If you're going to shoot a mime, do you use a silencer?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker questions the logic of using silence on a silent person.
- In plain terms
- Would a tool for silence work on someone already silent?
- What can you take from it?
- Redundant solutions highlight absurd problem-solving.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is a tool useless?
- What assumptions do you make?
Another view
Not all problems need solutions that match their cause.
More from Steven Wright
The Bermuda Triangle got tired of warm weather. It moved to Alaska. Now Santa Claus is missing.
Permalink to quote #162 My friend Sally is a nudist. I went over to her house. There were no doors on the closets. The walls were covered with see-through wallpaper.
Permalink to quote #164 (In his usual dry, monotone voice) 'Thanks.'
Permalink to quote #161
Related quotes
'What is the answer?' [ I was silent ] 'In that case, what is the question?'
Gertrude SteinGertrude Stein quote #8 Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.
Steven WrightSteven Wright quote #13 Answers are not obtained by putting the wrong question and thereby begging the real one.
Felix FrankfurterFelix Frankfurter quote #20