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Barry Humphries Quotes

Powerful Barry Humphries for Daily Growth

About Barry Humphries

Barry Humphries, born on February 17, 1934, in Kew, Melbourne, Australia, is a renowned comedian, actor, and writer known for his unique character creations, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. Humphries's flair for the dramatic and penchant for satire are deeply rooted in his upbringing, influenced by his parents' love for theater and music, and a childhood spent devouring books. He attended Melbourne State College where he honed his acting skills and began performing in small roles at the National Theatre. In 1957, Humphries debuted on British television as Dame Edna Everage, an eccentric, flamboyant, middle-aged Australian housewife. The character became a sensation, with appearances on shows like "The Mike Walsh Show" and the Royal Variety Performance in 1974. Humphries's other iconic character, Sir Les Patterson, a crass, drunken, Aussie cultural attaché, made its debut in the late 60s. His collaboration with English musician Eric Idle led to the creation of "Rutland Weekend Television," a series of satirical sketches that aired on BBC2 from 1975 to 1980. Humphries's works have been marked by their biting wit and keen observations about society, politics, and culture. His autobiographical books, such as "More Fun from Barry Humphries" and "Look Back in Anger," offer insight into his life and career. In 1984, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to entertainment. Throughout his illustrious career spanning six decades, Humphries has been nominated for numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and an Olivier Award. His influence on British comedy is undeniable, with his characters inspiring countless impersonations and spin-offs. Despite retiring from performing in 2016, Barry Humphries continues to be a beloved figure in the world of entertainment.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I've always thought of myself as an Australian at large."

The quote suggests that Barry Humphries identifies strongly with being Australian, yet he feels his identity transcends geographical boundaries, making him more of a global citizen or a representative of Australia in the larger world. It highlights a sense of pride and connection to one's homeland, while also implying an openness to experiences and opportunities beyond national borders.

"Every man's work which he loves does for him good, if it be literally true, and if literally true it is literally himself."

This quote by Barry Humphries suggests that a person's work that they are passionate about, if it is genuinely authentic and truthful to their character, positively impacts their life in multiple ways. In other words, one's labor of love, which accurately represents them as individuals, provides personal fulfillment and growth, making it essentially an extension of themselves.

"The great thing about maturity is that you no longer attach yourself to ideas that do not serve you, as if they were pieces of yourself."

This quote by Barry Humphries highlights the importance of personal growth and self-awareness in maturity. As one matures, they recognize that certain beliefs or ideologies may no longer be beneficial or align with their current values, and let go of them without emotional attachment. Essentially, it suggests that as individuals evolve, they learn to distinguish between ideas that positively contribute to their personal growth and those that do not, discarding the latter to make room for new perspectives and possibilities.

"It's a very curious thing, the more you become like an adult, the less you resemble other adults."

This quote by Barry Humphries highlights the uniqueness and individuality that each person possesses, even as they grow older and supposedly converge towards adult norms. It suggests that while people may share some common characteristics, behaviors, or beliefs associated with adulthood, their personal identities continue to set them apart. This quote encourages us to celebrate our differences rather than conforming to generic ideals of what an "adult" should be.

"Laughter is the oil in the engine of life."

This quote emphasizes the importance of humor, joy, and laughter in our lives, which are essential for our well-being, much like oil keeps an engine running smoothly. The "oil" symbolizes the positive energy that laughter brings, helping us navigate life's challenges with resilience and ease.

Political correctness means nothing to me. Nothing. It's the new Puritanism, darling. Preventing us from expressing ourselves.

- Barry Humphries

New, Means, Correctness, Darling

Madonna is a creation, so perhaps we should give her and the factory that created her a little credit, but I think that she should quietly disappear now. Poor Madge seems unable to decide whether she wants to look like Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich.

- Barry Humphries

Disappear, Decide, I Think, Marlene

I am writing a book called 'The History of Australia in Hundred Objects.' It's of things we have invented in Australia. And you know, some of them are amazing. We invented the clapper boards used in films. We invented those cranes - those big long cranes used on construction sites.

- Barry Humphries

Big, Some, Hundred, Sites

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were friends and the last people I expected would predecease me. They were, in a sense, casualties of fame.

- Barry Humphries

Cook, Last, Expected, Moore

People only watch my shows for me, and those shows have remained evergreen long after the guests are forgotten.

- Barry Humphries

People, Long, Remained, Guests

One of the strangest experiences one can have is to sleep on stage, as I once did in Sydney when I'd lost the key to my flat. I had to stay at night in a bed, which conveniently was on stage because my character Sandy Stone did his monologue from a bed. To wake up looking at a shadowy auditorium is a very peculiar feeling.

- Barry Humphries

Bed, Very, Auditorium, Conveniently

Glamour comes from within. My beauty regime begins with my personality.

- Barry Humphries

Beauty, Personality, Begins, Glamour

Those women with collagen lips just look like frogs - 'muffin mouths,' I call them. There's not a line on their brows, and all the emotion gone from their faces, like all those actresses in 'Desperate Housewives.'

- Barry Humphries

Desperate, Line, Housewives, Collagen

Oddly enough, Dame Edna is not interested in show business. Her friends in Los Angeles are mostly in the world of petroleum. She used to have some acting friends. Sadly, Joan Rivers has passed on. Larry Hagman was a close friend. A number of others.

- Barry Humphries

Some, Mostly, Joan, Oddly

Now the point of comedy is not just looking funny, it's use of language. We have at our disposal a great language... and the imaginative, creative use of that language can be at the service of humour.

- Barry Humphries

Language, Comedy, Use, Just Looking

My husband passed away a long time ago, and of course a lot of people have courted me. I've been taken to dinner and also to things like Larry Hagman, in particular years ago. And more recently, of course, little Hugh Jackman - and he's too young for me though, frankly.

- Barry Humphries

Young, Away, Been, Larry

Am I old-fashioned? I think I might be. I am a lucky woman, because I was born with a priceless gift... the ability to laugh at the misfortunes of others.

- Barry Humphries

Gift, Think, Lucky, Priceless

I've decided the secret of parenting is benevolent neglect.

- Barry Humphries

Decided, The Secret Of, Benevolent

I think of myself as an actor. The duty of an actor is to be able to impersonate anything - a child, an old man, a tree, a chair, a woman.

- Barry Humphries

Woman, Think, I Think, Impersonate

I've turned from an ordinary Australian housewife into a gigastar, icon, talk-show host, swami, spin doctor... and now I'm a style guru!

- Barry Humphries

Guru, Australian, Turned, Housewife

When people laugh at me, they are not laughing in the way that they normally would at a comedian. They are laughing with relief, because the truth has been spoken, and political correctness has not strangled this particular gigastar.

- Barry Humphries

Political, Been, Correctness, Normally

In Edna, I created a satiric portrait of my hometown of Melbourne, a large provincial English city paradoxically in far Southeast Asia. She's a theatrical figure, related to vaudeville in some respects. She inhabits a world in which there are comparatively few female exponents of comedy.

- Barry Humphries

City, Some, Theatrical, Provincial

I have got to the point in my life when a lot of people I know have died or are dying, so I realise that somewhere outside the pearly gates is a queue, shuffling nearer and nearer to the celestial box office.

- Barry Humphries

My Life, Box, Died, Celestial

I guess you could say I'm an addict - an adrenalin addict - I get great excitement and stimulation from doing stuff in public, even though I'm nervous and I have very bad stage fright.

- Barry Humphries

Doing, Very, Stage Fright, Fright

I hate it when theater people go on about professionalism - aren't they boring? I try to be as unprofessional as possible. And I'm a little bit politically incorrect.

- Barry Humphries

Professionalism, Incorrect, Politically Incorrect

I feel like I've cheated. I never knew what to do. I was never a good enough painter to earn a living, and so I drifted into the theatre, and I've had a successful life. I feel guilty that I've never done a day's work in my life!

- Barry Humphries

My Life, Feel, Had, Cheated

Sex is the most beautiful thing that can take place between a happily married man and his secretary.

- Barry Humphries

Sex, Married Man, Most, Beautiful Thing

I denied this for many, many years and years... but you cannot help but not see a little of my mother in the character of Edna.

- Barry Humphries

Years, Years And Years, Many, Denied

I never thought that I would become a staple in the Australian cultural diet. The equivalent of bread or milk, or a fine old Tasmanian Mauve Vein. I think it's because I talk about things that people dare not mention. I don't mean raunchy things or unsavoury things. I call a spade a spade - I discuss things in a realistic manner.

- Barry Humphries

Thought, I Think, Equivalent, Discuss

I suffer greatly from nerves. I have stage-fright badly, and it gets worse, but the stage is still my life.

- Barry Humphries

My Life, Still, Badly, Greatly

I really feel sorry for kids who aren't interested in history - recent history, either, because it is this that made us what we are.

- Barry Humphries

History, Feel, Made, Recent

I Sellotape whole tins of sardines to my face at night, attach two squeezed lemon rinds to my armadillo-skinned elbows, and put cucumber on my eyes. By the time I'm finished, I look like a fruit salad with added fish. In the morning, the pillow is pretty much a write-off.

- Barry Humphries

Salad, By The Time, Added, Cucumber

New Zealand is a country of thirty thousand million sheep, three million of whom think they are human.

- Barry Humphries

Think, New, Country, Sheep

I've played Beckett. I put on in the 1950s the first Australian production of 'Waiting for Godot.' I played Estragon. The most interesting conversation I've had about Beckett was with a Dublin taxi driver.

- Barry Humphries

Waiting, Production, Dublin, Conversation

I have beautiful, beautiful clothes, designed by my bachelor boy son, Kenny. Kenny has a big following as it is, and even Lady Gaga has asked Kenny to design dresses for her. But Kenny isn't very keen on, well, shall we say, extreme women. He likes someone that women all over the world can identify with.

- Barry Humphries

Big, Very, Gaga, Designed

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