The face of nature and civilization in this our country is to a certain point a very sufficient literary field. But it will yield its secrets only to a really grasping imagination. To write well and worthily of American things one need even more than elsewhere to be a master.

The American people want something terse, forcible, picturesque, striking - something that will arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy, arouse their indignation, stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, awaken their conscience.

I don't know what the next American revolution is going to be like, but we might be able to imagine it if your imagination were rich enough.

America gave the world the notion of the melting pot - an alchemical cooking device wherein diverse ethnic and religious groups voluntarily mix together, producing a new, American identity. And while critics may argue that the melting pot is a national myth, it has tenaciously informed the America's collective imagination.

You may be sure that the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.

The people I mixed with in Monaco didn't relate to my South African mentality or humor... Although I have met some wonderful people since I've been living in Monaco, I regard them all as acquaintances. I only have two people I consider friends here.

I was born in England - though both of my parents are American - and there's something about the 'Muppets' where they have this combination of English and American humor.

I think Canadian humor is a little less broad than American humor.

I don't know if my sense of humor goes over Americans' heads.

I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally, there are exceptions... the Jewish, Italian, and Irish humor of the East Coast.

Bob Hope, like Mark Twain, had a sense of humor that was uniquely American, and like Twain, we'll likely not see another like him.

I think at its best the American sense of humor is the same as the British sense of humor at its best, which is to be wry and ironic and self deprecating.

I mean, yeah, I'm sure that Python and the other things have paved the way for a greater understanding of the British sense of humor, but I don't think it's all that different than the American sense of humor.

I love the diversity of America. I love the plain, normal sense of humor Americans have. It is not wicked, like in some countries. And I also love how new America is.

Humor is so important to the American scene throughout history.

Sometimes Americans don't quite get my sense of humor. My good ol' British sarcasm seems to go over their heads.

Humor can prove to be the conversational lubricant you need to remove the tension from the most unpleasant management- and accountability-related conversations.

If this humor be the safety of our race, then it is due largely to the infusion into the American people of the Irish brain.

Whatever else an American believes or disbelieves about himself, he is absolutely sure he has a sense of humor.

I have no idea what a British sensibility or a British sense of humor is. I have no concept of what that is. I have no concept of what American sensibility is. I was born in Great Britain, but I was only there for six months, and we moved to Belgium, where I grew up.

Humor is a social lubricant that helps us get over some of the bad spots.

What we've discovered is that Americans seem to love our saucy humor.

Americans are pragmatic, relatively uncomplicated, hearty and given to broad humor.

We are really living the American dream, to be a successful brand in the States and in Europe and to steep ourselves in our heritage. But we do it with a sense of humor. We don't take ourselves too seriously in fashion.