A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself.
Interpretation
Having a sense of humor means being able to recognize humor, especially at your own expense.
This quote by Clifton Fadiman emphasizes the importance of being able to laugh at oneself, which is a crucial aspect of a healthy sense of humor. It suggests that true humor comes from understanding one's own imperfections and being able to take lightheartedness in situations, which can lead to a more enjoyable life and better connections with others.
In practice
In a speech about resilience, one might say, 'Remember, a sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself.'
To read in bed is to draw around us invisible, noiseless curtains. Then at last we are in a room of our own and are ready to burrow back, back to that private life of the imagination we all led as a child and to whose secret satisfactions so many of us have mislaid the key.
One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention.
Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.
There are two kinds of writers; the great ones who can give you truths, and the lessor ones, who can only give you themselves.
When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before.
A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke-and that the joke is oneself.
You know the difference between a tornado and divorce in the south? Nothing! Someone is losing a trailer.
We do have a zeal for laughter in most situations, give or take a dentist.
The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last.
Tell the cook of this restaurant with my compliments that these are the very worst sandwiches in the whole world, and that, when I ask for a watercress sandwich, I do not mean a loaf with a field in the middle of it.
Use the word 'zeitgeist' as often as possible. Ideally, you want to find words that sound familiar but people don't really know their definitions: 'zeitgeist,' 'bildungsroman,' 'doppelganger' - better yet, anything Latin. But avoid 'paradigm.' It's so 1994. If you say the word 'paradigm,' everybody knows you're a poser.
I've battled with that type of stuff, but what I've found is that by doing stand-up, I've actually learned about depression and how to combat it. I don't have clinical, but I've definitely had my bouts with it.
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