--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He…" description: "\"Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He was particularly afraid of ridicule. He was afraid that someone would say that humans are descended from apes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd4/guus-kuijer-56683_apes_father-was-afraid-of-laughter-and-joy-he_2024844.png" --- # Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He was particularly… ![“Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He was particularly afraid of ridicule. He was afraid that someone would say that humans are descended from apes. Or that the earth is much older than four thousand years. Or that someone would ask where Noah go his polar bears from. Or that someone would…” quote by Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd4/guus-kuijer-56683_apes_father-was-afraid-of-laughter-and-joy-he_2024844.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd4/guus-kuijer-56683_apes_father-was-afraid-of-laughter-and-joy-he_2024844.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd4/guus-kuijer-56683_apes_father-was-afraid-of-laughter-and-joy-he_2024844.png) > “Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He was particularly afraid of ridicule. He was afraid that someone would say that humans are descended from apes. Or that the earth is much older than four thousand years. Or that someone would ask where Noah go his polar bears from. Or that someone would swear. Father was terrified.” [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A father lives in fear of laughter, ridicule, and challenging beliefs, showing how anxiety can dominate daily life. **In simple terms:** Father fears joy and questioning. Key Takeaway Address and confront irrational fears. Themes fear family beliefs Mood somber introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - parent‑child relationships - mental health therapy - education on critical thinking Key Concepts anxiety cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your fear of ridicule? - How can you foster openness? A Different Perspective Fear may be rooted in deeper trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apes/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Laughter and joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter-and-joy/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Polar Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polar-bear/) [Polar bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polar-bears/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [“But I am your father, and I am terrified of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francette-phal/but-i-am-your-father-and-i-am-terrified-of-you/) [Francette Phal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francette-phal/) > [“But Benny was already walking through the doors and into the bright sunny day, pulling the bottle from his shirt and thrusting it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/but-benny-was-already-walking-through-the-doors-and-into-the-bright/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [I feel like that I'm losing her bc of my father I'm afraid shes cutting rn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter/i-feel-like-that-i-m-losing-her-bc-of-my-father-i-m-afraid-shes/) [Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter/) > [My father was so very afraid. I felt it in the sting of his black leather belt, which he applied with more anxiety than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/my-father-was-so-very-afraid-i-felt-it-in-the-sting-of-his-black/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I began to ration my writing, for fear I would dream through life as my father had done. I was afraid I had inherited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/i-began-to-ration-my-writing-for-fear-i-would-dream-through-life-as/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [I see by your letter to my father that you are rather afraid the French may invade England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-john-wills/i-see-by-your-letter-to-my-father-that-you-are-rather-afraid-the/) [William John Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-john-wills/) > [I was surprised by how much I like being a father; surprised at what a decent father I am, because I was afraid I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-was-surprised-by-how-much-i-like-being-a-father-surprised-at-what-a/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [“Then he said: I am God,\* the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-usccb/then-he-said-i-am-god-the-god-of-your-father-do-not-be-afraid-to-go/) [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-usccb/) > [I was always listening to my father more than anyone. I was always afraid of my father more than anyone. But there's a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-was-always-listening-to-my-father-more-than-anyone-i-was-always/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [My father was afraid of his father, I was afraid of my father, and I don't see why my children shouldn't be afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-mountbatten/my-father-was-afraid-of-his-father-i-was-afraid-of-my-father-and-i/) [Lord Mountbatten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-mountbatten/) > [“Choose the Happy Side of Life. Seek ways to bring humor, laughter, and joy to work. It will not only make work more fun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/choose-the-happy-side-of-life-seek-ways-to-bring-humor-laughter-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Christianity is the worst of the regressions that mankind can ever have undergone, and it's the Jew who, thanks to this diabolic invention, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/christianity-is-the-worst-of-the-regressions-that-mankind-can-ever/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Since religion was so much a part of my life as a child, and since my childhood was so happy and so full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minnie-pearl/since-religion-was-so-much-a-part-of-my-life-as-a-child-and-since-my/) [Minnie Pearl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minnie-pearl/) > [“My litter sister looks up at me. Mom was right. Her eyes are the same as they've always been. Brown eyes fringed with long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/my-litter-sister-looks-up-at-me-mom-was-right-her-eyes-are-the-same/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More by Guus Kuijer > [“Sunday is the only day you have to push like a handcart,’ Thomas wrote in The Book Of Everything. ’ The other days roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/sunday-is-the-only-day-you-have-to-push-like-a-handcart-thomas-wrote/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) > [“Happy," said Thomas. "When I grow up, I am going to be happy." Mrs. van Amersfoort was about to pull a book from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/happy-said-thomas-when-i-grow-up-i-am-going-to-be-happy-mrs-van/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) > [Do you know how happiness begins? It begins with no longer being afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/do-you-know-how-happiness-begins-it-begins-with-no-longer-being-afraid/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) > [The angels in heaven covered their eyes with their hands and sobbed loudly, because that is what they always do when a man hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/the-angels-in-heaven-covered-their-eyes-with-their-hands-and-sobbed/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) > [“Thomas loved words, particularly if he didn’t understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/thomas-loved-words-particularly-if-he-didn-t-understand-them/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) [Explore all 6 Guus Kuijer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) ## More Apes quotes > [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Battle For The Planet Of The Apes', was just a film for kids and didn't have any deep meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lee-thompson/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-was-just-a-film-for-kids-and-didn-t/) J. Lee Thompson > [Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/far-out-in-the-uncharted-backwaters-of-the-unfashionable-end-of-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The idea that war should be conducted within a moral framework may seem like a quaint medieval practice, but as speech separates humans from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-that-war-should-be-conducted-within-a-moral-framework-may/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is man an ape or an angel? Now I am on the side of the angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/is-man-an-ape-or-an-angel-now-i-am-on-the-side-of-the-angels/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Mass ought to be in Latin, unless you could do it in Greek or Chinese. In fact, any abracadabra that no bloody member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/mass-ought-to-be-in-latin-unless-you-could-do-it-in-greek-or-chinese/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I think the problem we have as apes is we're asking far bigger questions than we could possibly process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/i-think-the-problem-we-have-as-apes-is-we-re-asking-far-bigger/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [We admit that we are like apes, but we seldom realise that we are apes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-admit-that-we-are-like-apes-but-we-seldom-realise-that-we-are-apes/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Lower your gaze because you become less of a human every time you stare at a woman and you stare at her like she's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/lower-your-gaze-because-you-become-less-of-a-human-every-time-you/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [It was their individuality combined with the shyness of their behavior that remained the most captivating impression of this first encounter with the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dian-fossey/it-was-their-individuality-combined-with-the-shyness-of-their/) [Dian Fossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dian-fossey/) > [Apes had it worked out. No ape would philosophize, "The mountain is, and is not." They would think, "The banana is. I will eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/apes-had-it-worked-out-no-ape-would-philosophize-the-mountain-is-and/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 444 Apes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Father was afraid of laughter and joy. He was particularly afraid of ridicule. He was afraid that someone would say that humans are descended from apes. Or that the earth is much older than four thousand years. Or that someone would ask where Noah go his polar bears from. Or that someone would swear. 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