--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't help it either, the laughing…" description: "\"“I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/a-l-kennedy-28869_comedy_i-can-t-help-it-either-the-laughing-sole_563617.jpg" --- # I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings… ![“I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved respect: I tend to find them all hysterical in the end. Especially if someone similar is there to set me off. They don't have to do much: I…” quote by A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/a-l-kennedy-28869_comedy_i-can-t-help-it-either-the-laughing-sole_563617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/a-l-kennedy-28869_comedy_i-can-t-help-it-either-the-laughing-sole_563617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/a-l-kennedy-28869_comedy_i-can-t-help-it-either-the-laughing-sole_563617.jpg) > ““I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved respect: I tend to find them all hysterical in the end. Especially if someone similar is there to set me off. They don't have to do much: I recognize what it looks like when somebody's composure starts to strip itself away. They'll maybe cross their arms with that twitchy, shaky, tension, or they'll grab down little wheezes of embarrassed air, or they'll simply hood their faces under their palm, trying to hide how fast they're slipping, how fast \*we're\* slipping, because I'll be weakening with them by then, I'll be just as lost, pulled equally tight against the moment when we both stop caring and let it disgrace us -- when we laugh.”” [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often mask vulnerability with humor; when composure cracks, shared laughter can expose mutual fragility. **In simple terms:** Humor hides and reveals our insecurities. Key Takeaway Recognize and share authentic moments. Themes humor vulnerability social dynamics authenticity empathy Mood wry introspective empathetic Type social psychological When to use this quote - Social gatherings - public speaking - intimate conversations - stressful events Key Concepts Psychology communication performance Questions to Reflect On - When do you use humor to protect yourself? - What moments have you let down your guard? A Different Perspective Humor can be dismissive, not always fostering connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Composure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composure/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [“I can't help laughing, really laughing, for the first time in months. Peeta just shakes his head like I've lost my mind - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-can-t-help-laughing-really-laughing-for-the-first-time-in-months/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Writing that flirts with incoherence can just as readily flounder as writing characterized by simplicity and composure. There is no reliable formula for originality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/writing-that-flirts-with-incoherence-can-just-as-readily-flounder-as/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [You're nothing to everything until you're anything to something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-garner/you-re-nothing-to-everything-until-you-re-anything-to-something/) [Luke Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-garner/) > [Always behave like a duck: keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-braude/always-behave-like-a-duck-keep-calm-and-unruffled-on-the-surface-but/) [Jacob Braude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-braude/) > [Like every man who appears at an epoch which is historical and rendered famous by his works, Jesus Christ has a history, a history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-henri-lacordaire/like-every-man-who-appears-at-an-epoch-which-is-historical-and/) [Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-henri-lacordaire/) > [Dad himself used to tell a story about one time when Mother went off to fill a lecture engagement and left him in charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-gilbreth-jr/dad-himself-used-to-tell-a-story-about-one-time-when-mother-went-off/) [Frank B. Gilbreth Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-gilbreth-jr/) > [Always keep your composure. You can't score from the penalty box; and to win, you have to score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-keep-your-composure-you-can-t-score-from-the-penalty-box-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes it was really hard maintaining composure. People were just goofy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pell-james/sometimes-it-was-really-hard-maintaining-composure-people-were-just/) [Pell James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pell-james/) > [We are to remember what an umpire Nature is; what a greatness, composure of depth and tolerance there is in her. You take wheat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/we-are-to-remember-what-an-umpire-nature-is-what-a-greatness/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [In times of upheaval, people wish for nothing more than composure and sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/in-times-of-upheaval-people-wish-for-nothing-more-than-composure-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [In cricket, my superhero is Sachin Tendulkar. He has always been my hero and will continue to remain so. Apart from him and outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virat-kohli/in-cricket-my-superhero-is-sachin-tendulkar-he-has-always-been-my/) [Virat Kohli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virat-kohli/) > [I've added a bit more composure on the ball and defensively got a bit cuter and improved in one-on-ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-barkley/i-ve-added-a-bit-more-composure-on-the-ball-and-defensively-got-a-bit/) [Ross Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-barkley/) > [To bear all naked truths, And to envisage circumstance, all calm, That is the top of sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/to-bear-all-naked-truths-and-to-envisage-circumstance-all-calm-that/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-truly-cultured-are-capable-of-owning-thousands-of-unread-books/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [The cold view to take of our future is that we are therefore headed for extinction in a universe of impersonal chemical, physical, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/the-cold-view-to-take-of-our-future-is-that-we-are-therefore-headed/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) ## More by A.L. Kennedy > [Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/remember-you-love-writing-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-it-if-you-didn-t-if/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“I end up discussing the weather when the weather is all around us and both I and whoever the stranger might be must surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/i-end-up-discussing-the-weather-when-the-weather-is-all-around-us-and/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“Perhaps i am a masochist. No. Not Possible. If I were basically a masochist then most of my life would have been just nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/perhaps-i-am-a-masochist-no-not-possible-if-i-were-basically-a/) [A.L. 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Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [A good roast of sun, it slows you, lets you relax–and out here if there's anything wrong, you can see it coming with bags…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/a-good-roast-of-sun-it-slows-you-lets-you-relax-and-out-here-if-there/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Have more humility. Remember you don't know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/have-more-humility-remember-you-don-t-know-the-limits-of-your-own/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [We are not all connected. We are bags of skin. We are all separate bags of thinking skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/we-are-not-all-connected-we-are-bags-of-skin-we-are-all-separate-bags/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/remember-you-love-writing-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-it-if-you-didn-t-if-2/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Surgery is just stabbing in a courteous environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/surgery-is-just-stabbing-in-a-courteous-environment/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“There are times when you've personally known things to misfire--the sentence that fell badly, the dull gift, slapdash comment, hobbled punch line, tight-fisted tip--trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/there-are-times-when-you-ve-personally-known-things-to-misfire-the/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Nothing makes you feel more stupid than finding out you were wrong when you thought you were loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/nothing-makes-you-feel-more-stupid-than-finding-out-you-were-wrong/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“He's doing something in Surbiton next. Or Serbia, one or the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/he-s-doing-something-in-surbiton-next-or-serbia-one-or-the-other/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery-altered-states-black/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) [Explore all 18 A.L. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved respect: I tend to find them all hysterical in the end. Especially if someone similar is there to set me off. They don't have to do much: I recognize what it looks like when somebody's composure starts to strip itself away. They'll maybe cross their arms with that twitchy, shaky, tension, or they'll grab down little wheezes of embarrassed air, or they'll simply hood their faces under their palm, trying to hide how fast they're slipping, how fast *we're* slipping, because I'll be weakening with them by then, I'll be just as lost, pulled equally tight against the moment when we both stop caring and let it disgrace us -- when we laugh.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.L. 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