Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
Do you think it's funny to be so serious when I'm not even out of high school?' she asked. 'I don't see how it could be any other way,' said Lee. 'Laughter comes later, like wisdom teeth, and laughter at yourself comes last of all in a mad race with death, and sometimes it isn't in time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the balance between seriousness and laughter in life, emphasizing the importance of humor and self-reflection.
In this quote, Steinbeck explores the complexity of facing serious situations, particularly in youth. The comparison of laughter to wisdom teeth suggests that while laughter may develop later in life, the ability to laugh at oneself and the circumstances we confront is essential yet often delayed, highlighting the urgency of living fully in the face of mortality.
Themes
LaughterSeriousnessWisdomYouthSelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to remind students to balance seriousness with laughter.
More from John Steinbeck
All quotes βAt one point, as Samuel urges Adam to raise his boys well regardless of the blood that might be in them, Adam tells him, "You can't make a race horse of a pig." Samuel replies, "No, but you can make a very fast pig.
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And when that crop grew, and was harvested, no man had crumbled a hot clod in his fingers and let the earth sift past his fingertips. No man had touched the seed, or lusted for the growth. Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses.
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The comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
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People do not want advice - they want corroboration.
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It is one of the triumphs of the human that he can know a thing and still not believe it.
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