--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only source of the true Ridiculous…" description: "\"The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to me) is affectation\" — Henry Fielding" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png" --- # The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to… ![“The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to me) is affectation” quote by Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png) > “The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to me) is affectation” [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ridiculousness stems from pretentious affectation, not genuine humor. **In simple terms:** Fake affectation creates absurdity. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity over pretentiousness. Themes authenticity ridiculousness affectation Mood critical observational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - social commentary - personal interactions - creative writing Key Concepts literary criticism social satire Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen affectation hide substance? - How does authenticity improve communication? A Different Perspective Pretension can mask true insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affectation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectation/) [Appears Affectation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appears-affectation-3669719/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [Ridiculous Appears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous-appears-3669717/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [True Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-ridiculous-3669718/) ## Related quotes > [Affectation proceeds from one of these two causes,--vanity or hypocrisy; for as vanity puts us on affecting false characters, in order to purchase applause;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/affectation-proceeds-from-one-of-these-two-causes-vanity-or-hypocrisy/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Mannerism is not character, and affectation is the avowed enemy of grace. Every dancer ought to regard his laborious art as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-bournonville/mannerism-is-not-character-and-affectation-is-the-avowed-enemy-of/) [August Bournonville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-bournonville/) > [Affectation is an awkward and forced imitation of what should be genuine and easy, wanting the beauty that accompanies what is natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/affectation-is-an-awkward-and-forced-imitation-of-what-should-be/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [There is a pleasure in affecting affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/there-is-a-pleasure-in-affecting-affectation/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [External reality is sort of an affectation of the nervous system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/external-reality-is-sort-of-an-affectation-of-the-nervous-system/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Affectation hath always had a greater share both in the action and discourse of men than truth and judgment have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphra-behn/affectation-hath-always-had-a-greater-share-both-in-the-action-and/) [Aphra Behn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aphra-behn/) > [Affectation is the product of falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/affectation-is-the-product-of-falsehood/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I have no modesty. Modesty is a learned affectation. It's like decal stuck up on a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-have-no-modesty-modesty-is-a-learned-affectation-it-s-like-decal/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he's only trying on one face after another till he finds his own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/don-t-laugh-at-a-youth-for-his-affectations-he-s-only-trying-on-one/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [Affectation is to be always distinguished from hypocrisy as being the art of counterfeiting those qualities, which we might with innocence and safety, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/affectation-is-to-be-always-distinguished-from-hypocrisy-as-being-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Look for all fancy wordings and get rid of themAvoid all terms and expressions, old or new, that embody affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/look-for-all-fancy-wordings-and-get-rid-of-themavoid-all-terms-and/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [I don't like affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-don-t-like-affectation/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Affectation is a very good word when someone does not wish to confess to what he would none the less like to believe of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/affectation-is-a-very-good-word-when-someone-does-not-wish-to-confess/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have no affectation when I speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kudrow/i-have-no-affectation-when-i-speak/) [Lisa Kudrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kudrow/) > [Affectation is as necessary to the mind as dress is to the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/affectation-is-as-necessary-to-the-mind-as-dress-is-to-the-body/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Henry Fielding > [“Though Jones had formerly believed himself in the very prime of youth and vigor, his first encounter with Lady Bellaston both vexed and puzzled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/though-jones-had-formerly-believed-himself-in-the-very-prime-of-youth/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Good-breeding is not confined to externals, much less to any particular dress or attitude of the body; it is the art of pleasing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/good-breeding-is-not-confined-to-externals-much-less-to-any/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/adversity-is-the-trial-of-principle-without-it-a-man-hardly-knows/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Sir, money, money, the most charming of all things; money, which will say more in one moment than the most elegant lover can in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/sir-money-money-the-most-charming-of-all-things-money-which-will-say/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [The greatest part of mankind labor under one delirium or another; and Don Quixote differed from the rest, not in madness, but the species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-greatest-part-of-mankind-labor-under-one-delirium-or-another-and/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Want compassion is not to be numbered among the general faults of mankind. The black ingredient which fouls our disposition is envy. Hence our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/want-compassion-is-not-to-be-numbered-among-the-general-faults-of/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [It is well known to all great men, that by conferring an obligation they do not always procure a friend, but are certain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/it-is-well-known-to-all-great-men-that-by-conferring-an-obligation/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [One fool at least in every married couple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/one-fool-at-least-in-every-married-couple/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [A lover, when he is admitted to cards, ought to be solemnly silent, and observe the motions of his mistress. He must laugh when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-lover-when-he-is-admitted-to-cards-ought-to-be-solemnly-silent-and/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [If you make money your god, it will plague you like the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/if-you-make-money-your-god-it-will-plague-you-like-the-devil/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [As a conquered rebellion strengthens a government, or as health is more perfectly established by recovery from some diseases; so anger, when removed, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/as-a-conquered-rebellion-strengthens-a-government-or-as-health-is/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [A wonder lasts but nine days, and then the puppy's eyes are open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-wonder-lasts-but-nine-days-and-then-the-puppy-s-eyes-are-open/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Custom may lead a man into many errors; but it justifies none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/custom-may-lead-a-man-into-many-errors-but-it-justifies-none/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [A grave aspect to a grave character is of much more consequence than the world is generally aware of; a barber may make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-grave-aspect-to-a-grave-character-is-of-much-more-consequence-than/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) [Explore all 246 Henry Fielding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) ## More Affectation quotes > [Mannerism is not character, and affectation is the avowed enemy of grace. Every dancer ought to regard his laborious art as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-bournonville/mannerism-is-not-character-and-affectation-is-the-avowed-enemy-of/) [August Bournonville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-bournonville/) > [I have no affectation when I speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kudrow/i-have-no-affectation-when-i-speak/) [Lisa Kudrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kudrow/) > [Affectation is a very good word when someone does not wish to confess to what he would none the less like to believe of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/affectation-is-a-very-good-word-when-someone-does-not-wish-to-confess/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-don-t-like-affectation/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Look for all fancy wordings and get rid of themAvoid all terms and expressions, old or new, that embody affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/look-for-all-fancy-wordings-and-get-rid-of-themavoid-all-terms-and/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [Affectation is to be always distinguished from hypocrisy as being the art of counterfeiting those qualities, which we might with innocence and safety, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/affectation-is-to-be-always-distinguished-from-hypocrisy-as-being-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he's only trying on one face after another till he finds his own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/don-t-laugh-at-a-youth-for-his-affectations-he-s-only-trying-on-one/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [I have no modesty. Modesty is a learned affectation. It's like decal stuck up on a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-have-no-modesty-modesty-is-a-learned-affectation-it-s-like-decal/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Affectation is the product of falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/affectation-is-the-product-of-falsehood/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Affectation hath always had a greater share both in the action and discourse of men than truth and judgment have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphra-behn/affectation-hath-always-had-a-greater-share-both-in-the-action-and/) [Aphra Behn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aphra-behn/) > [Affectation proceeds from one of these two causes,--vanity or hypocrisy; for as vanity puts us on affecting false characters, in order to purchase applause;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/affectation-proceeds-from-one-of-these-two-causes-vanity-or-hypocrisy/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [External reality is sort of an affectation of the nervous system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/external-reality-is-sort-of-an-affectation-of-the-nervous-system/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [There is a pleasure in affecting affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/there-is-a-pleasure-in-affecting-affectation/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Affectation is an awkward and forced imitation of what should be genuine and easy, wanting the beauty that accompanies what is natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/affectation-is-an-awkward-and-forced-imitation-of-what-should-be/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [Affectation is as necessary to the mind as dress is to the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/affectation-is-as-necessary-to-the-mind-as-dress-is-to-the-body/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) [Browse all 27 Affectation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to me) is affectation", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Fielding" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-as-it-appears-to-me-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affectation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-as-it-appears-to-me-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79c/henry-fielding-1358_affectation_the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-a_411775.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only source of the true Ridiculous (as it appears to me) is affectation” — Henry Fielding", "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": "Henry Fielding", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only source of the true...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-as-it-appears-to-me-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-only-source-of-the-true-ridiculous-as-it-appears-to-me-is/#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 } } ] } ```