Painterly brass microphone on a small round table beneath a single spotlight in a dark room.

Original artwork, not a still

Phyllis Diller

You can say the nastiest things about yourself without offending anyone.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker observes that self-directed insults carry no risk of offence, since the only target is the person speaking. The humour lies in treating self-mockery as a safe outlet, while hinting that the nastiest remarks are ones people would never dare say about anyone else.

Context reviewed

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