"Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?"
About this Quote
Williams' intent is classic observational comedy, but the subtext is sharper than it looks. He is not just complaining about congestion; he's mocking how easily we accept absurdity when it comes packaged as routine. The line turns a shared annoyance into a miniature critique of late-20th-century American life: commutes that stretch longer, cities built around cars, workdays structured as if human bodies were interchangeable parts in a schedule. The "rush" becomes aspirational branding for friction.
Context matters: Williams came up in an era when car culture and suburban sprawl were not just infrastructure but identity, and by the 80s and 90s, the daily commute was practically a secular ritual. His question is a fake-naive one, the kind a kid would ask, and that's the weapon. It makes adults hear their own language and realize how much nonsense they have agreed to live inside. The laugh is recognition, and the recognition stings because tomorrow you're back on the freeway, "rushing" nowhere.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Unverified source: Mork & Mindy: "Mork in Love" (TV episode quotes) (Robin Williams, 1978)
Evidence: Earliest primary-source match I could verify is the line spoken by Robin Williams as the character Mork in the Mork & Mindy episode titled "Mork in Love" (aired 1978). IMDb’s quotes page records the dialogue: Mindy asks about traffic observation; Mork replies, "Why do they call it 'rush hour' whe... Other candidates (2) The Incontrovertible Code of (Formerly) Unwritten Rules (Quentin Parker, 2011) compilation95.0% ... Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves ? -ROBIN WILLIAMS You've probably forgotten that there are three... Robin Williams (Robin Williams) compilation37.2% had theres a price to pay there always is it doesnt come from nothing it comes |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Williams, Robin. (2026, January 13). Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/why-do-they-call-it-rush-hour-when-nothing-moves-21025/
Chicago Style
Williams, Robin. "Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?" FixQuotes. January 13, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/why-do-they-call-it-rush-hour-when-nothing-moves-21025/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?" FixQuotes, 13 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/why-do-they-call-it-rush-hour-when-nothing-moves-21025/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







