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9 Surprisingly Inspirational Quotes from the Funniest Comedians

Laugh all you want, but these funny people are actually wise guys.

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Actress Amy PoehlerPhoto: Rena Schild/Shutterstock

Take Big Chances

“The great thing about taking big chances when you’re younger is you have less to lose, and you don’t know as much. So you take big swings.”—Amy Poehler

Check out The 75 Funniest Quotes of All Time.

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Ellen DeGeneresPhoto: Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock

Show People Your Brain

“Life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you’ll have more beads than you know what to do with.”—Ellen DeGeneres

Here are The 17 Best Pieces of Advice from Flawless Graduation Speeches.

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Robin WilliamsPhoto: Tinseltown/Shutterstock

Use Your Madness

“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”—Robin Williams

Check out The RD Interview: Remembering Robin Williams.

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Steve MartinPhoto: Tinseltown/Shutterstock

Be So Good

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”—Steve Martin

Check out these sage pieces of advice from the really, really rich.

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Tina FeyPhoto: Tinseltown/Shutterstock

Go Down the Chute

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the water slide overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”—Tina Fey

Boost your confidence and self-esteem with these expert-approved strategies.

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Conan O'BrienPhoto: Lev Radin/Shutterstock

Work Hard and Be Kind

“Work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen.”—Conan O’Brien

Science Has Finally Determined the 5 Little Life Skills That Promise Success.

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Ricky GervaisPhoto: Sam Aronov/Shutterstock

Everyone Should Create

“You should bring something into the world that wasn’t in the world before. It doesn’t matter what that is. It doesn’t matter if it’s a table or a film or gardening—everyone should create. You should do something, then sit back and say ‘I did that.'”—Ricky Gervais

Check out these 5 Ways to Prevent Busyness From Ruining Your Life.

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Jim CarreyPhoto: Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock

Desperation is Interesting

“Desperation is a necessary ingredient to learning anything, or creating anything. Period. If you ain’t desperate at some point, you ain’t interesting.”—Jim Carrey

Take a time-out for some romantic insight with these funny marriage quotes by men.

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George BurnsPhoto: Vicki L. Miller/Shutterstock

Always Look Forward

“Look to the future, because that is where you’ll spend the rest of your life.”—George Burns

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest