Benchleys Humor

"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous." - Robert Benchley

Who said it

Robert Benchley is an American humorist and columnist. Benchley found his fame in New York as a columnist in Vanity Fair and the New York Times. Aside from his humorous parodies, Benchley is also well-known for his comedic short films. His most famous work, “How to Sleep” won the Best Short Subject Award in the Academy Awards in 1935. He has also worked on other numerous short films, and even starred in several of these films. Benchley’s comedy style is mostly parody and spoofing, whether it’s the trends of the times or himself.

What it means

As expected of Benchley, even this quote has humor. In this quote, Benchley is going for irony; supposedly it’s meant as a disparagement for his writing style and prowess, but eventually he ends up praising himself as he has managed to capture a loyal following of his writings, resulting to his fame. This quote is a good example of Benchley’s writing style and skills in humor, which is worthy of emulation. This illustrates how he likes to poke fun at himself and how he likes to use parody to get his point and humor across. One can take it as either a veiled self-praise, or a cool-headed observation of a fact about himself, there’s no denying hat Robert Benchley is one very funny guy.