--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laughter is, above all, a corrective…" description: "\"Laughter is, above all, a corrective. Being intended to humiliate, it must make a painful impression on the person against whom it is directed. By laug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/henri-bergson-7179_bores_laughter-is-above-all-a-corrective-being_1457106.jpg" --- # Laughter is, above all, a corrective. Being intended to… ![“Laughter is, above all, a corrective. Being intended to humiliate, it must make a painful impression on the person against whom it is directed. By laughter, society avenges itself for the liberties taken with it. It would fail in its object if it bore the stamp of sympathy or kindness.” quote by Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/henri-bergson-7179_bores_laughter-is-above-all-a-corrective-being_1457106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/henri-bergson-7179_bores_laughter-is-above-all-a-corrective-being_1457106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/henri-bergson-7179_bores_laughter-is-above-all-a-corrective-being_1457106.jpg) > “Laughter is, above all, a corrective. Being intended to humiliate, it must make a painful impression on the person against whom it is directed. By laughter, society avenges itself for the liberties taken with it. It would fail in its object if it bore the stamp of sympathy or kindness.” [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laughter functions as a social corrective, imposing a sharp, uncomfortable reminder on those who overstep norms. **In simple terms:** Laughter punishes social transgressions. Key Takeaway Use humor to enforce boundaries. Themes social control humor norms correction Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - classroom discipline - political satire - online commentary - workplace feedback Key Concepts psychology social regulation cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How does humor maintain social order? - When does it become harmful? A Different Perspective If laughter is too harsh, it can alienate and cause resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bores/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Directed Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directed-laughter-5254003/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Humiliate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliate/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Intended Humiliate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intended-humiliate-5254004/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Laughter Corrective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter-corrective-2043751/) [Laughter Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter-society-5254005/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) ## Related quotes > [Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/laughter-is-the-corrective-force-which-prevents-us-from-becoming/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [On the other hand, the pleasure caused by laughter, even on the stage, is not an unadulterated enjoyment; it is not a pleasure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/on-the-other-hand-the-pleasure-caused-by-laughter-even-on-the-stage/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [In laughter we always find an unavowed intention to humiliate and consequently to correct our neighbour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/in-laughter-we-always-find-an-unavowed-intention-to-humiliate-and/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-so-arrogant-aren-t-we-so-afraid-of-age-we-do-everything-we-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The thingy? You want me, the most intelligent cognitive processor in the known worlds, to say thingy?” “Yes,” I reaffirmed. “That is correct." Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zakour/the-thingy-you-want-me-the-most-intelligent-cognitive-processor-in/) [John Zakour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zakour/) > [Charity, vertical, humiliates. Solidarity, horizontal, helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/charity-vertical-humiliates-solidarity-horizontal-helps/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [I like to make people laugh. That's for sure. And I really like to humiliate myself and go very far in derision and stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-le-bon/i-like-to-make-people-laugh-that-s-for-sure-and-i-really-like-to/) [Charlotte Le Bon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-le-bon/) > [My mom never caught me masturbating, so this is the next best thing I guess. Everyone needs to humiliate themselves in front of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/my-mom-never-caught-me-masturbating-so-this-is-the-next-best-thing-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [More than enough harassment to make anyone, Is like being encourage to humiliate myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/more-than-enough-harassment-to-make-anyone-is-like-being-encourage-to/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Everything is reduced to what's physical in the end, because it's the filth inside people's minds that creates all the evil. What is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-davies/everything-is-reduced-to-what-s-physical-in-the-end-because-it-s-the/) [Ray Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-davies/) > [The left wants to transform America away from founding ideals, and this is it. And they know it. And they're doing everything they, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-left-wants-to-transform-america-away-from-founding-ideals-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“The mountain will not humiliate in any era, and it will remain gloriuos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaran-ihsan-salih/the-mountain-will-not-humiliate-in-any-era-and-it-will-remain-gloriuos/) [Kamaran Ihsan Salih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaran-ihsan-salih/) > [I don't know if it's naivete or just narcissism, but I start out with this notion that I can do anything. It's not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-naivete-or-just-narcissism-but-i-start-out-with/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I think the public doesn't understand that one of the reasons I haven't stood up for myself is because in order to do that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-think-the-public-doesn-t-understand-that-one-of-the-reasons-i-haven/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [Allah will never humiliate the one who takes his Lord as friend and patron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/allah-will-never-humiliate-the-one-who-takes-his-lord-as-friend-and/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) ## More by Henri Bergson > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Action on the move creates its own route, creates to a very great extent the conditions under which it is to be fulfilled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/action-on-the-move-creates-its-own-route-creates-to-a-very-great/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Intuition is a method of feeling one's way intellectually into the inner heart of a thing, in order to locate what is unique and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/intuition-is-a-method-of-feeling-one-s-way-intellectually-into-the/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [“But, then, I cannot escape the objection that there is no state of mind, however simple, which does not change every moment, since there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/but-then-i-cannot-escape-the-objection-that-there-is-no-state-of-mind/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [In laughter we always find an unavowed intention to humiliate and consequently to correct our neighbour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/in-laughter-we-always-find-an-unavowed-intention-to-humiliate-and/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [In short, intelligence, considered in what seems to be its original feature, is the faculty of manufacturing artificial objects, especially tools to make tools,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/in-short-intelligence-considered-in-what-seems-to-be-its-original/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [There is no greater joy than that of feeling oneself a creator. The triumph of life is expressed by creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/there-is-no-greater-joy-than-that-of-feeling-oneself-a-creator-the/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [When we make the cerebral state the beginning of an action, and in no sense the condition of a perception, we place the perceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/when-we-make-the-cerebral-state-the-beginning-of-an-action-and-in-no/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [It is of man's essence to create materially and morally, to fabricate things and to fabricate himself. Homo faber is the definition I propose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/it-is-of-man-s-essence-to-create-materially-and-morally-to-fabricate/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [The only cure for vanity is laughter. And the only fault that's laughable is vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-only-cure-for-vanity-is-laughter-and-the-only-fault-that-s/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Instinct perfected is a faculty of using and even constructing organized instruments; intelligence perfected is the faculty of making and using unorganized instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/instinct-perfected-is-a-faculty-of-using-and-even-constructing/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Intelligence is the faculty of making artificial objects, especially tools to make tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/intelligence-is-the-faculty-of-making-artificial-objects-especially/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [I believe I experience creativity at every moment of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/i-believe-i-experience-creativity-at-every-moment-of-my-life/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [“Might not certain vices have the same relation to character that the rigidity of a fixed idea as to intellect? Whether as a moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/might-not-certain-vices-have-the-same-relation-to-character-that-the/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [The movement of the stream is distinct from the river bed, although it must adopt its winding course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-movement-of-the-stream-is-distinct-from-the-river-bed-although-it/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) [Explore all 86 Henri Bergson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) ## More Bores quotes > [It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-s-a-bore-b-o-r-e-when-you-find-you-ve-begun-to-rot/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Redtail was a brave warrior. His loyalty to ThunderClan could never be doubted. I always relied on his judgment, for it bore witness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/redtail-was-a-brave-warrior-his-loyalty-to-thunderclan-could-never-be/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [We are almost always wearied in the company of persons with whom we are not permitted to be weary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-are-almost-always-wearied-in-the-company-of-persons-with-whom-we/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The poet's first rule must be never to bore his readers; and his best way of keeping this rule is never to bore himself-which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/the-poet-s-first-rule-must-be-never-to-bore-his-readers-and-his-best/) [Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/) > [Attractive Etonians who go straight onto the Stock Exchange missing University on their fathers advice: the raw material of the great bores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-madan/attractive-etonians-who-go-straight-onto-the-stock-exchange-missing/) [Geoffrey Madan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-madan/) > [Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/life-in-this-society-being-at-best-an-utter-bore-and-no-aspect-of/) [Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/) > [All politicians are bores and liars and fakes. I talk to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/all-politicians-are-bores-and-liars-and-fakes-i-talk-to-people/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) > [And I am quite serious when I say that I do not believe there are, on the whole earth besides, so many intensified bores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/and-i-am-quite-serious-when-i-say-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are-on/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. His specialty is rhythm songs which he renders in an undistinguished whine; his phrasing, if it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gould/mr-presley-has-no-discernible-singing-ability-his-specialty-is-rhythm/) [Jack Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gould/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. 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Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that I ever bore; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/the-cross-of-christ-is-the-sweetest-burden-that-i-ever-bore-it-is/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [It is a sin to bore a child with the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-g-hendricks/it-is-a-sin-to-bore-a-child-with-the-word-of-god/) [Howard G. Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-g-hendricks/) [Browse all 653 Bores quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bores/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Laughter is, above all, a corrective. Being intended to humiliate, it must make a painful impression on the person against whom it is directed. By laughter, society avenges itself for the liberties taken with it. 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