What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.
Edgar DegasRead
I think one of the basic tasks in life - one of the nice things we can do for each other - is to take things that are horrible and scary and make them acceptable and less frightening and, if possible, funny. It feels great to succeed at that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of transforming fearful experiences into something more manageable and even humorous.
Julia Sweeney highlights a fundamental aspect of human interaction—our ability to help each other by addressing difficult and frightening situations with humor. She suggests that by making scary things more acceptable, we can reduce their impact and find joy even in challenging circumstances.
Themes
HumorLifeFearTransformationAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might reference this quote to illustrate the power of humor.
Similar quotes
We want to get people laughing; we don't want to offend anybody.
Mel BrooksRead
I shouldn't be saying this, high treason really, but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren't fooled by our accent into detecting a brilliance that may not really be there.
Stephen FryRead
The proverb says, "Born lucky, always lucky," and I am very superstitious. As a small boy I was notoriously lucky. It was usual for one or two of our lads (per annum) to get drowned in the Mississippi or in Bear Creek, but I was pulled out in a 2/3 drowned condition 9 times before I learned to swim, and was considered to be a cat in disguise.
Mark TwainRead
The secret to humor is surprise.
AristotleRead
He didn't look like a soldier at all. He looked like a filthy flamingo.
Kurt VonnegutRead