It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
Agnes RepplierRead
Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their earthly pedestals.
Interpretation
Humor reveals truth and can challenge false beliefs.
This quote suggests that humor serves to illuminate realities by revealing the absurdity of delusions or false idols in life. It implies that true humor does not distort facts but highlights the ridiculousness of those things that people may worship or take too seriously, thus encouraging a more honest perspective on life.
In practice
In a speech about facing challenges, one might quote this to lighten the mood and emphasize the importance of humor.
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization.
Who that has plodded on to middle age would take back upon his shoulders ten of the vanished years, with their mingled pleasures and pains? Who would return to the youth he is forever pretending to regret?
New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.
I hate editors, for they make me abandon a lot of perfectly good English words.
First of all, I'm no better than the next person.
It crossed our minds early on that the more an audience cared - we were working before, on average, 240, live people. If you could get them caring - the more they cared, the harder they laughed.
Surveys show that the #1 fear of Americans is public speaking. #2 is death. That means that at a funeral, the average American would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.
Why is a raven like a writing desk?
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.