--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A thing derided is a thing dead; a…" description: "\"A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.\" — Gustave Flaubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg" --- # A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is… ![“A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg) > “A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.” [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mockery kills ideas; humor can be a stronger response than suffering. **In simple terms:** Mockery destroys; humor can empower. Key Takeaway Use humor constructively. Themes criticism humor resilience Mood wry insightful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - debates - online discourse - personal setbacks Key Concepts psychology social interaction Questions to Reflect On - When is humor appropriate? - How to turn mockery into strength? A Different Perspective Humor can be misinterpreted as cruelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of a thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-our-eyes-see-our-hands-doing-the-work-of-our-hearts-the-circle/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One cannot be always laughing at a man without now and then stumbling on something witty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/one-cannot-be-always-laughing-at-a-man-without-now-and-then-stumbling/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Everywhere in the world we find the laughing man behind the devil mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattias-konradsson/everywhere-in-the-world-we-find-the-laughing-man-behind-the-devil-mask/) [Mattias Konradsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattias-konradsson/) > [“What was left of his fortune, the Laughing Man converted into diamonds, which he lowered casually, in emerald vaults, into the Black Sea. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/what-was-left-of-his-fortune-the-laughing-man-converted-into-diamonds/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [If you are able to explain suffering, a man once told him, you weren't really there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/if-you-are-able-to-explain-suffering-a-man-once-told-him-you-weren-t/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [The suffering man ought really to consume his own smoke; there is no good in emitting smoke till you have made it into fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-suffering-man-ought-really-to-consume-his-own-smoke-there-is-no/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [“The growth of Sentiment is the increase of suffering; man is never entirely miserable until he finds out how wronged he is and fancies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-godfrey-leland/the-growth-of-sentiment-is-the-increase-of-suffering-man-is-never/) [Charles Godfrey Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-godfrey-leland/) > [When you saw people suffering... A man who fight for freedom, was tortured and jailed. A beggar asking for food, and was beaten. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reolope/when-you-saw-people-suffering-a-man-who-fight-for-freedom-was/) [Janet Reolope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reolope/) > [It is very difficult also to sacrifice one's suffering. A man will renounce any pleasures you like but he will not give up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-very-difficult-also-to-sacrifice-one-s-suffering-a-man-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is suffering so very serious? ...I'm referring to the kind of suffering a man inflicts on a woman or a woman on a man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/is-suffering-so-very-serious-i-m-referring-to-the-kind-of-suffering-a/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [“It is easy to suffer for a cause or for a mission; this ennobles the heart of the person suffering. But how to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-easy-to-suffer-for-a-cause-or-for-a-mission-this-ennobles-the/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to him who does not fear it, everything belongs. If there was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/man-cannot-possess-anything-as-long-as-he-fears-death-but-to-him-who/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > ['The long-suffering man abounds in understanding' (Prov. 14:29), because he endures everything to the end and, while awaiting that end, patiently bears his distress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/the-long-suffering-man-abounds-in-understanding-prov-14-29-because-he/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [Is suffering so very serious? I have come to doubt it. It may be quite childish, a sort of undignified pastime I'm referring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/is-suffering-so-very-serious-i-have-come-to-doubt-it-it-may-be-quite/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [But how to explain suffering because of a man? It's not explainable. With that kind of suffering, a person feels as if they're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-how-to-explain-suffering-because-of-a-man-it-s-not-explainable/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Gustave Flaubert > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/caught-up-in-life-you-see-it-badly-you-suffer-from-it-or-enjoy-it-too/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/love-is-a-springtime-plant-that-perfumes-everything-with-its-hope/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“But her life was as cold as an attic facing north; and boredom, like a silent spider, was weaving its web in the shadows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-her-life-was-as-cold-as-an-attic-facing-north-and-boredom-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [When you reduce a woman to writing, she makes you think of a thousand other women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-you-reduce-a-woman-to-writing-she-makes-you-think-of-a-thousand/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/travel-makes-one-modest-you-see-what-a-tiny-place-you-occupy-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-not-touch-our-idols-the-gilt-sticks-to-our-fingers/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-superhuman-will-is-needed-in-order-to-write-and-i-am-only-a-man/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-writer-must-wade-into-life-as-into-the-sea-but-only-up-to-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [COLD. Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [And indeed, what is better than to sit by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/and-indeed-what-is-better-than-to-sit-by-one-s-fireside-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One's existence should be in two parts: one should live like a bourgeois and think like a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/one-s-existence-should-be-in-two-parts-one-should-live-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) [Explore all 526 Gustave Flaubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## 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": "A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughing-man-is-stronger-than-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughing-man-is-stronger-than-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/gustave-flaubert-354_comedy_a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughi_2626953.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.” — Gustave Flaubert", "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": "Gustave Flaubert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A thing derided is a thing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughing-man-is-stronger-than-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-thing-derided-is-a-thing-dead-a-laughing-man-is-stronger-than-a/#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 } } ] } ```