Jo Brand Quotes

Powerful Jo Brand for Daily Growth

About Jo Brand

Jo Brand (Joanna Victoria Brand, born January 17, 1957) is a renowned British comedian, television presenter, actress, and author known for her sharp wit, biting satire, and unapologetic humor. Raised in Wallington, Surrey, Brand developed an early interest in comedy, citing her family's love of music hall as a significant influence. She studied French at the University of Sussex but left without graduating to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Brand began performing on the alternative comedy circuit in the 1980s, eventually appearing in numerous shows like "The Comedy Cafe" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" She gained widespread recognition for her appearances on "Live at the Apollo," and as a panelist on "Have I Got News for You." Brand's debut stand-up show, "A Show Called Jo," won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987. Throughout her career, Brand has tackled various social issues with humor and intelligence, earning a reputation as one of Britain's most incisive satirists. Her books include "The More You Ignore Me, The More I Talk: Encounters in a Difficult Family" (1996), a memoir about her family dynamics, and "Damned Juh-Lay: My Battles with Depression" (2017), which explores her struggles with mental health. In addition to her work in comedy and television, Brand has also ventured into radio, hosting BBC Radio 4's "The Big Questions." She is an outspoken advocate for feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and mental health awareness, using her platform to address social justice issues with humor and empathy. Throughout her distinguished career, Jo Brand has made a lasting impact on British comedy and continues to challenge societal norms through her unique brand of satire.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I'm not a feminist, I just hate men."

This quote by Jo Brand is often misinterpreted due to its colloquial nature. She does not suggest an inherent hatred towards all men but rather emphasizes her strong feminist beliefs, which can sometimes manifest as frustration with societal gender inequalities that disproportionately affect women. It's important to remember that feminism is about advocating for equal rights and opportunities between genders, and it doesn't equate to hating men. Instead, it's a call for understanding, empathy, and action towards achieving true gender equality.

"It's a bit like being raped, but less enjoyable." (on jury service)

This quote by Jo Brand is a hyperbolic metaphor highlighting her frustration and discomfort with the jury service process. By comparing it to an unwanted and traumatic experience such as rape, she emphasizes that although not literally identical, both situations impose an involuntary intrusion into one's personal life, disrupt daily routines, and can be experienced as a significant inconvenience or burden.

"There are two types of people in this world: those who can extricate themselves from a compact car with a pair of tail scissors and those who can't."

The quote by Jo Brand suggests that there are two distinct groups of people based on their ability to perform an unusual, specific task – namely, escaping from a compact car using tail scissors. It seems to imply that this skill separates the 'exceptional' or 'resourceful' individuals from those who might be considered less so. However, it also hints at a sense of humor and whimsy, as such a scenario is highly unlikely in everyday life. Overall, it serves as an amusing way to highlight differences between people, emphasizing adaptability and resilience.

"I'm all for a woman's right to choose, as long as she chooses what I want her to choose."

This quote by Jo Brand is a satirical commentary on the patriarchal nature of certain societal norms. The phrase "woman's right to choose" traditionally refers to reproductive rights, but in this context, it is used ironically. By saying she supports a woman's right to choose "as long as she chooses what I want her to choose," Brand highlights the hypocrisy and control that can exist in such statements, suggesting that true feminism should be about empowering women to make their own choices without external influence or coercion.

"There are only 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary code and those who don't." (A classic computer science joke)

This humorous quote is a classic example of a computer science joke that plays with binary numbers, which are the base-2 numeral system used to represent numerical values in digital computers. The jest suggests that there are only two types of people: those who understand binary code (people "in the know") and those who do not (everyone else). This is because in binary, there are only two digits (0 and 1), reflecting a simple division between individuals with knowledge of the system and those without.

I can honestly say I've never sold any arms to a repressive foreign regime while reassuring everyone at home that the weapons will be used for nice things.

- Jo Brand

Sold, Honestly, Regime, Reassuring

I used to get nervous about three weeks before a gig... now I've managed to condense it down to a manageable ten minutes.

- Jo Brand

Minutes, Before, Weeks, Gig

I find it difficult to judge myself, but people say that I have become a bit more socially acceptable over the years in terms of my material; which apparently at the beginning - though I never really intended it to be - was man hating and now is just a bit more cuddly.

- Jo Brand

Beginning, Acceptable, Bit, Hating

Regular panelists on shows can be terrifying. They own that space, and many guest comics suspect they are favoured in the edit, while their own hilarious jokes end up being ejected into the ether.

- Jo Brand

Terrifying, Ether, Edit, Hilarious

The thing I thought about doing it was it's Comic Relief and you've got to be funny. So although I did try to sing properly it obviously has hilarious results when you can't sing.

- Jo Brand

Thought, Doing, About, Hilarious

My mum is bright, ambitious, well read, political and very bolshie: when my dad was conscripted into the Army and posted to Libya, she convinced some general to let her go with him. I don't know how she managed it.

- Jo Brand

Some, Very, Mum, Posted

When I got married, the Sun ran the headline: 'Here comes the bride, all fat and wide.' Luckily, it was a few days after the wedding - but it was still hideous to read at a great romantic moment.

- Jo Brand

Bride, Here, Still, Luckily

My preference is swimming in the sea. I find the sea is more liberating, wild and good fun rather than plodding up and down a pool.

- Jo Brand

More, Rather, Preference, Liberating

I like reading, I like boring things, and yet I think people for ages had this image of me that I was on the tube with a chainsaw looking for any likely candidate.

- Jo Brand

Think, Image, Likely, Chainsaw

My mum and my husband are from Irish backgrounds, so we have a lot of potatoes. Chips, mashed, boiled, new potatoes, I love them all. Even the slightly wonky ones like Duchess potatoes that go up in a little spiral.

- Jo Brand

Love, Potatoes, Slightly, Backgrounds

There's lots of different feminist groups. It's not as straightforward as just looking like a plumber.

- Jo Brand

Like, Straightforward, Lots, Plumber

When you get to know someone, you find there's something nasty in their woodshed.

- Jo Brand

Find, Someone, Get, Nasty

I've seen a lot of women give up after they've had three or four bad gigs in a row. It's very difficult to learn not to take nasty heckles personally.

- Jo Brand

Give, Bad, Very, Nasty

It's very difficult to learn not to take nasty heckles personally.

- Jo Brand

Personally, Very, Take, Nasty

People say you should read your criticism because it will make you a better person but it doesn't. It just makes you a sad bitter old showbiz nightmare.

- Jo Brand

Better Person, Will, Read, Showbiz

As the Tories know, the problem with setting yourself up as a shining example for others to follow is that when you get caught out, that proverbial substance really hits the fan.

- Jo Brand

Caught, Proverbial, Tories, Shining

I have two brothers and we basically spent our lives playing in the woods, falling in ponds, getting chased by wasps and riding donkeys that we shouldn't have been riding.

- Jo Brand

Falling, Been, Chased, Donkeys

I cannot abide anyone treating another human being like a piece of dirt, whatever the context.

- Jo Brand

Human Being, Like, Another, Treating

So, my style has hopefully changed over the years and it is more relaxed, and I do tend to smile and have more than one expression these days hopefully - which I didn't at the beginning.

- Jo Brand

Expression, Over, Which, Relaxed

Everything becomes magnified at night. Sounds travel in a different way, it's dark, and everything seems far more spooky.

- Jo Brand

Night, More, Different Way, Magnified

I swam at school a lot. Long-distance swimming in pools, and diving, then when we moved to Hastings when I was 13 I used to swim in the sea all the time; I loved it out of season and when it was rough.

- Jo Brand

Rough, Moved, Then, Pools

They say revenge is a dish best eaten cold, but for most people, by the time it's ready to eat, they just don't fancy it any more.

- Jo Brand

Revenge, Fancy, By The Time, Eaten

Suffice to say, many women find their first appearance on a comedy panel show to be their last. Second chances seem to be given less often to the female of the species.

- Jo Brand

Last, Second Chances, Given, First Appearance

My personal opinion is that you can't be racist towards white people. You can be prejudiced about them, but being prejudiced isn't an illegal act, whereas being racist can be.

- Jo Brand

Personal, About, Them, Prejudiced

With two small children, I haven't had a wash since 2001 so the chance to go shopping is way down the list. It is something I do intend to get.

- Jo Brand

Chance, Small, Wash, Intend

I've never, ever had people being aggressive to me in public or abusing me, and actually quite a lot of men do say to me, 'You're quite good' - though they can't bear to go, 'You're great.'

- Jo Brand

Go, Had, Though, Aggressive

Again, with two small children it's incredibly hard to commit yourself to anything because you're just getting interested in it and someone comes along and goes I want Thomas The Tank Engine on, and screams the place down until you put it on.

- Jo Brand

Small, Two, Commit, Engine

I think self-esteem is fluid. It's not a fixed state, and so some days are better than others.

- Jo Brand

Think, Self-Esteem, Some, Fixed

There are two types of people in this world: one who opens a packet of biscuits, has one and puts the rest back in the cupboard, and one who eats the whole packet in one go.

- Jo Brand

Rest, Biscuits, Types, Opens

I used to do bell ringing in Benenden church. It was really good fun, actually. My best friend's dad was the local vicar, and so it was expected as her best friend that I would go to church every Sunday with her.

- Jo Brand

Church, Ringing, Dad, Bell

I think there's a danger that we're moving towards a state where the people we are expected to admire are almost not human anymore, and I don't like that. I prefer it when someone looks like a nice person, and you think, 'I could have a laugh with them in the pub.'

- Jo Brand

I Think, Prefer, Almost, Pub

I suspect most politicians feel overwhelmed because people's lives are a real struggle, full of unhappiness, and you would probably feel powerless to do anything about it.

- Jo Brand

Overwhelmed, About, Lives, Powerless

One of the guys that used to run it - for some reason I've no idea why he used to call me the Sea Monster and I was just looking around for a name and thought that'll do. That lasted for a couple of years probably.

- Jo Brand

Reason, Some, Couple, Just Looking

And I also felt that no one in an audience could abuse me worse than the sort of abuse I had had at work as a psychiatric nurse.

- Jo Brand

Audience, Abuse, Could, Psychiatric

When I was a nurse I never had much money, and I was still happy then.

- Jo Brand

Money, Never, Still, Nurse

There are problems with nursing - such as the issue of nurses all having to do degrees these days. But that doesn't mean to say the entire infrastructure of nursing is falling about and that it is populated by unfeeling psychopaths, which is, frankly, the implication sometimes.

- Jo Brand

Sometimes, Nursing, About, Nurses

I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. They existed along a continuum: from hard-working, kind and competent people, to office-hugging, bone-idle types, to apathetic, disengaged automatons.

- Jo Brand

Bad, Continuum, Types, Nurses

A good culture in a hospital can absorb and manage a few bad nurses, but once the culture becomes bad in itself, bad nursing practice is much harder to hide.

- Jo Brand

Practice, Bad, Nursing, Nurses

I tend to think the world is a bit of a miserable place, so anyone who can add to people's optimistic, cheerful side is doing a good job, which is what I hope I'm doing.

- Jo Brand

Think, Add, Which, Cheerful

Privatisation splits hospital services into increasingly small packages.

- Jo Brand

Small, Splits, Increasingly, Packages

One thing lots of Christians do have in common is that they can't help coming across as smug. This winds lots of people up, particularly because famous Christians pronounce on the life of the poor from their very lovely affluent homes filled with their very lovely families and attractive pets.

- Jo Brand

Very, Pets, Affluent, Smug

I think the key attributes for a good speaker are someone that's articulate and someone that puts a fair amount of humour into what they do.

- Jo Brand

Think, I Think, Amount, Articulate

I was always being called upon to be an honorary boy alongside my brothers. I don't think I'd be a comic now if it hadn't been for that.

- Jo Brand

Think, Always, Been, Honorary

I have a utilitarian approach to dressing; as long as I quite like it and it covers me up, I don't care what it is.

- Jo Brand

Me, Dressing, Like, Utilitarian

I have such admiration for single mothers. I simply don't comprehend how you'd cope with that intensity, the lack of breaks, ever, on your own.

- Jo Brand

Own, Breaks, Comprehend, Cope

Not many women will go out on a limb to make themselves really unattractive and unfeminine so you can get the laughs, but it's a great thing to do in my book.

- Jo Brand

Book, Will, Limb, Unattractive

I don't know really, it doesn't feel like it has changed to me but I think to have to move with the times. Try out different areas and not get stuck in 1978.

- Jo Brand

Think, I Think, Move, Different Areas

With proper acting, I don't know what I would play - I got sent a script for a play, and it said in the notes that my proposed character was 'hideously fat and ugly'. That made my day. I mean, I do know I am no oil painting.

- Jo Brand

Play, Notes, Proper, Proposed

If you're a fat person - and especially if you're a woman - at all stages of your life you'll get abuse for it, so you have to work out a way of dealing with it. The best way is to be humorous about it - that defuses any tension.

- Jo Brand

Woman, Abuse, Best Way, Humorous

There are so many cliches associated with mental health - such as the 'fine line between lunacy and genius' - which are, on the whole, a load of rubbish.

- Jo Brand

Health, Line, Which, Cliches

It's inevitable that if you do okay on something like that you don't just annoy people, that it will make a difference because it seemed like such a lot of people so, yes I would have to say that it has done.

- Jo Brand

Annoy, Lot, Would, Make A Difference

I think there's a far more general audience now because I've done more populist stuff on telly.

- Jo Brand

Think, Audience, I Think, Telly

I love doing stand-up. It's so self-contained - you go there, you do it, you go home - but with telly, there are too many people involved with it with opinions. You have a product, and everyone wants to change it.

- Jo Brand

Love, Doing, Go Home, Telly

When you cry, you don't look very attractive; you look snotty and blotchy. People seem to manage to cry quite prettily these days, and to me, that smacks of not being very genuine.

- Jo Brand

Cry, Attractive, Very, Manage

Most of us manage the fateful things that happen in our lives the best we can, certainly not to a Stalin-like 20-year plan.

- Jo Brand

Happen, Certainly, Lives, Manage

Anybody who has had the pleasure of reading an article about themselves in the press knows that, on the whole, there is a huge amount of inaccuracy, value judgment and the use of a crowbar to insert editorial bias that reflects the current political leaning of that particular paper.

- Jo Brand

Anybody, Use, About, Article

Punk allowed women to stop looking feminine. Oh, the relief.

- Jo Brand

Punk, Stop, Feminine, Relief

By crying on my bed, drinking quite a lot and feeling tempted by drugs. Well, just not reading it to be perfectly honest with you. I know it's a bit of a copout.

- Jo Brand

Bed, Drinking, Perfectly, Tempted

I buy smoked mackerel in a vain attempt at being healthy. I do actually really like it, and you don't have to cook it, which is handy.

- Jo Brand

Like, Which, Smoked, Handy

I like to read my diary occasionally to remind myself what a miserable, alienated old sod I used to be.

- Jo Brand

Miserable, Like, Read, Sod

There's a general sense that women are more relaxed and less defensive in comedy than they used to be. I think it's easier than it was but underlying it all there is still a pretty sexist view of women on stage, which to me hasn't changed that much.

- Jo Brand

Used, I Think, General Sense, Defensive

Let's face it: I am not a professional runner.

- Jo Brand

I Am, Face, Am, Runner

I've always been criticised for how filthy my material is. Victoria Wood said to me once, 'I wish I was a bit ruder, like you,' and I said, 'Well, I wish I was a bit cleaner, like you.'

- Jo Brand

Always, Been, Victoria, Filthy

My dad's a very sensitive man, but as the archetypal rebellious teenager, I didn't realise that.

- Jo Brand

Rebellious, Very, Realise, Teenager

I used to get a lot of people saying 'Oh, you are such a lucky granny.' But the fact of the matter is you can be a grandma at 35 these days.

- Jo Brand

Lucky, Fact, Used, Granny

You look across the board at comedy quiz shows, and they are mainly hosted by men.

- Jo Brand

Shows, Quiz, Across, Board

I don't hold any candle for drama versus comedy.

- Jo Brand

Candle, Comedy, Drama, Versus

I've no interest in fashion, shoes, handbags, or sweaty shopping.

- Jo Brand

Interest, Handbags, Sweaty, Shopping

Managers of hospitals over the years have been increasingly recruited from outside the health service, and although their experience of running a supermarket chain might allow them to balance the books, it does not mean they have any insight into how a ward should be managed and patients best served.

- Jo Brand

Hospitals, Been, Allow, Managers

I remember when Victoria Wood started to come through, and I thought she was great, though she and I are very different in our approach.

- Jo Brand

Through, Very, Victoria, Wood

I like the purity of stand-up because it is all about whether people laugh at your jokes. Either they laugh or they don't.

- Jo Brand

Purity, Like, About, Jokes

There have been some very extreme hecklers in audiences whose bile was so hateful and so meant that it would be a bit frightening to think that all I'm doing is jokes and yet someone hates me that much.

- Jo Brand

Some, Very, Meant, Jokes

I had always fancied a go at the comedy and when it started to go reasonably well and the opportunity arose for me to move into it full time, I just couldn't turn it down. I just took the risk, and I just wanted to see if it would work and thankfully it did.

- Jo Brand

Down, Turn, Had, Reasonably

Does anyone really go into nursing intending to be apathetic, cold and removed from suffering? I find that very difficult to believe.

- Jo Brand

Suffering, Very, Apathetic, Intending

I thought I was funny as a kid. I used to play tricks on my brothers - I'd tie a two-shilling piece to a bit of cotton, then pull it away as they went to grab it.

- Jo Brand

Thought, Play, Away, Grab

I think my comedy, the put-downs I do to hecklers, are the accumulated bitterness of years of people feeling that it's perfectly acceptable to make a comment on your appearance when they don't even know you.

- Jo Brand

I Think, Your, Acceptable, Comment

It's got too much hard work slapping them and telling them to shut up.

- Jo Brand

Work, Shut, Telling, Slapping

I often tell audiences at the start of my shows that I'm not gay because I've got petitions from lesbian groups saying 'Can you tell people you're heterosexual because you're giving us a bad name.'

- Jo Brand

Start, Bad, Tell, Lesbian

We women continue to swallow this line that it's unladylike or even proof of being a lesbian if you wear flat shoes like Doc Martens. I'm prepared to put up with that accusation, because at least my feet aren't killing me and I don't look like a bandy ostrich.

- Jo Brand

Feet, Line, Ostrich, Lesbian

It's a video release as well so I have to be perfectly honest and go, probably not specifically for DVD, but there are extra bits on it that aren't on anything else, so as exciting as that sounds.

- Jo Brand

Go, Release, Perfectly, Extra

I'm just trying to spread the word and upturn the myth that actually you should be resting after cancer treatment. You shouldn't; you should be getting out and doing any kind of exercise you can. You don't have to run a marathon, but you just have to up your activity levels.

- Jo Brand

Doing, Activity, Treatment, Levels

I'm sure some cynical people would point to that as the main reason for doing it for a lot of people.

- Jo Brand

Reason, Some, Lot, Cynical

Occasionally, some sitcoms still stereotype women - the old dragon or the dolly bird - but on the whole we've moved away from that.

- Jo Brand

Some, Away, Still, Stereotype

I'm a real Kentish maid, you know.

- Jo Brand

Real, Know, You, Maid

My mum always felt that women deserved as much as men, and should have as much power, so I suppose I opted to go into a very male-dominated arena to try and prove that.

- Jo Brand

Prove, Always, Very, Deserved

I don't know if we will ever try again because those sort of things are very hard to organise but yes, I've known Doon for years and John as well but I hadn't met Will before, and he turned out to be a good laugh.

- Jo Brand

Before, Very, Turned, Laugh

I am a hip-hop artist, as you probably know. My hip-hop name is Big Smalls.

- Jo Brand

I Am, Artist, Big, Hip-Hop

Over the years I attempted to make my style a bit more relaxed 'cause the initial style you couldn't watch for more than ten minutes without wanting to kill me.

- Jo Brand

Over, Wanting, Initial, Attempted

Who do I like? I am a big fan of French and Saunders - not that that they are particularly stand-up I have to say, but I think they have been great for women and they are of themselves just incredibly funny whether they are male or female.

- Jo Brand

Big, Been, I Think, French

I went on the pill when I was 16, put on four stone... so that proved to be a very effective contraceptive.

- Jo Brand

Very, Pill, Put, Stone

As a comic and as a nurse, it's important to look calm on the surface when you're absolutely crapping yourself inside. So, if someone is waving a machete at you, which has happened to me when I was a nurse, it's important to make that person feel that you're in control.

- Jo Brand

Me, Inside, Feel, Nurse

I never ever take into consideration the consequences of my actions until it's too late.

- Jo Brand

Never, Too Late, Ever, Consideration

Once you get labelled, people expect you to behave within the very narrow confines of that label.

- Jo Brand

Expect, Very, Behave, Labelled

I have big friends who won't go swimming because they're too embarrassed about it. I feel that's such a shame, because actually people should be encouraging fat people who are exercising to do it, not pointing and laughing.

- Jo Brand

Shame, Big, Embarrassed, Laughing

In the end, punk inevitably burned itself out and acted as a bridge across which the New Romantics could sashay in their chiffon and glossy hair.

- Jo Brand

New, Could, Which, In The End

I'm a Luddite with computers, and I'm slightly worried about being hacked as well.

- Jo Brand

Well, About, Slightly, Worried

Some men are deeply likable but have attitudes I don't like. Does that mean I should completely dismiss them? It's like saying: if someone votes Tory can you like them? And, yes, I can. I have friends who vote Tory, and I'm appalled, but that's not to say they're not great people in so many other ways. We have a tendency to oversimplify things.

- Jo Brand

Some, Other, Tendency, Dismiss

I'd love to live in Kent but it's all a question of work.

- Jo Brand

Love, Work, Question, Kent

I have friends who vote Tory, and I'm appalled, but that's not to say they're not great people in so many other ways.

- Jo Brand

Say, Other, Appalled, Great People

There are comics who treat women fairly appallingly. But I can be great friends with them because I don't tend to do that ticking of boxes: it can make life too simplistic.

- Jo Brand

Treat, Boxes, Ticking, Great Friends

I'm not a flag waver for obesity. It's not healthy, and you have a crap life because there is such a downer on it.

- Jo Brand

Flag, Crap, Waver, Obesity

I'm a terrible sort of non-fussy eater, really. I don't like posh food very much, and the more ingredients something's got in it, the less I tend to like it.

- Jo Brand

Like, Very, Posh, Eater

A lot of people do that kind of nostalgia stuff believing that they were very happy in their teenage years, but that's probably just an illusion.

- Jo Brand

Nostalgia, Kind, Very, Teenage Years

My mum taught me to knit when I was a child, and I turn to it, for some weird reason, when I'm feeling depressed.

- Jo Brand

Reason, Some, Mum, Depressed

I wouldn't say I was organised at all. I just have to prioritise. Is it more important for them to be organised, or to have their dinner, do you know what I mean?

- Jo Brand

Say, More, Organised, Do You Know

You don't really see ugly people that are old, or a bit grotty and smelly, in the media. If a Martian came down, they would think we were all tall, thin, attractive and wealthy.

- Jo Brand

Media, Wealthy, Martian, Thin

The comedian sticks as religiously to her theme as a dancer sticks to a diet.

- Jo Brand

Her, Comedian, Dancer, Sticks

It is unrealistic to expect an entire profession to be completely good. There are bound to be some individuals who are stressed, who are unkind, who are a bit rubbish at their job, who are in the wrong career.

- Jo Brand

Career, Some, Profession, Unkind

I still get blokes who say, 'Oh you hate men, don't you?' And I say, 'No, I just hate you.' I really love doing that, just to see the look on their faces.

- Jo Brand

Love, Doing, Still, Faces

There are 10-20 times more male comics than female comics; it's something to do with the social structure of society.

- Jo Brand

More, Social, Comics, Structure

I never think, 'Where am I going to be in a year's time?' That seems to be a sure way of missing the fact that you might be quite happy now.

- Jo Brand

Think, Sure, Sure Way, Missing

What they did was to make a pilot and it may well go to series at the next festival but I don't have any news on that. It's already been on Paramount actually, but as it's on Paramount it'll probably be on several more times... hopefully.

- Jo Brand

News, Next, Been, Hopefully

I made a supreme effort not to do that thing that parents do, which is to bore people without children to death by going on and on about how funny their children are, so there's none of that hopefully.

- Jo Brand

Death, Going, Which, Hopefully

People are so different in reality from the picture created of them on TV. So it's all a creation; everything is made up.

- Jo Brand

Made, TV, Created, Creation

I think some people ramp a side of themselves up for performance purposes.

- Jo Brand

Think, Some, Side, Purposes

Christians have always been fodder for comedians who have tended to portray them as anoraks - slightly clammy, beatifically smiley dullards with barely a personality between them.

- Jo Brand

Always, Been, Slightly, Fodder

It's actually very hard when you're settled in one place to completely uproot yourself and go.

- Jo Brand

Go, Very, Settled, Uproot

The way to a man's heart is through his hanky pocket with a breadknife.

- Jo Brand

Man, Through, His, Pocket

The problem with comedy audiences - it's like the Coliseum - when they see someone struggling, they don't feel altruistic towards them. They feel slightly repulsed by it.

- Jo Brand

Like, Slightly, Repulsed, The Problem With

I do say no to lots of things, actually! I know it doesn't look like it. But I have a tendency to a) be rubbish at saying no, and b) be pushed by some kind of Protestant work ethic.

- Jo Brand

Some, Like, Tendency, Ethic

Whatever situation you are in, that is what is normal for you.

- Jo Brand

You, Whatever, Normal, Situation

I don't like doing stand-up, because I don't like standing up.

- Jo Brand

Doing, Standing, Like, Standing Up

Madness isn't altogether a bad thing in comedy.

- Jo Brand

Madness, Bad, Altogether, Bad Thing

How do you conduct an intimate relationship where no one ever loses it? Where no one ever lashes out, where no one ever smacks anyone in the mouth?

- Jo Brand

Out, Lashes, Intimate, Smack

I was really, because I thought it was extremely excruciating when I watched a tape of it, that my husband taped for me and I never watched it again after that.

- Jo Brand

Thought, Again, Excruciating, Tape

Even when I wasn't overweight I was never one of those girls or women who wanted to look nice. I always thought it wasn't important.

- Jo Brand

Thought, Look, Always, Overweight

I believe that if your brain has to get to grips with complicated words, then you won't get Alzheimer's. I'm sure it's not true, but I do believe it.

- Jo Brand

Words, Sure, Grips, Alzheimer

I read that book 'Fat is a Feminist Issue', got a bit desperate halfway through and ate it.

- Jo Brand

Through, Read, Ate, Feminist

When I was at school you got an overall general education on many things, even just basic facts.

- Jo Brand

Education, Got, Many, Basic

I think actors go along a continuum from Simon Callow down to kind of Ross Kemp, and I like to think of myself as the Ross Kemp of comedy. He's very good in 'East Enders' because he plays a version of himself. I think I can play a version of myself - that's about all I can do.

- Jo Brand

Play, I Think, Very, Version

It wasn't a conscious effort to have kids later. It was just the way life goes.

- Jo Brand

Effort, Goes, Later, Conscious Effort

Everyone in comedy thinks if you go to the U.S. you become a global star but, unfortunately, I've always been a bit anti-American - so I never did.

- Jo Brand

Star, Always, Been, Unfortunately

I've never been a fan of euphemism.

- Jo Brand

Never, Fan, Been, Euphemism

My father was an engineer and my mother was a social worker, and they met as young socialists. That probably tells you everything you need to know about my attitude to money - I've never really been bothered about it.

- Jo Brand

Been, Social, Socialists, Met

I like men. They are hugely entertaining, but they have a lot of shortcomings and you just have to bear those in mind.

- Jo Brand

Mind, Entertaining, Hugely, Bear

Even nice things don't make you happy when you're tired.

- Jo Brand

Happy, Things, Even, Nice Things

Men are fantastic - as a concept.

- Jo Brand

Men, Concept, Fantastic

School was great. There were no boys there, which didn't really bother me at the time because I had two brothers, so I was quite pleased not to spend any more time with boys.

- Jo Brand

Bother, Brothers, Which, Pleased

Wild men are so enormously attractive.

- Jo Brand

Men, Attractive, Wild

No one I know is actually so rude as to tell me I've become duller since having children. But I'm sure they think it.

- Jo Brand

Think, Sure, Having, Rude

I've always liked to think I could do anything I wished as well as - if not better than - a man. But I wasn't very good at rally driving.

- Jo Brand

Think, Always, Very, Rally

So, I kind of rather was hoping that people thought it would have a nice mixture of different topics and it also takes in the fact that I've had two children recently.

- Jo Brand

Thought, Fact, Rather, Hoping

Being Christian towards poor people means trying to improve their lives and give them back some self-respect.

- Jo Brand

Self-Respect, Give, Means, Poor People

Anything is good if it's made of chocolate.

- Jo Brand

Good, Food, Made, Chocolate

Each generation has a backlash against the generation before.

- Jo Brand

Generation, Against, Before, Backlash

If I am totally honest, I would have to say that 'Allo 'Allo!' was not my cup of tea, even though lots of people loved it. For that reason, I find comedy fascinating. There is a huge difference between what people find funny.

- Jo Brand

Tea, Reason, Would, Huge Difference

I like to shock people.

- Jo Brand

People, Like, Shock

I'm too nervous to eat before I go onstage, and I'll usually eat out after the performance or when I get home at midnight.

- Jo Brand

Go, Midnight, Before, Onstage

Jeremy Clarkson is rather charming, but I can't stomach his public persona. I don't like his casual racism and casual misogyny.

- Jo Brand

Racism, Rather, Persona, Charming

I wasn't one of those hideous children who make their parents sit through hour-long performances when you're seven. I didn't do anything like that thankfully.

- Jo Brand

Seven, Through, Like, Thankfully

Television provokes strong opinions, and sometimes we try a bit too hard to appeal to everyone.

- Jo Brand

Strong, Everyone, Too, Opinions

I must be an anorexic because an anorexic looks in the mirror and sees a fat person.

- Jo Brand

Mirror, Looks, Anorexic, Fat

The funny thing is, I don't actually think of myself as fat at all. I don't think I am. Not really.

- Jo Brand

Myself, Think, Funny Thing, Fat

What could be funnier than a fat person trying to run a marathon?

- Jo Brand

Marathon, Funnier, Could, Fat

There are lots of people who believe that caricature of me the tabloids created, so they think they don't like me.

- Jo Brand

Think, Caricature, Like, Tabloids

I'm not really a churchy person, although I do think Jesus was a good bloke.

- Jo Brand

Think, Jesus, Although, Bloke

I pay a bit more than lip-service to health: I don't eat chips or pre-prepared food, and it might be a comedy sacrilege to admit I do like vegetables, fruit and salad and stuff.

- Jo Brand

Salad, Chips, Like, Vegetables

I love everything about books. I love the content, the way they look and even the lovely way they smell. I think a book collection says something about you as a person, and certainly my books are something I'd want to pass on for future generations.

- Jo Brand

Love, Book, I Think, Collection

To me, a politician's job is to listen to constituents' problems and try to sort them out.

- Jo Brand

Me, Try, Them, Politician

When you have children, your house smells very unpleasant all the time.

- Jo Brand

Children, Very, Unpleasant, Smells

Having children is fab. They keep me young and make me get up in the morning.

- Jo Brand

Young, Having, Children

I've never trained as an actor. I've always thought I'm not a good actor. I've been told I'm not a good actor by a lot of people.

- Jo Brand

Always, Been, Trained, Actor

I just don't like travelling very much.

- Jo Brand

Like, Just, Very, Travelling

I think it's difficult, if you're a quite private person like I am, to write about your life very intimately.

- Jo Brand

Think, Private, Very, Private Person

People can forgive each other.

- Jo Brand

People, Other, Each, Forgive

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