Richard D'Oyly Carte Quote

Queen Victoria: I thought gags were things that were put by authority into people's mouths.
D'Oyly Carte: These gags, your Majesty, are things that people put into their own mouths without authority

Conversation with Queen Victoria after a Royal Command performance of The Gondoliers in March 1891, the 'gags' in question are ad libs added by the actors during the performance