Top 15+ Famous Quotes from 70s Comedians That Are Still Funny Today

1. George Carlin

George Carlin was a master of turning the obvious into the absurd. With his comments on language and logic sharp as a razor, he had us holding our sides laughing at teasing life’s contradictions. In one great bit, he quipped, “I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed.” It’s a classic illustration of his application of wordplay—witty, ironic, and flat-out timelessness.

2. Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor pushed limits with his expletive-filled, uncompromising stand-up. He frequently employed his own life as a lens to examine race and identity. In his history-making Live in Concert special, he remarks, “I went to Zimbabwe…I know how white people feel in America now—relaxed!” Pryor’s delivery made the punchline hilarious, but the reality beneath it made it unforgettable.

3. Steve Martin

Steve Martin brought absurdity cool with his goofy antics and preposterous surrealism. On sold-out concert shows, he’d deadpan line after line such as, “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.” It’s stupid on the surface—but that’s where the genius comes in. His whole routine was a spoof of comedy itself, and it never gets tired.

5. Bill Cosby

Before scandal tarnished his reputation, Bill Cosby was America’s favorite raconteur. His stand-up bits in the ’70s were clean, witty, and observational. One of his classic time-tested bits is, “A word to the wise ain’t necessary—it’s the stupid ones who need the advice.” It’s a humorous dig at how advice usually goes in one ear and out the other—and it’s still being quoted today.

6. Gilda Radner

One of the first cast members of Saturday Night Live, Gilda Radner brought offbeat beauties like Roseanne Roseannadanna to life. She wisecracked once, “I base most of my fashion taste on what doesn’t itch.” Spoken in her endearing way, the one-liner is the type of subtle humor that trundles over you—and lingers.

7. Cheech Marin (Cheech & Chong)

Cheech & Chong were the stoner generation’s comedians. One of their greatest scenes in Up in Smoke is the exchange: “Hey man, am I driving okay?” To which the response was, “I think we’re parked, man.” It’s the kind of spaced-out, hilarious misunderstanding that led them to be cult comedy icons.

8. Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin’s genius was evident in her character work—quirky, charming, and full of truth. In one of her most oft-quoted lines, she said, “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” It’s hilarious and observational, boiling the complexity of aspiration down to a sentence.

9. Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman was no ordinary comedian—he didn’t joke, he was the joke. A master of anti-humor and performance art, Kaufman famously declared, “I never told a joke in my life.” And he wasn’t lying. His whole being undermined what it meant to be funny, and that anarchic spirit continues to inspire.

10. Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield was the master of self-deprecation. With his signature line, “I don’t get no respect,” he established a comedy dynasty. One of his most famous jokes went like this: “My wife and I were happy for 20 years—then we met.” Typical Rodney—one line, and the entire audience was in stitches.

11. Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller made outrageous wigs, boisterous clothes, and acid one-liners acceptable on stage years before it was hip. With her rapid, deadly wit, she joked one day, “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?” It’s the sort of dry, domestic humor comedians perform today still modeling after

12. Bill Hicks

Although Bill Hicks’ fame was during the ’80s and early ’90s, his earliest endeavors at society even in the late ’70s presented to us his soon-to-be-greatness. One of his first endeavors at society was, “Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye.” Wise, provoking, and well before his time.

13. Freddie Prinze

Chico and the Man’s Freddie Prinze was an emerging Latin-American comedian whose life was ended in a tragically premature fashion. One of his hardest of lines was, “It’s not easy being Puerto Rican—and poor. It’s like being doubly invisible.” His wisecrack-and-personable, identity-and-struggle-based humor was always available.

14. Don Rickles

Don Rickles was the first insult comedian, putting both his audience members and his celebrity guests in their place. He’d quipped, “I never got along with my mother. I’m not alone—my kids feel the same way.” Spoken in his characteristic smirk and fast-buck pace, it was foul—but always laugh-out-loud funny.

15. Moms Mabley

Years before the ’70s, Moms Mabley was breaking barriers for all the stand-up comedians who came after her. But even in old age, she could move quicker than lightning. She quipped one time, “There ain’t nothing an old man can do for me but bring me a message from a young one.” Saucy, brassy, and irreplaceable—just like her.