I blame my mother for my poor sex life. All she told me was ‘the man goes on top and the woman underneath.’ For three years my husband and I slept in bunk beds.

Meaning of the quote

This quote by American comedian Joan Rivers is making a joke about how her mother gave her very limited and unhelpful information about sex. The joke is that following her mother's advice led to an awkward situation where she and her husband had to sleep in bunk beds for three years, instead of being able to have a normal sexual relationship. The quote is meant to be funny by exaggerating how unhelpful and restrictive her mother's advice was.

About Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers was an acclaimed American comedian, actress, producer, writer, and television host known for her blunt, self-deprecating, and acerbic comedy style. She was a pioneer of women in comedy and received numerous awards, including an Emmy and a Grammy. Rivers had a prolific career, hosting several successful talk shows, appearing on TV and film, and authoring bestselling books.

More about the author

More quotes from Joan Rivers

I blame my mother for my poor sex life. All she told me was ‘the man goes on top and the woman underneath.’ For three years my husband and I slept in bunk beds.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I don’t excercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.

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I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Yeah, I read history. But it doesn’t make you nice. Hitler read history, too.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

The ideal beauty is a fugitive which is never found.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Diets, like clothes, should be tailored to you.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

My obstetrician was so dumb that when I gave birth he forgot to cut the cord. For a year that kid followed me everywhere. It was like having a dog on a leash.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

My routines come out of total unhappiness. My audiences are my group therapy.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

It’s so long since I’ve had sex I’ve forgotten who ties up who.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Boy George is all England needs – another queen who can’t dress.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Never floss with a stranger.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

The first time I see a jogger smiling, I’ll consider it.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Don’t tell your kids you had an easy birth or they won’t respect you. For years I used to wake up my daughter and say, ‘Melissa you ripped me to shreds. Now go back to sleep.’.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I told my mother-in-law that my house was her house, and she said, ‘Get the hell off my property.’

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Our natures are a lot like oil, mix us with anything else, and we strive to swim on top.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Forty for you, sixty for me. And equal partners we will be.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw that my bath toys were a toaster and a radio.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

There is not one female comic who was beautiful as a little girl.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

She doesn’t understand the concept of Roman numerals. She thought we just fought in world war eleven.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the present.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

I have no methods; all I do is accept people as they are.

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American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)

If God wanted us to bend over he’d put diamonds on the floor.

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933-2014)