WIST Quotations

Thurber, James -- Interview (1959-03-24) by Edward R. Murrow, Small World, CBS-TV

Dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:43:12 +0000

By definition, humor is gentle. The savage, the cruel, the harsh would fall under the heading of wit and/or satire, as the lawyers say. Now, my definitions are these: The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people — that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature.

James Thurber (1894–1961) American humorist, cartoonist, writer
Interview (1959-03-24) by Edward R. Murrow, Small World, CBS-TV
(Source)

When Siobhan McKenna, one of the other guests, made a comment about "cruel humor."

The transcript was printed as "That Girl in Galway" in the next (?) day's New York Post.

Butcher, Jim -- Turn Coat, ch. 14 (2009)

Dave — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:22:12 +0000

If you can’t stop the bad thoughts from coming to visit, at least you can make fun of them while they’re hanging around.

Jim Butcher (b. 1971) American author
Turn Coat, ch. 14 (2009)
(Source)

Mencken, H. L. -- “Pertinent and Impertinent,” Smart Set (Jun 1913) [as Owen Hatteras]

Dave — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:12:34 +0000

The man who is unable to laugh at his god is a man who does not quite believe in his god. In the Middle Ages, when Christians were really Christians, the burlesque mass flourished, and even bishops took part in it. Today, with not enough faith left in Christendom to make a single martyr, a burlesque mass would end in a lynching — and Jews and Protestants would help pull the rope.

H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
“Pertinent and Impertinent,” Smart Set (Jun 1913) [as Owen Hatteras]
(Source)

Maxwell, Elsa -- Column (28 Sep 1958)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.

Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963) American gossip columnist, author, songwriter, professional hostess
Column (28 Sep 1958)