WIST

Humor is a social lubricant that helps us get over some of the bad spots.

Steve Allen (1922-2000) American composer, entertainer, and wit.
(Attributed)

A gloomy morning.  On all sides a depressing outlook, and within, disgust  with self.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (26 Apr 1968) [tr. Mrs. H. Ward (1887)]

Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist and poet
“Eloquence,” Letters and Social Aims (1876)

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.

Sun-Tzu (fl. 6th C. AD) Chinese general and philosopher [a.k.a. Sun Wu]
The Art of War, ch. 2

The profession of book-writing makes horse-racing seem like a solid, stable business.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) American writer
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, Preface (1976)
Steinbeck often used this phrase; it's first quoted in Newsweek (24 Dec 1962)