurdity of life…We are all crazy and crazed. Joan Rivers
“ …but I think comedy is more aggressive than that. It is a medium for revenge. We can deflate and punish the pomposity and the rejection which hurt us. Comedy is power. Joan Rivers
“ Maybe that is why in my comedy I try and puncture the hypocrisy all around us, why it is almost a crusade with me to strip life down to what really is true. Joan Rivers
“ Liked" was the kiss of death. "Loved" or "hated" interested him. At least the performer had aroused emotion. Joan Rivers
“ The act of creation fascinates me. You can only sit with blank page and wait. You cannot press a button, cannot program it. Joan Rivers
“ The revelation that personal truth can be the foundation of comedy, that outrageousness can be cleansing and healthy… Joan Rivers
“ I am driven. Being driven is my energy source. It is my fun.…I believe that where there is action, there is movement, and those ripples will eventually produce something positive. Joan Rivers
“ When you begin to losing your audience, do not get loud; get quiet, make them find you and come back to you. Joan Rivers
“ Laughing made me feel safe. I was not going to be enveloped by the seediness that coated this world like dust. Joan Rivers
“ It gathers emotionally inside you, in a strange way a by-product of struggle, of a willingness to do anything, try anything, expose yourself to anything — staying in motion because sooner or later tho… Joan Rivers
“ Somehow, some way, every person in the arts has to find an accommodation with disappointment and embarrassment. They are the pollen in the air we breathe. Joan Rivers
“ I said, "Is there!" I told him there is a Mafia school where they teach them math — if Johnny has ten fingers and they cut off two, how many does he have left? Joan Rivers
