George Carlin

Birthday: 12 May 1937, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name: George Denis Patrick Carlin

Height: 175 cm

Born and raised by his mother in Manhattan, New York City. His parents divorced when he was two months. His mother (as well as his father) worked in marketing, where they met. The long hours the mother worked left the young George by himself for long hours every day, providing him (in his own words), the time he needed to think about various subjects, listen to radio, and practice his impersonations, that where acclaimed by his mother and coworkers since an early age. Carlin started out as a conventional comedian and had achieved a fair degree of success as a Bill Cosby style raconteur in nightclubs and on TV until the late 1960s, when he radically overhauled his persona. His routines became more insightful, introducing more serious subjects. As he aged, he became more cynic and bitter, unintentionally changing his stage persona again in a radical way throughout the 90s. This new George Carlin, usually referred to as the late George Carlin, is one of the most acclaimed and enjoyed by the public and critics. Carlin's forte is Lenny Bruce-style social and political commentary, spiced with nihilistic observations about people and religion peppered with black humor. He is also noted for his masterful knowledge and use of the English language. Carlin's notorious "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine was part of a radio censorship case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978. Show less «

On election day, I'll be doing the same thing you folks are doing, except when I'm finished masturba...Show more »

On election day, I'll be doing the same thing you folks are doing, except when I'm finished masturbating I'm going to have a little more to show for it. (from George Carlin: Back in Town (1996)) Show less «

Did you ever do this? Look at your dog and think of the saddest thing you can think of. It'll look l...Show more »

Did you ever do this? Look at your dog and think of the saddest thing you can think of. It'll look like it's happening to your dog. All the sadness of the world is in the eyes of a dog. [from On Location: Carlin at Carnegie (1983)] Show less «

If my teacher could have influenced my sexuality, I would have turned out to be a nun. [During the 1...Show more »

If my teacher could have influenced my sexuality, I would have turned out to be a nun. [During the 1970s, responding to the mistaken belief that gay people "recruit" children and shouldn't be teachers] Show less «

That's my job: thinking up goofy shit. [Said on several different recordings, including A Place for ...Show more »

That's my job: thinking up goofy shit. [Said on several different recordings, including A Place for My Stuff] Show less «

If you love someone, set them free; if they come home, set them on fire. [from the book Brain Droppi...Show more »

If you love someone, set them free; if they come home, set them on fire. [from the book Brain Droppings, 1997] Show less «

[on The George Carlin Show (1994)] Lesson learned: always check mental health of creative partner be...Show more »

[on The George Carlin Show (1994)] Lesson learned: always check mental health of creative partner beforehand. Loved the actors, loved the crew. Had a great time. Couldn't wait to get the fuck out of there. Show less «

I'm completely in favor of the separation of church and state. My idea is that these two institution...Show more »

I'm completely in favor of the separation of church and state. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death. [unsourced] Show less «

I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood. [f...Show more »

I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood. [from "An Interview with Jesus", from the album "A Place for My Stuff"] Show less «

I don't have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights. [from the book N...Show more »

I don't have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights. [from the book Napalm & Silly Putty] Show less «

For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: cle...Show more »

For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: clear-cutting forests, strip-mining mountains, poisoning the atmosphere, over-fishing the oceans, polluting the rivers and lakes, destroying wetlands and aquifers...so when nature strikes back, and smacks him on the head and kicks him in the nuts, I enjoy that. I have absolutely no sympathy for human beings whatsoever. None. And no matter what kind of problem humans are facing, whether it's natural or man-made, I always hope it gets worse. (Life is Worth Losing) Show less «

Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fa...Show more »

Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fact of your next dusting has already been established. [from the book "Napalm & Silly Putty"] Show less «

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.

If acting was hard for me, I wouldn't do it; it is something that I like to do.

[in his will, regarding his funeral] I wish no public service of any kind. I wish no religious servi...Show more »

[in his will, regarding his funeral] I wish no public service of any kind. I wish no religious service of any kind. I prefer a private gathering at my home, attended by friends and family members... It should be extremely informal, they should play rhythm and blues music, and they should laugh a lot. Show less «

Floating around the Internet these days, posted and e-mailed back and forth, are a number of writing...Show more »

Floating around the Internet these days, posted and e-mailed back and forth, are a number of writings attributed to me, and I want people to know they're not mine. Don't blame me. [...] Here's a rule of thumb, folks: Nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it came from one of my albums, books, HBO shows, or appeared on my website. [from his official website, in response to the massive number of jokes and rants on the internet that are falsely attributed to him.] Show less «

Standing ovations have become far too commonplace. What we need are ovations where the audience memb...Show more »

Standing ovations have become far too commonplace. What we need are ovations where the audience members all punch and kick one another. [from the book "Napalm & Silly Putty"] Show less «

As long as you have observations to make, as long as you can see things and let them register agains...Show more »

As long as you have observations to make, as long as you can see things and let them register against your template, as long as you're able to take impressions and compare them with the old ones, you will always have material. People have always asked me: 'Don't you ever think you might run out of ideas? Don't you ever worry about not having anything to say anymore?' Occasionally that does flash through your mind, because it's a natural human impulse to think in terms of beginnings and endings. The truth is, I can't run out of ideas - not as long as I keep getting new information and I can keep processing it. Show less «

I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it. [from the boo...Show more »

I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it. [from the book "Brain Droppings"] Show less «

Somehow I enjoy watching people suffer. [from the book "Napalm & Silly Putty]

Heart disease has changed my eating habits, but I still cook bacon for the smell. [from the book "Br...Show more »

Heart disease has changed my eating habits, but I still cook bacon for the smell. [from the book "Brain Droppings"] Show less «

I collected autographs as a kid - not in any sort of hardcore way, but just by hanging around the st...Show more »

I collected autographs as a kid - not in any sort of hardcore way, but just by hanging around the stage doors. And I loved Danny Kaye. He was in the stage show at Radio City, and I went and I stood at that door for over an hour. It was a rainy, cold day - I wasn't in the direct rain, but it was very cold and it was getting dark. And I stood there and waited for Danny Kaye, and he came and I was the only kid there. And he walked right past me. He wouldn't even say anything. And I did my little rap, "Oh please, please, please . . ." And then later I see him with these UNICEF kids, with 30 of them sitting on his lap, and I knew he was full of shit. Show less «

[on being fired from his Las Vegas lounge act in the the early '60s]: I was fired for saying 'shit' ...Show more »

[on being fired from his Las Vegas lounge act in the the early '60s]: I was fired for saying 'shit' in a town where the most popular game is called 'craps'. [from the album "FM & AM"] Show less «

[March 1997] We use up words like "spiritual" so fast in this culture. Twenty years ago "spiritual" ...Show more »

[March 1997] We use up words like "spiritual" so fast in this culture. Twenty years ago "spiritual" had a distinct meaning. But now there's a lot of jack-off thinkers who just love to talk about the spiritual. And there is a lot of bogus -- is "bogosity" a word? It should be -- a lot of bogosity in these spiritual seekers. So you have to find another way to express it. I just call it "how I fit". Show less «

I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

Who says life is sacred? God? Hey, if you read your history, God is one of the leading causes of dea...Show more »

Who says life is sacred? God? Hey, if you read your history, God is one of the leading causes of death. (from George Carlin: Back in Town (1996)) Show less «

Don't confuse my point of view with cynicism. The real cynics are the ones who tell you that everyth...Show more »

Don't confuse my point of view with cynicism. The real cynics are the ones who tell you that everything's gonna be all right. [from the introduction to the book "Brain Droppings"] Show less «

When evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve.

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year t...Show more »

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong. [from the book "Brain Droppings", p88] Show less «

I enjoy criticizing on the basis of "It's you folks." Because I never felt a part of this, I never i...Show more »

I enjoy criticizing on the basis of "It's you folks." Because I never felt a part of this, I never identified with a local group. I never belonged to any club, organization, or state. I love New York City, but that's a chauvinist thing. I suppose it's a belonging thing. I'm not proud of this country, I don't care what happens to it, I honestly don't give a shit if it all goes up in flames. Having that freedom just made the writing so much more fun. Show less «

Doing new stuff is a point of pride with me. People may not consider it so, but stand-up comedy is o...Show more »

Doing new stuff is a point of pride with me. People may not consider it so, but stand-up comedy is one of the performing arts, and artists are supposed to grow and evolve over time. Through the years, my technique has sharpened, my writing has improved and even my observations have grown richer. I can't do old material; I would feel like a failure. Essentially, this job is that of a writer, but a writer who doesn't produce new work all the time is not a writer - he's a typist. Show less «

The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "Yo...Show more »

The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done". [from George Carlin: Carlin on Campus (1984)] Show less «

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dish...Show more »

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second best policy. Second is not all that bad. [from the book "Brain Droppings"] Show less «

Most people are not particularly good at anything. [from the book "Brain Droppings"]

Always do whatever's next. [from the book Brain Droppings, p215]