Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humor helps us gain perspective on our problems by creating emotional distance.
This quote by Rollo May suggests that humor serves as a psychological tool that allows individuals to detach themselves emotionally from their problems, thus providing a clearer perspective. By viewing challenges with a sense of humor, one can better cope with difficulties and see them more objectively, which can lead to healthier emotional responses and solutions.
Themes
HumorPerspectiveProblemsDistanceCoping
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mental health, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of humor in coping strategies.
More from Rollo May
All quotes βTo love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before
Rollo MayRead
Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
Rollo MayRead
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Rollo MayRead
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Rollo MayRead
Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind of feeling that goes with creativity. That's why I say the courage to create. Creation does not come out of simply what you're born with. That must be united with your courage, both of which cause anxiety, but also great joy.
Rollo MayRead
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We've got a bunch of new writers now who tell me they grew up watching The Simpsons. It's bizarre, and they're writing some very funny stuff.
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Humor is very interesting to me. My films are not comedies, but there's comedy in them from time to time, absurdities, just like in real life.
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When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.
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Laugh. Laugh as much as you can. Laugh until you cry. Cry until you laugh. Keep doing it even if people are passing you on the street saying, "I can't tell if that person is laughing or crying, but either way they seem crazy, let's walk faster." Emote. It's okay. It shows you are thinking and feeling.
Ellen DegeneresRead