--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laughter is sort of a natural truth…" description: "\"Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh at something, it's probably because there was some truth in it.\" — Bill Maher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png" --- # Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh… ![“Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh at something, it's probably because there was some truth in it.” quote by Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png) > “Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh at something, it's probably because there was some truth in it.” [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laughter often signals that something contains an element of truth, acting as an instinctive test for authenticity. **In simple terms:** Laughing reveals hidden truth. Key Takeaway Pay attention to what makes you laugh as a clue to truth. Themes humor truth detection social insight psychology Mood lighthearted analytical observational Type sociological psychological When to use this quote - conversation - media analysis - personal reflection - conflict resolution Key Concepts cognitive bias social signaling emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What does your laughter reveal about your beliefs? - Can humor be used to avoid confronting truth? A Different Perspective Humor can mask seriousness or be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Laughter is the greatest music in the world and audiences come to my shows to escape the cares of life. They don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-dodd/laughter-is-the-greatest-music-in-the-world-and-audiences-come-to-my/) [Ken Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-dodd/) > [If you can't ignore an insult, top it; if you can't top it, laugh it off; and if you can't laugh it off, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/if-you-can-t-ignore-an-insult-top-it-if-you-can-t-top-it-laugh-it-off/) [Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/) > [Remember That ... The Best Way To Answer An INSULT Is To Ignore It. If You Can't Ignore It, Top It. If You Can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/remember-that-the-best-way-to-answer-an-insult-is-to-ignore-it-if-you/) Pacifiersucker > [If someone can make me laugh until I cry they can probably win my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rose/if-someone-can-make-me-laugh-until-i-cry-they-can-probably-win-my/) [Amber Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rose/) > [It feels so good to laugh at myself. I'd probably cry my eyes out if I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-brown/it-feels-so-good-to-laugh-at-myself-i-d-probably-cry-my-eyes-out-if-i/) [Melissa Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-brown/) > [“Aren’t your parents going to freak when they see you?” That rough laugh again. “I’d probably freak if I saw them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-kemmerer/aren-t-your-parents-going-to-freak-when-they-see-you-that-rough-laugh/) [Brigid Kemmerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-kemmerer/) > [When you go to church, if the pastor at some point doesn't make you laugh, he probably ain't gonna make you join.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/when-you-go-to-church-if-the-pastor-at-some-point-doesn-t-make-you/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [Sometimes people say,' One day you are going to look back at this and laugh.' My question is:' Why wait?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bandler/sometimes-people-say-one-day-you-are-going-to-look-back-at-this-and/) [Richard Bandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bandler/) > [ It's hard for me to be serious. I can't really rub oil on me and go all the way with it \[laughs\]. I hear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-hard-for-me-to-be-serious-i-can-t-really-rub-oil-on-me-and-go/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Look in the mirror, and laugh at yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-glassman/look-in-the-mirror-and-laugh-at-yourself/) [Bernie Glassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-glassman/) > [I have to laugh at myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/i-have-to-laugh-at-myself/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-tell-how-smart-people-are-by-what-they-laugh-at/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Women liked me because I made them laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/women-liked-me-because-i-made-them-laugh/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't refract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [“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/) ## More by Bill Maher > [A lot of people say they are dyslexic; some have to realize that they are just stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/a-lot-of-people-say-they-are-dyslexic-some-have-to-realize-that-they/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Curious people are intersting people, I wonder why that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/curious-people-are-intersting-people-i-wonder-why-that-is/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [You see, the difference is the Republicans' hatred of Obama is based on a paranoid feeling about what he might do, what he's thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/you-see-the-difference-is-the-republicans-hatred-of-obama-is-based-on/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [The food is out of this world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-food-is-out-of-this-world/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [If we were a dog and God owned us, the cops would come and take us away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/if-we-were-a-dog-and-god-owned-us-the-cops-would-come-and-take-us-away/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“New Rule: The White House doesn't have to release the dead Bin Laden photos, but don't pretend we can't take it. We've seen pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-the-white-house-doesn-t-have-to-release-the-dead-bin-laden/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I think religion is bad and drugs are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-think-religion-is-bad-and-drugs-are-good/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I don't hate America. I love America. I want it to be better. The only way we can get it to be better is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-hate-america-i-love-america-i-want-it-to-be-better-the-only/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [What we don't know is about Jeb Bush and cocaine. But we do know that he did once had his brother Florida on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/what-we-don-t-know-is-about-jeb-bush-and-cocaine-but-we-do-know-that/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“I find that the world is changing much, much faster than I can even bitch about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-find-that-the-world-is-changing-much-much-faster-than-i-can-even/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) [Explore all 897 Bill Maher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## 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": "Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh at something, it's probably because there was some truth in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Maher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-detector-if-you-laugh-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-detector-if-you-laugh-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/816/bill-maher-211_comedy_laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-dete_2721054.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Laughter is sort of a natural truth detector. If you laugh at something, it's probably because there was…” — Bill Maher", "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": "Bill Maher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Laughter is sort of a natural...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-detector-if-you-laugh-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/laughter-is-sort-of-a-natural-truth-detector-if-you-laugh-at/#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 } } ] } ```