Hannibal Buress Quotes

"When people go through something rough in life, they say, 'I'm taking it one day at a time.' Yes, so is everybody. Because that's how time works."

"My dad named me after Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian general who attacked Rome. But nobody knows about him."

"I'm doin' something different. I mean, I talk a little bit about race and interracial dating, but it's not the heart of my act. I just try to do what I think is funny; there's no huge message or through line."

"My second year of college, I started performing comedy at an open mic. It was good to do open mics with the kids. It's a good, safe spot to start, you know?"

"I'm in awful shape. I'm trying to get in better shape. My girlfriend, she's in good shape. She gives me health tips sometimes, like, 'Hannibal, you're going to die.' Stuff like that."

"I think one of my first jokes - in the black community, there's people who have jokes about skin tone. People like, 'You so black, you purple.' 'You so black, you gotta smile so we can see you at night.'"

"Dave Chappelle is one of my comedic inspirations. His perspective is crazy, and he's super sharp."

"'Inside Out' - that was a really good movie. That's the first animated movie I saw since 'The Lego Movie.'"

"I skipped kindergarten because I was reading at a pretty high level. That's a weird and cocky thing to say, but I was real sharp, and I knew that early on."

"I had a sketch called 'Fedora Basketball,' which was about basketball players having to wear hats; in addition to scoring points, they have to make sure their fedoras don't fall off."

"I go to a lot of rap shows and sometimes take what they do from a performer's aspect, how they interact with the crowd. I always have a DJ with me on the road, as well as some dancers."

"I think it's a tough transition. It's easy to go from comedian to rapper, but to go from rapper to comedian is tougher."

"I really like Halal food."

"In my hometown of Chicago, I'm kind of a medium deal."

"I don't know if I have a 'Greatest Album Ever.' I really liked 'The Blueprint' by Jay-Z. The production on that album was really great. 'All I Need' was the first song I used for walk-on music in 2002 for my second time ever on stage, so that means a lot to me."

"People like to compare something to something that they know. Even with Chris Rock, they say he's like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy."

"I'd like to get more bit-acting roles. I don't know if my talent would allow for a long dialogue, but I could definitely knock out three lines. I'd kill it."

"'SNL' is the first real job I've held for more than a month and a half."

"With sitcom writing, you're trying to write stories."

"The ultimate thing is creating your own stuff and making projects for yourself. That's what Seth Rogen does. He's writing and producing a lot of the movies that he's the lead in."

"I remember 'Def Comedy Jam' being a big deal and kids talking about it in school, but it was never, 'I want to do that.'"

"Comedy is basically self-deprecation."

"I can work as a writer, but I wanted to do stand-up."

"I haven't really tried to write a movie. It's tough to get into that mode."

"I took an improv class in 2005 in Chicago at ComedySportz, which was short-form, more of a games-based improv. I remember it being real fun and helping with my stand-up. If I did an improv class, and then I did stand-up later, I felt looser on stage and more comfortable."

"I could maybe coach kids' basketball. I know enough about basketball where I feel like I could coach 12-year-olds pretty effectively."

"I like that Barack got that job."

"Actors, you have to wait for people to give you work, or you have to make your own stuff. But standup, I could just say, 'I want to do standup in 30 minutes,' and I can go do standup. Or I could just say, 'I want to do standup in a few weeks in this city.'"

"I did not move to New York with a plan. The first time I moved to New York, I just popped up. My sister was living here in New York. I just popped up. She had her baby and a husband, and I just popped up. 'Hey, what's up? I got $200 and dreams. Let's do this.'"

"Even on TV appearances or big shows, I don't know if I've ever been as nervous as I was my first time doing stand-up. I just remember getting offstage and sitting down, and my right knee was just shaking from the adrenaline."