Whenever I'm out of town for at least a week, I feel like I should write a postcard or something, but you can be a genius, you try and write a postcard you come across like a moron anyway: 'This city's got big buildings. I like food. Bye.' Jim Gaffigan More Quotes by Jim Gaffigan More Quotes From Jim Gaffigan I left the Midwest thinking I didn't fit in. But when I got to New York, I realized how truly Midwestern I was. Jim Gaffigan midwest new-york thinking I grew up 45 minutes outside of Chicago. Jim Gaffigan minutes chicago grew-up Be more assertive with what you want to do. Jim Gaffigan assertive what-you-want want I've always been somebody that it takes me longer to learn things, but once I learn them... I'm like a quarterback that plays best in the fourth quarter. Jim Gaffigan fourth-quarter quarters play I had some jokes that were dirty. And some of it is when I started making appearances on Conan and Letterman back in the late '90s, I think. You had to remove the curse words, or you couldn't do some of the more explicit jokes. Jim Gaffigan conan dirty thinking The ridiculousness and idiocy of life is embraced and examined. It nurtures the childhood perspective in everyone. Jim Gaffigan childhood perspective life-is I realized, in removing or rewriting these jokes, that often the jokes weren't done or that I was using, for me, the curse words as kind of a crutch. So then I just started writing. Jim Gaffigan kind done writing I think when I started doing stand-up, that's when I really tried to question everything in my belief system which is - I think a pretty important part of being a comedian is really questioning things. Jim Gaffigan comedian important thinking I always had this romantic notion of living in New York. I just felt like, everyone could be different and weird and whatever they are in New York. Jim Gaffigan notion different new-york You didn't question - kind of like, you would go to college. You would wear a tie to work. You would, you know, you would work for 40 years. And then you would play golf for three years, and then you would die. That was how I was raised. Jim Gaffigan ties college golf I think when my mother died, it was such a - you know, a shock to the logic that I had been raised with. Jim Gaffigan logic mother thinking I never went to church when I was in college, either. Jim Gaffigan church college I would say my return to my faith is - it's a very personal thing. Jim Gaffigan personal-things return I reached a point in my life where I didn't really like who I was.I was married to an amazing woman. I had children, and yet there was frustration. Jim Gaffigan married frustration children Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the most difficult kind of, you know, medieval idea. All right, instead of just cooking them, why don't you spend, like, eight hours peeling them and then we'll have to mash them up. It feels like prison labor, really. Jim Gaffigan eight mean ideas I love standup comedians. I really do. Jim Gaffigan stand-up-comedian comedian The idea of having a large family, I definitely had a romantic notion of it. Jim Gaffigan large-family notion ideas Faith is something that's - it's hard to articulate. It's - there's - it's not based on logic. Jim Gaffigan hard logic I didn't think that it's something that would happen. I didn't think I would be in the position, emotionally or financially, to be able to do that. But I've been lucky [to have big family]. Jim Gaffigan big-families would-be thinking My children have made me a better man, which is - in the end, that's probably more important than two more comedy specials or being in better shape. Jim Gaffigan men two children
