Penn Jillette Quotes

Powerful Penn Jillette for Daily Growth

Even if I disagree with Obama on many, many things, he is certainly qualified to be president. He is certainly competent to be president.

- Penn Jillette

Disagree, Certainly, Even, Qualified

From 1985 to 1994, I lived in Manhattan in a big old loft right off Times Square. I could walk to work, which was in a couple of Broadway theaters, to Howard Stern's studio, and to 30 Rock for 'Letterman' and 'SNL.' Even in New York, walking to work is homey and folksy, like living in a small town.

- Penn Jillette

Small, Big, Studio, Manhattan

Don't waste too much time wishing, hoping, and being envious; it'll make you bugnutty.

- Penn Jillette

Too Much, Waste, Being, Envious

I came to magic absolutely hating magic on a very, very deep level.

- Penn Jillette

Deep, Magic, Very, Hating

When I was a kid, politicians wanted to avoid talking about religion if they could. John F. Kennedy couldn't duck the issue, being Catholic and all. So how did he address it? By reminding Americans that religion shouldn't be an issue, that he was concentrating on big things like poverty and hunger and leading the space race.

- Penn Jillette

Big, Leading, Concentrating, Duck

Behaving morally because of a hope of reward or a fear of punishment is not morality. Morality is not bribery or threats. Religion is bribery and threats. Humans have morality. We don't need religion.

- Penn Jillette

Reward, Need, Bribery, Punishment

I love when violent, dangerous art is done by people who are not violent and dangerous. I love that when George Romero was making 'Dawn of the Dead,' he was coaching his son's little league team.

- Penn Jillette

Love, Art, Violent, Little League

Jay-Z, he knows precisely who he's going for - 14-year-old white suburban girls.

- Penn Jillette

White, Precisely, Suburban, Jay-Z

I will not counter the insanity of the PATRIOT Act with an overblown fear of my rights being taken away.

- Penn Jillette

Insanity, Away, Patriot Act, Patriot

I'm a big fan of gospel music, and you cannot be a fan of rock and roll, you cannot be a fan of country western music, and you can't really be a fan of jazz without listening to a lot of music that's religious.

- Penn Jillette

Listening, Big, Country, Big Fan

For better or worse, in the 21st century, reality shows are the variety show.

- Penn Jillette

Better, Shows, Century, Reality Shows

TV networks are dying. The death throes of religion give us jihads. The death throes of television give us reality shows.

- Penn Jillette

Death, Give, TV, Reality Shows

I have no evidence that libertarianism leads to a better life. I just think it is morally right.

- Penn Jillette

Think, Better, Better Life, Morally

The secret truth of 'Celebrity Apprentice' is that it isn't very hard... 'Celebrity Apprentice' is easy like junior high is easy. All the arithmetic, the creative writing and the history are super simple, but like junior high, you do that easy work surrounded by people who are full-tilt, hormone-raging bug nutty.

- Penn Jillette

Celebrity, Surrounded, Very, Nutty

Computers absolutely changed my life. Before I had a computer, I had never written one thing. Not one thing. I'm a very bad speller and I was embarrassed by that. When I would type, the little mistakes would make me nutty, and I would never edit anything.

- Penn Jillette

My Life, Bad, Very, Nutty

My hair is way, way long. I've hitchhiked across the country a zillion times. I've ridden in every car. I was never a hippie. It takes more than long hair.

- Penn Jillette

Country, More, Way, Hippie

Showbiz is just there to give people something to talk about.

- Penn Jillette

Give, Talk, About, Showbiz

The First Amendment says nothing about your getting paid for saying anything. It just says you can say it. I don't believe that if a corporation pulls all the money out of you or a network pulls their money away or you get fired, you're being censored.

- Penn Jillette

Away, Amendment, About, Censored

Freedom means the freedom to be stupid, and that's what I want.

- Penn Jillette

Freedom, Stupid, Means, Freedom Means

People like Bill Maher, who brags about being a cynic, it sickens me. I am the least cynical person I know, and I am very, very skeptical.

- Penn Jillette

Like, Very, About, Brag

A lot of people, to attack an outspoken atheist, one of the things they'll do is say, 'You are as bad as the fundamentalist Christians.' And my answer is always, 'I hope so.'

- Penn Jillette

Bad, Always, Christians, Outspoken

Once you have somebody that is telling you, 'We are interpreting God for you,' it seems like you either agree or you don't. You either say, like Martin Luther, 'I'm going to have a direct relationship with the word of God,' or I'm going to go through a conduit of God on Earth,' which would be the Pope.

- Penn Jillette

Through, Telling, Pope, Luther

The Tea Party claims to want small government.

- Penn Jillette

Tea, Government, Small, Claims

If you like the stuff I do, my chances of liking you go up.

- Penn Jillette

Chance, Like, Liking, Chances

When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was, 'This really is what religious people do.' Those people flying the plane were very good, very pious, truly faithful believers. There's no other way to paint them. Of course, they are extremists by definition, but they certainly aren't going against Islam in any real way.

- Penn Jillette

Religious, Very, Plane, Pious

A lot of older parents worry about being older parents. I hear people say, 'I don't want to be too old to play baseball with my son.' They worry that their kids will be embarrassed by their parents' age.

- Penn Jillette

Play, Embarrassed, About, Hear People

I love the feeling of shredded wheat. I love healthy bird food with a fun-to-eat feel. Then you spray them with sugar, and I'm there.

- Penn Jillette

Love, Feel, Spray, Wheat

I intend to do the Penn & Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.

- Penn Jillette

Magic, Show, Penn, Intend

Barack Obama is way smarter than Bush - so way, way smarter than me. Obama is way more charismatic than me.

- Penn Jillette

More, Barack, Bush, Smarter

One of the things that Teller and I are obsessed with, one of the reasons that we're in magic, is the difference between fantasy and reality. That is the subject that, if you have a brain in your head, is always dealt with in magic. The smarter the tricks you're doing, the more that' s an important thing.

- Penn Jillette

Magic, Doing, Reasons, Smarter

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