--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many things have been written, including…" description: "\"Many things have been written, including by me, linking humor and pain. Mostly, in my case, the humor part keeps me sane. If I spent all my hours writi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/dave-barry-222_brooding_many-things-have-been-written-including_1794256.jpg" --- # Many things have been written, including by me, linking… ![“Many things have been written, including by me, linking humor and pain. Mostly, in my case, the humor part keeps me sane. If I spent all my hours writing things like "Fatal Distraction," I'd become a brooding, erratic melancholic. I'd be Raskolnikov.” quote by Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/dave-barry-222_brooding_many-things-have-been-written-including_1794256.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/dave-barry-222_brooding_many-things-have-been-written-including_1794256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/dave-barry-222_brooding_many-things-have-been-written-including_1794256.jpg) > “Many things have been written, including by me, linking humor and pain. Mostly, in my case, the humor part keeps me sane. If I spent all my hours writing things like "Fatal Distraction," I'd become a brooding, erratic melancholic. I'd be Raskolnikov.” [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor helps the author stay mentally healthy, preventing descent into gloom and melancholy. **In simple terms:** Humor keeps me sane. Key Takeaway Use humor to stay balanced. Themes mental health creativity balance Mood reflective lighthearted Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - writing - stand‑up comedy - personal coping - daily stress - creative work Key Concepts psychology selfcare artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - Do you use humor to avoid pain? - How can humor protect mental health? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper issues if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooding/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction/) [Distraction Brooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction-brooding-1974776/) [Erratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erratic/) [Fatal Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatal-distraction-1974775/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humor Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor-pain-1974773/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Including](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/including/) [Melancholic Raskolnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholic-raskolnikov-1974774/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Raskolnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raskolnikov/) [Sane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sane/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [People with new ideas, people with the faintest capacity for saying something new, are extremely few in number, extraordinarily so, in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-with-new-ideas-people-with-the-faintest-capacity-for-saying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Raskolnikov sat in silence, listening with disgust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/raskolnikov-sat-in-silence-listening-with-disgust/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“But how did I murder her? Is that how men do murders? Do men go to commit a murder as I went then? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/but-how-did-i-murder-her-is-that-how-men-do-murders-do-men-go-to/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Voiau sa vorbesca si nu puteau. Le erau ochii plini de lacrimi. Amandoi arau palizi si slabi; dat pe chipurile acestea bolnavicioase si palide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/voiau-sa-vorbesca-si-nu-puteau-le-erau-ochii-plini-de-lacrimi-amandoi/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His malice was aimed at himself; with shame and contempt he recollected his "cowardice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/his-malice-was-aimed-at-himself-with-shame-and-contempt-he/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [A literary creation can appeal to us in all sorts of ways-by its theme, subject, situations, characters. But above all it appeals to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/a-literary-creation-can-appeal-to-us-in-all-sorts-of-ways-by-its/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Break what must be broken, once for all, that's all, and take the suffering on oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/break-what-must-be-broken-once-for-all-that-s-all-and-take-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/pain-and-suffering-are-always-inevitable-for-a-large-intelligence-and/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues of others that so wrenches our hearts as it is the sense of almost unbearably poignant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/maybe-it-s-not-in-the-end-the-virtues-of-others-that-so-wrenches-our/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Novels are routinely denigrated when characters are not found to be likable. Is Raskolnikov likable? Is King Lear? The plethora of such naive readers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/novels-are-routinely-denigrated-when-characters-are-not-found-to-be/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“Raskolnikov had been listening intently, but with a sense of unhealthy discomfort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/raskolnikov-had-been-listening-intently-but-with-a-sense-of-unhealthy/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“I love to hear singing to a street organ,” said Raskolnikov, and his manner seemed strangely out of keeping with the subject—“I like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-love-to-hear-singing-to-a-street-organ-said-raskolnikov-and-his/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“Raskolnikov was not used to crowds, and, as we said before, he avoided society of every sort, more especially of late. But now all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/raskolnikov-was-not-used-to-crowds-and-as-we-said-before-he-avoided/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Hush, Sonia! I am not laughing. I know myself that it was the devil leading me. Hush, Sonia, hush!” he repeated with gloomy insistence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/hush-sonia-i-am-not-laughing-i-know-myself-that-it-was-the-devil/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) ## More by Dave Barry > [This is true; virtually all edible substances, and many automotive products, are now marketed as being low-fat or fat-free. Americans are obsessed with fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-is-true-virtually-all-edible-substances-and-many-automotive/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The hardest thing about being a guy is that women don't accept that you really are just a simple, pathetic, labrador retriever-like creature. 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Contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/entire-new-continent-can-emerge-from-the-ocean-in-the-time-it-takes/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [He was distracted by a giggle, and turned to see a rare sight: a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/he-was-distracted-by-a-giggle-and-turned-to-see-a-rare-sight-a-girl/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The major parties could conduct live human sacrifices on their podiums during prime time, and I doubt that anybody would notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-major-parties-could-conduct-live-human-sacrifices-on-their/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [If you look at any list of great modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Don't you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/don-t-you-wish-you-had-a-job-like-mine-all-you-have-to-do-is-think-up/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“Despite the gulf, physical and cultural, between the United States and Japan, both societies are, in the end, made up of people, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/despite-the-gulf-physical-and-cultural-between-the-united-states-and/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Before going on a diet you should consult your doctor, or at least send him some money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/before-going-on-a-diet-you-should-consult-your-doctor-or-at-least/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Never trust anything you read in a travel article.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/never-trust-anything-you-read-in-a-travel-article/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/in-the-old-days-it-was-not-called-the-holiday-season-the-christians/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Always remember that if editors were so damned smart, they would know how to dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/always-remember-that-if-editors-were-so-damned-smart-they-would-know/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) [Explore all 867 Dave Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More Brooding quotes > [Do not look down, brooding over your weakness! Do not look back upon your past, strewn with failure! Look up to the living Christ!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-b-meyer/do-not-look-down-brooding-over-your-weakness-do-not-look-back-upon/) [F.B. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-b-meyer/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [People are incredibly literal sometimes in how they view you. You have dark hair and pale skin? You must be brooding. The second you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paquin/people-are-incredibly-literal-sometimes-in-how-they-view-you-you-have/) [Anna Paquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paquin/) > [You can rake the muck this way, rake the muck that way-- it will always be muck. Have I sinned or have I not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/you-can-rake-the-muck-this-way-rake-the-muck-that-way-it-will-always/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [The brooding is better than the joy because even if the heart fills with happiness, it still mourns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-brooding-is-better-than-the-joy-because-even-if-the-heart-fills/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Lately you are brooding too much about rights. Give up this dangerous habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/lately-you-are-brooding-too-much-about-rights-give-up-this-dangerous/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [The end of spring- the poet is brooding about editors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosa-buson/the-end-of-spring-the-poet-is-brooding-about-editors/) [Yosa Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosa-buson/) > [“Darkness lingered in those blue eyes, like ghosts haunted him despite only the two of them standing in this cabin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/darkness-lingered-in-those-blue-eyes-like-ghosts-haunted-him-despite/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [I've always wanted to be a brooding, deep, dark artist, but I can never keep that facade going for more than 15 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-callen/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-a-brooding-deep-dark-artist-but-i-can-never/) [Bryan Callen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-callen/) > [Ideas come when we do not expect them, and not when we are brooding and searching at our desks. Yet ideas would certainly not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/ideas-come-when-we-do-not-expect-them-and-not-when-we-are-brooding/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Lights of ships moved in the fairway-a great stir of lights going up and going down. And farther west on the upper reaches the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/lights-of-ships-moved-in-the-fairway-a-great-stir-of-lights-going-up/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [We are all prone to brood on the evil done us. That brooding becomes as a gnawing and destructive canker. Is there a virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/we-are-all-prone-to-brood-on-the-evil-done-us-that-brooding-becomes/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [“Great flocks of raindrops swelled and folded, and fell upon her like insects to a feast. She hadn’t thought to bring a raincoat; she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-tompkins/great-flocks-of-raindrops-swelled-and-folded-and-fell-upon-her-like/) [J.R. Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-tompkins/) > [I would like to break out of this dark, brooding image, cause I'm actually not like that at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/i-would-like-to-break-out-of-this-dark-brooding-image-cause-i-m/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) [Browse all 176 Brooding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many things have been written, including by me, linking humor and pain. Mostly, in my case, the humor part keeps me sane. If I spent all my hours writing things like \"Fatal Distraction,\" I'd become a brooding, erratic melancholic. 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