A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself.
James BoswellRead
He who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it.
Interpretation
If you challenge someone to a witty exchange, you should not be upset by the consequences.
This quote highlights the idea that engaging in clever banter or humorous repartee comes with risks; if you provoke someone to respond with wit, you must be prepared to endure the sharpness of their reply. It suggests a playful understanding of the nature of wit, emphasizing that those who enter into such exchanges should accept the potential repercussions that come from their own provocation.
In practice
Use this quote at a comedy roast to emphasize that humor can be a double-edged sword.
A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself.
There is nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends.
Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed.
Wine makes a man better pleased with himself. I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. Sometimes it does. But the danger is, that while a man grows better pleased with himself, he may be growing less pleasing to others. Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has presented.
The truth is, Pavlov's dog trained Pavlov to ring this bell just before the dog salivated.
You can't remember the plot of the Dr Who movie because it didn't have one, just a lot of plot holes strung together. It did have a lot of flashing lights, though.
Getting out of the hospital is a lot like resigning from a book club. You're not out of it until the computer says you're out of it.
My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening.
Basketball, a game which won't be fit for people until they set the basket umbilicus-high and return the giraffes to the zoo.
When I'm up there, I'm just thinking that I've got to make them laugh or they won't show up next time.
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