The man just gets it.
—
Somewhere towards the end of my first year divorced I was flipping through Netflix with a friend and happened upon one of Louis CK’s stand up comedy routines. Not only did I find myself struggling to keep from peeing my pants (sorry, TMI, but come on — have you watched him?!), but I was jaw-dropped-to-the-floor impressed with his sharp insights on divorce.
I am far from the first to pay tribute to this man’s beyond brilliant quotes, but I must pay respect where respect is due. Besides, any laugh shared with others who have experienced the brutal pain of divorce is a laugh not only well shared, but undoubtedly much needed.
♦◊♦
1. “I’ve been divorced for 5 years and it’s been the best part of my life, being divorced. Easily my favorite part of my life.”
2. “Marriage is just like a larva stage for true happiness.”
3. “Divorce just gets stronger, like a piece of oak.”
4. “Here’s what happens. You get married, you go “Holy shit, I can’t leave now. I mean I wasn’t thinking of leaving, but now I really can’t leave. Then you have a kid and you go, “Holy shit, I could’ve left. I totally could’ve left the door was right there.”
5. “When you’re in a fucked up place like that, all the nice things people say are just insulting. Like ‘Hey man, you’ll be OK. You’ll get through it.’ Fuck you, no I won’t. The point is, the only thing that means anything is practical advice. Something like ‘I’ve been there, and here’s something that makes it easier.’”
6. “I dated for a bit and didn’t want to anymore… I felt worried that I was, like, [reclusing] myself. And he (Rich Vos) said ‘Fuck that. You’ve got a career and you’ve got two kids. For right now that can be enough.’ Like he said it’s OK not to get laid sometimes. You know, as a man you feel like you’ve gotta get p*ssy wherever it’s available, but sometimes it’s OK to take a breath and actually just be a father and a professional whatever you are, and it let me off the hook. This shit meant a lot to me.”
7. “Whenever you leave behind failure it means you’re doing something better. If you think everything you’ve done has been great, you’re probably dumb.”
8. “People are so stupid. They’re like, ‘Where’s your wife?,’ like they’ve never heard of divorce, or people dying. You tell them and they’re like, ‘I’m SO SORRY.’ And I’m like, ‘You weren’t saying you were so sorry when I was trapped in a shitty marriage.’”
9. One day one of your friends is gonna get divorced. Don’t go ‘Oh, I’m sorry!’…No good marriage has ever ended in divorce. If your friend got divorced, it means things were bad. And now, they’re better.”
♦◊♦
Thanks, Louis, for calling it out and making me laugh til I cried!
—
Photo Credit: Flickr/e9Tg47
