Joke of the Day (Paula Poundstone, on Kids Being Asked What They Want to be When They Grow Up)

“The reason adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up is that they're looking for ideas.”—American stand-up comic Paula Poundstone quoted by Deborah Stea, “Off the Shelf: How to Get a Job, Even One That Suits Your Psyche,” The New York Times, Dec. 3, 1995

Joke of the Day (Paula Poundstone, on Why She Hates TV)

“I hate television. Why do the people in the catheter commercials look so happy? Should I get a catheter? Is that the secret to happiness?” —Stand-up comic Paula Poundstone, tweet of May 1, 2015

Quote of the Day (Paula Poundstone, on Why ‘Cinderella is a Terrible Story for Girls’)

“Cinderella is a terrible story for girls, unless you want them to cry to get what they want, waste opportunities, and ruin pumpkins.” ―Stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone, tweet of December 19, 2014

Something to keep in the back of your mind these days as you watch Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods, on film or in revival onstage.

(Pictured: Anna Kendrick, from the film.)

Quote of the Day (Paula Poundstone, on the Children in Adults)

"Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas."—Paula Poundstone, "Quotes," in Reader’s Digest, September 2011