Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly.
Interpretation
Laughter comes from recognizing our superiority or a shift in perceptions about ourselves compared to others' weaknesses or our past failures.
In this quote, Thomas Hobbes emphasizes that laughter is a response rooted in our sense of superiority. We often find humor when we see ourselves in a better light than others or recall times when we struggled, creating a moment of joy and triumph over those comparisons. It reflects an innate human tendency to derive pleasure from understanding our own strengths in relation to perceived weaknesses.
In practice
In a speech about resilience, one could remind the audience that laughter helps us reflect on our journey and growth.
Baptism is the sacrament of allegiance of them that are to be received into the Kingdom of God, that is to say, into Eternal life, that is to say, to Remission of Sin. For as Eternal life was lost by the committing, so it is recovered by the remitting of men's sins.
Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.
For it is not the shape, but their use, that makes them angels.
For to accuse requires less eloquence, such is man's nature, than to excuse; and condemnation, than absolution, more resembles justice.
Scientia potentia est, sed parva; quia scientia egregia rara est, nec proinde apparens nisi paucissimis, et in paucis rebus. Scientiae enim ea natura est, ut esse intelligi non possit, nisi ab illis qui sunt scientia praediti.
The end of knowledge is power ... the scope of all speculation is the performing of some action or thing to be done.
The truth is, I had always wanted to be a comedian, but I really didn't have that kind of personality, and it's a terrifying thing to say.
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
There's no real preparing at home for stand-up. You just go and you just do it.
The English country-gentleman galloping after a fox β the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.
Ah, if he could only die temporarily!
The bigger the humbug, the better people will like it.
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