Having a witty comeback to a stupid or embarrassing question or comment is a skill that will help you to always come up on top. Because, let’s face it, no one likes being put down in front of a crowd. And if you think that you have it rough inside your circle of friends, imagine how famous people or celebrities feel when someone drops a bomb on them while exposed in the public’s eye. They always have to be careful with their responses, but sometimes even they can get fed up. After all, they are only human.

Throughout history, there have been attempts to back up famous people into a corner with questions that couldn’t receive a good answer. Yet, in those instances, wittiness prevailed and there have been some pretty unexpected and quite awesome responses from many historical figures. Some burned so much, that they’re revered as memorable quotes from the person who delivered them.

These 30 historical comebacks were so good that the other guy didn’t know what hit him.

For example:

To check out all 30, please click here.