--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the laughable is a species of what is…" description: "\"“the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.”\" — Aristotle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png" --- # the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful. ![“the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png) > ““the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.”” [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The laughable represents a lower form of disgrace, showing that mockery stems from moral failure. **In simple terms:** Mockery reflects moral failure. Key Takeaway Avoid mocking; seek dignity. Themes ethics humor morality Mood critical reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - social critique - personal conduct - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - What does your laughter reveal about your values? - Can humor be used constructively? A Different Perspective Mockery can be a defense mechanism, not always a sign of disgrace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Disgraceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgraceful/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Laughable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughable/) [Laughable Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughable-species-953907/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Disgraceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-disgraceful-953908/) ## Related quotes > [As to adultery, let it be held disgraceful, in general, for any man or woman to be found in any way unfaithful when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/as-to-adultery-let-it-be-held-disgraceful-in-general-for-any-man-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [It's malarkey. When you tell people that the roof crushing in on your head is not the cause of injury, it's your head hitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-claybrook/it-s-malarkey-when-you-tell-people-that-the-roof-crushing-in-on-your/) [Joan Claybrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-claybrook/) > [Small actions are at the heart of kaizen. By taking steps so tiny that they seem trivial or even laughable, you'll sail calmly past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-maurer/small-actions-are-at-the-heart-of-kaizen-by-taking-steps-so-tiny-that/) [Robert D. Maurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-maurer/) > [There are some tales not for telling, whether because they are too long, too precious, too laughable, too painful, too easy to need telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/there-are-some-tales-not-for-telling-whether-because-they-are-too/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [That Newt Gingrich or any mainstream Republican has the nerve to look down from what they perceive as their moral mountaintop at anyone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/that-newt-gingrich-or-any-mainstream-republican-has-the-nerve-to-look/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Comedy exists to laugh at things that aren't laughable. But isn't it? That's what separates us from the animals. We laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/comedy-exists-to-laugh-at-things-that-aren-t-laughable-but-isn-t-it/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [A good laugh is a mighty good thing, a rather too scarce a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/a-good-laugh-is-a-mighty-good-thing-a-rather-too-scarce-a-good-thing/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [The idea that money is corrupting innocent politicians would be laughable if it did not lead to such dangerous legislation...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-idea-that-money-is-corrupting-innocent-politicians-would-be/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Men show their characters in nothing more clearly than in what they think laughable. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/men-show-their-characters-in-nothing-more-clearly-than-in-what-they/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [What's really interesting about that is that a lot of these words that were incendiary in their time now seem almost harmless and laughable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kaufman/what-s-really-interesting-about-that-is-that-a-lot-of-these-words/) [Philip Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kaufman/) > [“What is so often laughable, in the stories of Kundera's Czechoslovakia, is how grimly serious just about everything turns out to be, jokes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-so-often-laughable-in-the-stories-of-kundera-s-czechoslovakia/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Batroc is a laughable character. I'm the one who always makes fun of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeph-loeb/batroc-is-a-laughable-character-i-m-the-one-who-always-makes-fun-of/) [Jeph Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeph-loeb/) > [Even Jesus Christ cannot conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olusegun-obasanjo/even-jesus-christ-cannot-conduct-a-free-and-fair-election-in-nigeria/) [Olusegun Obasanjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olusegun-obasanjo/) > [Since I'm not a second Marx or Freud who can offer people alternatives, I have to let them keep their own wrong feelings. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/since-i-m-not-a-second-marx-or-freud-who-can-offer-people/) [Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/) ## More by Aristotle > [The knowledge of the soul admittedly contributes greatly to the advance of truth in general, and, above all, to our understanding of Nature, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-knowledge-of-the-soul-admittedly-contributes-greatly-to-the/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Although it may be difficult in theory to know what is just and equal, the practical difficulty of inducing those to forbear who can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/although-it-may-be-difficult-in-theory-to-know-what-is-just-and-equal/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-forms-of-government-therefore-are-those-in-which-the-one-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All men by nature desire to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-men-by-nature-desire-to-know/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-persons-ought-to-endeavor-to-follow-what-is-right-and-not-what-is/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The man who confers a favour would rather not be repaid in the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-man-who-confers-a-favour-would-rather-not-be-repaid-in-the-same/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The mother of revolution and crime is poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-mother-of-revolution-and-crime-is-poverty/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-learn-is-a-natural-pleasure-not-confined-to-philosophers-but/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-extremes-each-of-which-is-a-vice/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) [Explore all 1,545 Aristotle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## 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": "“the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aristotle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-disgraceful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-disgraceful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/aristotle-78_comedy_the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-di_1680611.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful.” — Aristotle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aristotle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the laughable is a species of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-disgraceful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-laughable-is-a-species-of-what-is-disgraceful/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```