That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity β that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Anybody, providing he knows how to be amusing, has the right to talk about himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People who can entertain others have the right to share their personal stories.
This quote by Charles Baudelaire suggests that humor and amusement are valuable traits that empower individuals to share their experiences. If someone can engage and entertain their audience, they have earned the privilege to speak about their own life and insights, reflecting the importance of personality in communication.
Themes
HumorStorytellingAmusementPersonalityCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a storytelling event, a speaker can use this quote to highlight the importance of humor in sharing personal experiences.
More from Charles Baudelaire
All quotes βThe dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Who among us has not dreamt, in moments of ambition, of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical without rhythm and rhyme, supple and staccato enough to adapt to the lyrical stirrings of the soul, the undulations of dreams, and sudden leaps of consciousness.
Charles BaudelaireRead
There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
Charles BaudelaireRead
The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
Charles BaudelaireRead
I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Similar quotes
Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.
Mark TwainRead
In America you can go on the air and kid the politicians, and the politicians can go on the air and kid the people.
Groucho MarxRead
If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you open to my ideas
John CleeseRead
The audience today has heard every joke. They know every plot. They know where you're going before you even start. That's a tough audience to surprise, and a tough audience to write for. It's much more competitive now, because the audience is so much more - I want to say sophisticated.
Betty WhiteRead
"Multiple exclamation marks," he went on, shaking his head, "are a sure sign of a diseased mind."
Terry PratchettRead
If my mother hadn't laughed at the funny things I did, I probably wouldn't be a comic actor. After she had her first heart attack, the doctor said, 'Try to make her laugh.' And that was the first time I tried to make anyone laugh.
Gene WilderRead