The actor who create late nighttime ’s most lovable conservative twist 50 today . To celebrate , here ’s some wit and soundness from the man himself .
1. ON HIS EARLY CAREER:
" I mostly just said yes to any opportunity to get on degree . devote or no pay . Equity , amateur , drollery , avant garde , and improv especially . … As for true incertitude , it got under my skin deeply only once . I was freshly - married and I was offered a part I would have know , but no wage . I had make for for six year doing anything , but had made a softwood with myself that if I ever was to have family I could support , I would have to assert on pay . A pocket-sized rule , right ? But intemperately for a young player to keep . Mostly you do n’t really get ante up . I said no to the part and instantly ( I mean within min ) went into a spiral of panic that lasted for months . I was trusted I had made the wrong decision ( I had n’t ) and would never get a part like it again . But the worst feeling was that I knew I truly wanted to be an worker and there was no turning back now . I was too old to do anything else . This was a feeling I would n’t like on anyone . Importantly , I was wrong on all counts . Just keep working as long as you ca n’t think of anything else you could happily do . Keep saying yes . "
From aReddit AMA .
2. ON HIS CHARACTER:
" I think of him as a well - intentioned , poorly informed , in high spirits - status half-wit . "
From an interview with60 Minutes .
3. ON BEING A PERFECTIONIST:
" I do n’t mind go bad so much , but I am a perfectionist . … If you ’re a perfectionist and you know you ’re about to do something at which you’re able to not be unadulterated … then that is daunting because you know what your heart is like and the way you approach your work . "
From an interview withNPRabout starring in a theatrical production of Stephen Sondheim ’s melodious party .
4. ON LAUGHTER:
" I would say laughter is the best medicine . But it ’s more than that . It ’s an entire regime of antibiotics and steroids . Laughter bring the jut down on our interior psyche , and then applies an antibiotic pick . You got ta keep it away from your eyes … Obviously , it ’s a challenge to make light of the darkness but , um , it ’s just than crying about it . "
From an audience withEntertainment Weekly .
5. ON TRUTHINESS:
" Truthiness is tearing apart our body politic , and I do n’t mean the controversy over who come up with the word . I do n’t have it off whether it ’s a new thing , but it ’s surely a current matter , in that it does n’t seem to weigh what facts are . It used to be , everyone was entitled to their own view , but not their own facts . But that ’s not the case anymore . Facts count not at all . percept is everything . It ’s certainty . … I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace . What is important ? What you want to be true , or whatistrue ? "
From a 2006 consultation withThe AV Club .
6. ON DREAMS:
" You have been told to follow your dreams , but what if it ’s a stupid dream ? For instance , Stephen Colbert of 25 long time ago lived at 2015 North Ridge with two man and three charwoman in what I now know was a brothel . He dreamed of exist alone — well , alone with his beard — in a large barren loft apartment , with lots of blond wood , wearing a kimono , with a futon on the base and a Samovar of tea constantly bubble in the ground , doing Shakespeare in the street for stateless hoi polloi . Today , I am a beardless suburban pappa who lives in a household , wear no - smoothing iron khaki and makes Anthony Weiner jokes for a living , and I love it because , thankfully , dream can transfer . If we ’d all stuck with our first dreaming , the humanity would be overrun with cowherd and princess . "
From the2011 commencement voice communication at Northwestern .
7. ON JOY AND HAPPINESS:
" I have a friend , Father Jim Martin . He render me this circuit card , and it said ' Joy is the trusted grounds of the mien of God . ' I ’m paraphrasing that . Joy can be hard . Joy ’s not the same thing as happiness . I think felicity is overrated . Happiness can be really facile . … To be with my married woman and minor , would be the deep joyfulness . "
From an interview withOprah Winfrey .
8. ON THE ADVICE HE GIVES PEOPLE:
" I always commend citizenry get in bother . Commit yourself to an open mike nighttime or save something and say you ’re fit to take it in populace , but get in difficulty . You ’re never going to get a line until you fail . … You have to go out there and figure out what you’re able to do and ca n’t do . "
From an interview withLarry King .
9. ON YOUTH, CYNICISM, AND SAYING “YES”:
" Do n’t be afraid to be a tomfool . recall , you could not be both unseasoned and overbold . untried masses who affect to be impudent to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics . Cynicism masquerade costume as wisdom , but it is the farthest thing from it . Because cynic do n’t learn anything . Because cynicism is a ego - bring down cecity , a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or let down us . Cynic always say no . But saying ' yes ' begins things . Saying ' yes ' is how things grow . say ' yes ' leads to noesis . ' Yes ' is for vernal citizenry . So for as long as you have the enduringness to , say ' yes . ' "
From his2006 Knox College Commencement Address .
10. ON FAN MAIL:
" The letters that say ' I ’m drive the messages you ’re sending me through the telecasting filmdom ' are not great . But those are few and far between , thank God . I get wonderful letters , and people send me artwork . I ’ve had all the artistic production multitude transport me digitized … I have this howling set of armor , leather Roman armor , made for me by a fan . It ’s my size and everything , with my crest in bronze on the front . It ’s gorgeous . I ’ve get function of the United States and license photographic plate that say ' Colbert Nation . ' I ’ve got masks of me and painting of me and mystifier of me and triptych of collage of my lifespan . They ’re unbelievable , truly earnest works of art , and I ’m very grateful and I hear to write thank you notes when I can . "
From an consultation withRolling Stone .
11. HOW IMPROV IS LIKE LIFE:
" There are very few pattern to improv , but one of the thing I was teach betimes on is that you are not the most important person on the scene . Everybody else is , and if everybody else is more important than you are , you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them . But the good news is , you ’re in the panorama too . So hopefully to them you ’re the most important person and they will dish up you . No one is leading . You ’re all following the follower , serving the handmaid . you could not win improv , and life story is an extemporization . You have no idea what is go to happen next and you are mostly just jerk idea out of your ass as you go along . And like improv , you’re able to not win your life . "
From his2011 commencement exercise actor’s line at Northwestern .
12. ON COMEDY AND FEAR:
" Not live in fear is a great gift , because certainly these days we do it so much . And do you know what I like about drollery ? You ca n’t laugh and be afraid at the same meter — of anything . If you ’re laughing , I defy you to be afraid . "
From an audience withParade Magazine .
All images good manners of Getty Images unless otherwise stated .
