I'm not funny in person. I mean I'm really not. I'm one of those people who always screw up anecdotes. Bill Bryson anecdotefunnypeople Change image and share on social
I hadn't realized quite how extraordinary Charles Lindbergh's achievement was in flying the Atlantic alone. He had never flown over open water before, but he flew straight to Dingle Bay in Ireland and then on to Paris, exactly as planned. Bill Bryson achievementatlanticbay share on social
I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he is ready to see you, and you can't go home again. Bill Bryson beatbookcompany Change image and share on social
The real problem you get with humour is that you only have so many kinds of jokes within you, and you mine that vein a lot. This isn't just common to me; it's anybody who's funny. Bill Bryson commonfunnyhumour Change image and share on social
I don't know whether I'm misanthropic. It seems to me I'm constantly disappointed. I'm very easily disappointed. Disappointed in the things that people do; disappointed in the things that people construct. I want things to be better all the time. Bill Bryson constantlyconstructdisappoint share on social
When you tell an Iowan a joke, you can see a kind of race going on between his brain and his expression. Bill Bryson brainexpressioniowan Change image and share on social
I grew up in Des Moines. My dad had a house full of books, things like P.G. Wodehouse books and 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte. Bill Bryson bookbrontedad Change image and share on social
I often feel I'm a disappointment to people because they expect me to be the guy in the books. When I sit next to someone at a dinner party I can see they expect me to be quick and witty, and I'm not at all. Bill Bryson bookdinnerdisappointment share on social
You don't have to know anything about baseball to respond to Babe Ruth because he's just this magnificent human being. And a really good story because he was this kid who grew up essentially as an orphan, you know, had a tough life, and then he became the most successful baseball player ever. But he was also a really good guy. Bill Bryson babebaseballessentially share on social