Who said “Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire…”?

Verified

James Thurber. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter, March 11, 1954, to Malcolm Cowley. Collecting Himself (1989)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine a famous witty saying that is not immediately clear.”
— James Thurber
VerifiedLetter, March 11, 1954, to Malcolm Cowley. Collecting Himself (1989) · evidenceComedy and Comedians

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter, March 11, 1954, to Malcolm Cowley. Collecting Himself (1989).

APA

Thurber, J. (n.d.). Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine a famous witty saying that is not immediately clear. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6688-comedy-has-to-be-done-en-clair-you/

MLA

Thurber, James. “Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine a famous witty saying that is not immediately clear.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6688-comedy-has-to-be-done-en-clair-you/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Thurber, James. “Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine a famous witty saying that is not immediately clear.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6688-comedy-has-to-be-done-en-clair-you/.

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More quotes by James Thurber

“He who hesitates is sometimes saved.”
Verified"The Glass in the Field", The New Yorker (31 October 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). · evidenceDetails & citeIndecision
“You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.”
Verified"The Owl who was God", The New Yorker (29 April 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). Parody of "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." · evidenceDetails & citeLies and Lying
“Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?”
VerifiedCartoon caption, The New Yorker (5 June 1937); "Word Dance--Part One", A Thurber Carnival (1960) · evidenceDetails & citeConflict
All 54 James Thurber quotes →