Quotes by Eric Idle

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours.”

“A lot has been said about politicians; some of it complimentary, but most of it accurate”

“As long as there are innocent nickels to be made from the gullible, Python-starved public, I shall be out there dressed in silly frocks and singing filthy lyrics. Im coming your way in search of ancient dollars.”

“The Minister of Transport issued this appeal to motorists: Can anyone give him a lift to Leicester?”

“At least one way of measuring the freedom of any society is the amount of comedy that is permitted, and clearly a healthy society permits more satirical comment than a repressive, so that if comedy is to function in some way as a safety release then it must obviously deal with these taboo areas. This is part of the responsibility we accord our licensed jesters, that nothing be excused the searching light of comedy. If anything can survive the probe of humour it is clearly of value, and conversely all groups who claim immunity from laughter are claiming special privileges which should not be granted.”

“You look just like you!”

“I like the idea of being out there regularly with an audience and with a funny gang of people. Thats what I grew up with -- doing television, doing shows every week.”

“No day of my life passes without someone saying the words Monty Python to me. Its not bad.”

“Were like his test audience. Its a nightmare for Steve, a terrifying experience. The fact that hes done it before doesnt stop the angst.”

“Nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more”

“Bear in mind the simple rule, X squared to the power of two minus five over the seven point eight three times nineteen is approximately equal to the cube root of MCC squared divided by X minus a quarter of a third percent. Keep that in mind, and you cant go very far wrong.”

“To me, the musical is best when its a musical comedy, ... So if you have a very, very funny show, and very good, funny songs, thats what the musical does best.”

“And we poisoned their minds.”

“We were rewarded by owning our own masters [of the programs]. We established an American law principle that the creators do have rights over and above what the networks tell you is standards and practices.”

“I think the nice thing for us has been that every 10 years theres been a complete change in technology. Its like buying your own records again.”

“The lovely thing for us is, because it is digital, it can still look really fresh and new. Some people dont know that were just old farts.”

“I love being an older comic now. Its like being an old soccer or an old baseball player. Youre in the Hall of Fame and its nice, but youre no longer that person in the limelight on the spot doing that thing.”

“Were all over 60. Im sorry to say this, but comedy is really a young mans game. Its sort of about what you had to say when you were fresh and young. And Im perfectly happy to get drunk with the rest of them.”

“They have to get their own personal best. Its called my personal best. ... There was one or two things everybody wanted, and we sort of agreed to let some people have them.”

“There was often antagonism and chair throwing and stamping of feet, which is kind of a healthy thing to do when youre arguing about whats funny. That healthy tension was something that held the group together.”