Joan Rivers has been gone for more than a decade, but her comedy hasn’t aged a day – mostly because it was never polite to begin with. She built a career on saying the things other people wouldn’t, especially about ageing, fame, marriage and herself. These six classic Joan Rivers jokes are a reminder of why she remains one of the sharpest, most fearless comedians who ever lived – and why her voice still feels oddly modern in a world that’s learned to be careful.

I was so ugly that my parents sent my picture to ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ — they sent it back and said, ‘We don’t believe it.”

Never be afraid to laugh at yourself; after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.

The fashion magazines are suggesting that women wear clothes that are ‘age appropriate.’ For me that would be a shroud.

My love life is like a piece of Swiss cheese. Most of it’s missing, and what’s there stinks.

People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.

Gay people are very bad at maths. They don’t naturally multiply.