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About this quote

What does it mean?
Bruce compares communism to a monopoly phone company, suggesting that speaking out against it leads to minimal or trivial retaliation.
In plain terms
Standing up to powerful systems might only get you small punishments.
What can you take from it?
Opposing authority often yields disproportionate consequences.

Where it applies

  • political dissent
  • historical satire
  • activism

Putting it to work

  • warn against conformity
  • highlight absurdity

Questions to consider

  • What counts as severe punishment?
  • Is satire effective here?

Another view

The analogy relies on a specific historical context of phone monopolies.

More from Lenny Bruce

  1. The 'what should be' never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it. There is no 'what should be,' there is only what is.

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  2. There are never enough 'I love you's.'

    Permalink to quote #30
  3. I'm sorry if I wasn't very funny tonight. Sometimes I'm not. I'm not a comedian. I'm Lenny Bruce.

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