CURATED COLLECTION

Not Taking Life Too Seriously

The philosophers who laughed at existence were not avoiding it — they were engaging with it more honestly than most.

31 quotes found

“
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.

—Roald DahlNovelist

Post-War ERA • Western Europe

“
I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most.

—Audrey HepburnActress & Humanitarian

Post-War ERA • Western Europe

“
Give me wine, give me song, give me a beloved to behold.

—Mahsati GanjaviPoet

Medieval ERA • Central Asia

“
Kings and philosophers defecate, and so do ladies.

—Michel de MontaignePhilosopher & Writer

Renaissance ERA • Western Europe

“
The future is uncertain. Eat your soup while it's hot.

—Nasreddin HodjaPhilosopher & Satirist

Medieval ERA • MENA

“
Humor is a way of not becoming the prisoner of your own ideas.

—Rosario CastellanosPoet, Novelist & Diplomat

Post-War ERA • Latin America

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Everything beautiful is also slightly absurd, like the world itself.

—Bohumil HrabalWriter & King

Post-War ERA • Eastern Europe

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It is the height of wisdom to pretend to be a fool.

—Desiderius ErasmusScholar

Renaissance ERA • Western Europe

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Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company.

—Mark TwainNovelist & Humorist

Industrial Age ERA • North America

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Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

—Mark TwainNovelist & Humorist

Industrial Age ERA • North America

“
I lost my key inside the house, but I'm looking for it here because there's light.

—Nasreddin HodjaPhilosopher & Satirist

Medieval ERA • MENA

“
An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex.

—Aldous HuxleyWriter & Philosopher

Early Modern ERA • Western Europe

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Come, come, my conservative friend, wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see the world as it is.

—Elizabeth Cady StantonActivist

Industrial Age ERA • North America

“
I buried my money under the biggest stone,' he said. Later, 'There is a bigger stone somewhere else!'

—Nasreddin HodjaPhilosopher & Satirist

Medieval ERA • MENA

“
Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it.

—Roald DahlNovelist

Late Modern ERA • Western Europe

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Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

—Mark TwainNovelist & Humorist

Early Modern ERA • North America

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Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people.

—Audrey HepburnActress & Humanitarian

Post-War ERA • Western Europe

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A tailor without a needle is like a general without a sword.

—Sholem AleichemAuthor

Early Modern ERA • Eastern Europe

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My mouth is a mango. My tongue is a ripe plum.

—Grace NicholsPoet

Late Modern ERA • Caribbean

“
Wine is a mirror, and one's face is reflected in it.

—AnacreonLyric Poet

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

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