I compare Stephen Sondheim with humor, because humor is unanalyzable. You can't analyze humor. You just have to get through it.

In this quote, Elaine Stritch draws a comparison between Stephen Sondheim, a renowned composer and lyricist, and humor, suggesting that both share a quality of being difficult to fully analyze or dissect. She explains that humor is "unanalyzable," meaning that it doesn’t lend itself easily to intellectual dissection or rational explanation. Humor is something that, rather than being broken down and understood, must simply be experienced or "gotten through," as Stritch puts it. This speaks to the elusive nature of humor—something that resonates on an emotional or instinctive level, often defying logical analysis.

Stritch’s comparison to Sondheim highlights her belief that, much like humor, Sondheim’s work doesn’t need to be overanalyzed to be appreciated. His music and lyrics are often complex, layered, and multifaceted, but the true experience of them, like humor, lies in feeling and reacting rather than analyzing. For Stritch, both humor and Sondheim’s art are examples of how certain aspects of life and creativity are best understood through intuition and emotional engagement rather than through intellectual dissection.

The idea that humor is something that you "just have to get through" aligns with Stritch’s long-standing comedic style, known for being sharp, quick-witted, and often unpredictable. She likely found in both Sondheim’s work and humor a similar experience of being swept up in something greater than the sum of its parts. In both cases, the joy comes from embracing the experience without overthinking it.

The origin of this quote lies in Stritch's reflections on her experiences in theater and her admiration for Stephen Sondheim's work. As an actress with a deep understanding of the complexities of performance, Stritch emphasizes the emotional power of both humor and art, and how certain forms of creativity are meant to be felt, rather than overanalyzed.