Context

This famous line is spoken by Igor, played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein (directed by Mel Brooks, 1974).

We're not sure what you and your buddies do on the weekends, but it's probably a shade more fun than what Frederick and Igor are up to. They're passing the time in a cemetery, digging up dead people. As you might imagine, it doesn't rank high on their All-Time Favorite Activities list.

But Igor tries to lift Frederick's spirits a tad by suggesting that, as awful as the job is, there's always room for it to get worse. Of course, such blind optimism in the face of obvious misery angers the gods, and they immediately smite the two with a sudden (very sudden) thunderstorm.

Where you've heard it

As you may have noticed, this is a favorite line of fathers who wish to convey to their offspring that all of their griping about petty problems is overblown or misplaced. Dads just love to make you feel bad about feeling bad.

It's a good line for any time things seem like they couldn't get worse. And rest assured: speaking the words aloud all but guarantee that they will.

Bonus: it's also an excellent way to express frustration of politics and politicians.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Mel Brooks, the co-writer/director of Young Frankenstein, isn't someone who is known for pretension. With Mel, you're mainly getting bad puns, prat falls, pop culture references, and the occasional fart joke.