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Humor & Life Quote by Robin Williams

"When in doubt, go for the dick joke"

About this Quote

There’s a reason this line lands like a stage whisper and a dare at the same time: it treats the lowest common denominator as an emergency exit. Robin Williams isn’t praising laziness so much as naming a truth about live comedy under pressure. When the room goes quiet, when a bit starts to wobble, when your brain turns into dial-up, you reach for the most reliable reset button in the human toolkit: sex, bodies, embarrassment. It’s a crude lever that moves the whole crowd.

The intent is pragmatic, not philosophical. Williams came up in an ecosystem where speed mattered - clubs, late-night sets, improv riffs - and “when in doubt” is the key phrase. Doubt is the comedian’s natural habitat: you’re reading microexpressions, adjusting cadence, chasing laughter like it’s oxygen. A dick joke is a blunt instrument, but it’s also a universally understood one; it cuts through class, politics, and most cultural references with caveman efficiency.

The subtext is more revealing: sophistication is fragile, but tension is constant. A cheap laugh isn’t just cheap; it’s a pressure valve. Williams, famously elastic and manic in performance, knew that audiences don’t only want cleverness - they want release. The joke becomes a lifeline, a way to keep intimacy with the crowd when the “smart” material risks turning into homework.

Context matters, too: it’s Williams the virtuoso admitting that even virtuosos keep a spare tire. The confession is half strategy, half self-mockery - a reminder that comedy’s highest art still runs on the oldest fuel.

Quote Details

TopicWitty One-Liners
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Williams, Robin. (2026, January 18). When in doubt, go for the dick joke. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-in-doubt-go-for-the-dick-joke-21022/

Chicago Style
Williams, Robin. "When in doubt, go for the dick joke." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-in-doubt-go-for-the-dick-joke-21022/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When in doubt, go for the dick joke." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-in-doubt-go-for-the-dick-joke-21022/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

Robin Williams

Robin Williams (July 21, 1952 - August 11, 2014) was a Comedian from USA.

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