---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he…"
description: "\"Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very funny. When someone else's truth is the sam..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg"
---

#  Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me…

![“Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very funny. When someone else's truth is the same as your truth, and he seems to be saying it just for you, that's great.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg)

> “Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very funny. When someone else's truth is the same as your truth, and he seems to be saying it just for you, that's great.”

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker notes that shared truths can be humorous, and when another’s truth mirrors yours, it feels personally resonant and uplifting.

**In simple terms:** Common experiences can be both funny and deeply connecting.

Key Takeaway

Celebrate shared insights and humor.

Themes

humor truth connection literature

Mood

witty thoughtful

Type

cultural social

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- friend conversations
- public readings
- online forums

Key Concepts

shared experience relatability emotional resonance

Questions to Reflect On

- When does shared truth become limiting?
- How can you honor differences while laughing together?

A Different Perspective

The humor may mask deeper disagreements or oversimplify complex truths.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [“No one has rightly sought the truth who has not encountered at the end of this search — whether to accept or reject Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hieromonk-damascene/no-one-has-rightly-sought-the-truth-who-has-not-encountered-at-the/)

Hieromonk Damascene

> [“The truth, first encountered on that day, was this: there was a well inside her, the water in that well was poisoned, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-truth-first-encountered-on-that-day-was-this-there-was-a-well/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“When someone else’s truth is the same as your truth, and he seems to be saying it just for you, that’s great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/when-someone-else-s-truth-is-the-same-as-your-truth-and-he-seems-to/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Tell people the truth, they laugh. The truth is so tragic they have to pretend it's a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-kallen/tell-people-the-truth-they-laugh-the-truth-is-so-tragic-they-have-to/)

[Lucille Kallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-kallen/)

> [“I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-have-come-to-believe-that-the-whole-world-is-an-enigma-a-harmless-2/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“Trip cackled. “That’s so wrong!” “You laughed. If you laugh, then you think it’s true.” “Who said that?” “Everyone.” He huffed. “People laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-suede/trip-cackled-that-s-so-wrong-you-laughed-if-you-laugh-then-you-think/)

[Damon Suede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-suede/)

> [Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/perhaps-the-mission-of-those-who-love-mankind-is-to-make-people-laugh/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Turgenev's achievement lies in how he succeeded, in spite of himself, his country, and his time, in exempting his work from public duty. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/turgenev-s-achievement-lies-in-how-he-succeeded-in-spite-of-himself/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [I don't think you can ever assess your work. I don't think Turgenev could assess his any more than I can assess mine, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/i-don-t-think-you-can-ever-assess-your-work-i-don-t-think-turgenev/)

[Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/)

> [When one has praised Turgenev, however, for the beauty of his character and the beautiful truth of his art, one remembers that he, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson-lynd/when-one-has-praised-turgenev-however-for-the-beauty-of-his-character/)

[Robert Wilson Lynd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson-lynd/)

> [“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin." - Ivan Turgenev”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/if-we-wait-for-the-moment-when-everything-absolutely-everything-is-2/)

[Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/)

> [Ivan Turgenev's novella 'First Love' is one of the most perfect things ever written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/ivan-turgenev-s-novella-first-love-is-one-of-the-most-perfect-things/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [my 6 foot goddess makes me laugh the laughter of the mutilated who still need love... she has saved me from everything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/my-6-foot-goddess-makes-me-laugh-the-laughter-of-the-mutilated-who/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [But, the relationships that I see work - As long as they're telling the truth, and saying the things that you don't ever want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/but-the-relationships-that-i-see-work-as-long-as-they-re-telling-the/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [One can live in this world on soothsaying but not on truth saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/one-can-live-in-this-world-on-soothsaying-but-not-on-truth-saying/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

## More by Charles Bukowski

> [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. A writer who has to go into the streets is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-only-one-place-to-write-and-that-is-alone-at-a-typewriter-a/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“nerves twitching in the sheets -- to face the sunlight again, that's clearly trouble. I like the city better when the neon lights are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/nerves-twitching-in-the-sheets-to-face-the-sunlight-again-that-s/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Their Love Is Average, Seeks Average But There Is Genius In Their Hatred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/their-love-is-average-seeks-average-but-there-is-genius-in-their/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I climbed the stairway (there was no elevator) and put the key in. The door swung open. Somebody had changed all the furniture around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-climbed-the-stairway-there-was-no-elevator-and-put-the-key-in-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [It's 4:30 in the morning, it's always 4:30 in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-4-30-in-the-morning-it-s-always-4-30-in-the-morning/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I went home each night dizzy and sick. He was murdering me with the sound of his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-home-each-night-dizzy-and-sick-he-was-murdering-me-with-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“the nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-nights-you-fight-best-are-when-all-the-weapons-are-pointed-at-you/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

[Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More Firsts quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/)

[Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/)

> [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [You sort of can't talk about the post production unless you talk about what comes first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-greengrass/you-sort-of-can-t-talk-about-the-post-production-unless-you-talk/)

[Paul Greengrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-greengrass/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/)

[Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/)

[Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

Browse all 32,432 Firsts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very funny. When someone else's truth is the same as your truth, and he seems to be saying it just for you, that's great.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-he-could-make-me-laugh-because/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Firsts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-he-could-make-me-laugh-because/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/charles-bukowski-73_firsts_turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-h_205797.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very…” — Charles Bukowski",
                "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": "Charles Bukowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Turgenev was a very serious fellow...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-he-could-make-me-laugh-because/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/turgenev-was-a-very-serious-fellow-but-he-could-make-me-laugh-because/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
