--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always employed humor, and I think…" description: "\"I have always employed humor, and I think it’s absolutely crucial that we do because, among other things, humor is the only free emotion. I mean, you c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/gloria-steinem-277_emotion_i-have-always-employed-humor-and-i-think_2122643.jpg" --- # I have always employed humor, and I think it’s absolutely… ![“I have always employed humor, and I think it’s absolutely crucial that we do because, among other things, humor is the only free emotion. I mean, you can compel fear, as we know. You can compel love, actually, if somebody is isolated and dependent — it’s like the Stockholm syndrome. But you can’t…” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/gloria-steinem-277_emotion_i-have-always-employed-humor-and-i-think_2122643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/gloria-steinem-277_emotion_i-have-always-employed-humor-and-i-think_2122643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/gloria-steinem-277_emotion_i-have-always-employed-humor-and-i-think_2122643.jpg) > “I have always employed humor, and I think it’s absolutely crucial that we do because, among other things, humor is the only free emotion. I mean, you can compel fear, as we know. You can compel love, actually, if somebody is isolated and dependent — it’s like the Stockholm syndrome. But you can’t compel laughter. It happens when two things come together and make a third unexpectedly. It happens when you learn something, too.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is a unique, involuntary emotion that cannot be forced, arising spontaneously when ideas combine unexpectedly. **In simple terms:** Laughter cannot be compelled; it emerges from surprising connections. Key Takeaway Embrace humor to foster genuine connections. Themes creativity freedom emotion communication Mood playful insightful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - team building - public speaking - conflict resolution - education - marketing Key Concepts psychology social dynamics spontaneity Questions to Reflect On - How can you create moments that spark unexpected connections? - When does humor enhance versus undermine a message? A Different Perspective Humor may be misunderstood or dismissed in serious contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Love actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-actually/) [Stockholm syndrome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stockholm-syndrome/) ## Related quotes > [I have always employed humor, and I think it's absolutely crucial that we do because, among other things, humor is the only free emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-have-always-employed-humor-and-i-think-it-s-absolutely-crucial-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [George Lopez has to get a physical comedy checkup every year to make sure his bulging eyes don't get out of control... Good news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kindler/george-lopez-has-to-get-a-physical-comedy-checkup-every-year-to-make/) [Andy Kindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kindler/) > [Sometimes you can take those dramatic roles and maybe interject a little humor into them, and I think the reverse also works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-farina/sometimes-you-can-take-those-dramatic-roles-and-maybe-interject-a/) [Dennis Farina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-farina/) > [Even in drama, I like to try to find the humor because I think it's very human. Even in the depths of dreadful situations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-meaney/even-in-drama-i-like-to-try-to-find-the-humor-because-i-think-it-s/) [Colm Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-meaney/) > [A lot of people dont get my humor. My mom calls it dry humor. I think that means not funny, but it also means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/a-lot-of-people-dont-get-my-humor-my-mom-calls-it-dry-humor-i-think/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [I love humor. I always will fall back on humor. That's something that I think you can't ever get enough of and, if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-love-humor-i-always-will-fall-back-on-humor-that-s-something-that-i/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [I think I have a finely tuned sense of humor. I think just being around it and growing up in it... my dad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/i-think-i-have-a-finely-tuned-sense-of-humor-i-think-just-being/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [she doesn’t really have a sense of humor. I think she’d like to have one—it’s just that she doesn’t quite understand what jokes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/she-doesn-t-really-have-a-sense-of-humor-i-think-she-d-like-to-have/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [There's such a rich history in 'SNL' of political humor, and I think audience members expect that from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasheer-zamata/there-s-such-a-rich-history-in-snl-of-political-humor-and-i-think/) [Sasheer Zamata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasheer-zamata/) > [Surprise is not humor. I think that there can be a fine line there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-michael-key/surprise-is-not-humor-i-think-that-there-can-be-a-fine-line-there/) [Keegan-Michael Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-michael-key/) > [Humor is, I think, the subtlest and chanciest of literary forms. It is surely not accidental that there are a thousand novelists, essayists, poets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/humor-is-i-think-the-subtlest-and-chanciest-of-literary-forms-it-is/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [I'm not sure if it's easier to address tough themes through humor, but I do think it's more fun and makes such themes easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-perri/i-m-not-sure-if-it-s-easier-to-address-tough-themes-through-humor-but/) [Camille Perri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-perri/) > [I can't fall apart every time I mention that my mother's gone. I actually laugh about stories or things or situations. Of course there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-domingo/i-can-t-fall-apart-every-time-i-mention-that-my-mother-s-gone-i/) [Colman Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-domingo/) > [As far as how I approach the humor, I think the best comedy is going to happen when I'm myself and act organically to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-glaser/as-far-as-how-i-approach-the-humor-i-think-the-best-comedy-is-going/) [Nikki Glaser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-glaser/) > [“A lot of people don’t get my humor. My mom calls it dry humor. I think that means “not funny,” but it also means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasie-west/a-lot-of-people-don-t-get-my-humor-my-mom-calls-it-dry-humor-i-think/) [Kasie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasie-west/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## 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 have always employed humor, and I think it’s absolutely crucial that we do because, among other things, humor is the only free emotion. I mean, you can compel fear, as we know. You can compel love, actually, if somebody is isolated and dependent — it’s like the Stockholm syndrome. But you can’t compel laughter. It happens when two things come together and make a third unexpectedly. 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