--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...and with that he began to laugh, not a…" description: "\"“...and with that he began to laugh, not a laugh either, but a cackle, a hideous cackle like a rooster with its head on the block. It got him so badly ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/henry-miller-179_laughter_and-with-that-he-began-to-laugh-not-a-la_2396850.jpg" --- # ...and with that he began to laugh, not a laugh either… ![“...and with that he began to laugh, not a laugh either, but a cackle, a hideous cackle like a rooster with its head on the block. It got him so badly that he had to stop and hold his guts; the tears were streaming down his eyes and between the cackles he let out the most terrible heartrending sobs.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/henry-miller-179_laughter_and-with-that-he-began-to-laugh-not-a-la_2396850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/henry-miller-179_laughter_and-with-that-he-began-to-laugh-not-a-la_2396850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c8/henry-miller-179_laughter_and-with-that-he-began-to-laugh-not-a-la_2396850.jpg) > ““...and with that he began to laugh, not a laugh either, but a cackle, a hideous cackle like a rooster with its head on the block. It got him so badly that he had to stop and hold his guts; the tears were streaming down his eyes and between the cackles he let out the most terrible heartrending sobs.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage depicts a grotesque, uncontrollable laughter that turns into sobbing, illustrating how extreme emotion can be both absurd and painful. **In simple terms:** Intense laughter can become painful and tearful. Key Takeaway Recognize when humor masks deeper distress. Themes humor pain humanity Mood dark conflicted Type literary dramatic When to use this quote - theatrical performance - personal crisis - creative writing Key Concepts psychology emotional expression Questions to Reflect On - What does the cackle reveal about the character’s inner turmoil? - How can humor become a coping mechanism? A Different Perspective Laughter may hide underlying suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [“You cackle a lot, but don't lay any eggs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-st-john/you-cackle-a-lot-but-don-t-lay-any-eggs/) [Peter St. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-st-john/) > [“Nathan made an evil-sounding cackle. “Brave words from a dead girl who forgot to load her gun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-stone/nathan-made-an-evil-sounding-cackle-brave-words-from-a-dead-girl-who/) [C.L. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-stone/) > [They say that hens do cackle loudest when there is nothing vital in the eggs they have laid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/they-say-that-hens-do-cackle-loudest-when-there-is-nothing-vital-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Crush! Kill! And above all - cackle!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-crewe/crush-kill-and-above-all-cackle/) [Eliza Crewe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-crewe/) > [“He fears me because he is small. I will not meet him there. I will not shrink myself down to his size, or anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/he-fears-me-because-he-is-small-i-will-not-meet-him-there-i-will-not/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“She look me over from head to foot. Then she cackle. Sound like a death rattle. You sure is ugly, she say, like she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/she-look-me-over-from-head-to-foot-then-she-cackle-sound-like-a-death/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Destroy! destroy! destroy! hums the under-consciousness. Love and produce! Love and produce! cackles the upper consciousness. And the world hears only the Love-and- produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/destroy-destroy-destroy-hums-the-under-consciousness-love-and-produce/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“Her cackle resumed at full volume, and Delbert laughed with her. Life can be a hellish mess, he thought, but these shavings of joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hammond-jr/her-cackle-resumed-at-full-volume-and-delbert-laughed-with-her-life/) Dan Hammond Jr > [I wasn't a sweet kid. I was an instigator and provoked everyone with my goofy hyena cackle, loving every minute of the drama I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/i-wasn-t-a-sweet-kid-i-was-an-instigator-and-provoked-everyone-with/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [I recognized it immediately the first time it happened - the cackle of the crone. It is the sound of a woman who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/i-recognized-it-immediately-the-first-time-it-happened-the-cackle-of/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [“When the geese have cackled they will be still again. First they cackle and then they stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-the-geese-have-cackled-they-will-be-still-again-first-they/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“So I suggest you cut the cackle and come to the horses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/so-i-suggest-you-cut-the-cackle-and-come-to-the-horses/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. 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The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Laughter quotes > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [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/) > [Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't refract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [“Laughter sometimes hurts us, and sometimes it makes us feel better. No matter how down you feel... laughter brings a new ray of hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiko-tobe/laughter-sometimes-hurts-us-and-sometimes-it-makes-us-feel-better-no/) [Keiko Tobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiko-tobe/) > [Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/edgy-is-fine-i-m-not-a-prude-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-but/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [Nothing's funnier to me than laughing at myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/nothing-s-funnier-to-me-than-laughing-at-myself/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [“A long, loud, and canorous peal of laughter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-quincey/a-long-loud-and-canorous-peal-of-laughter/) [Thomas de Quincey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-quincey/) > [There isn't a sound better than your own child's laugh...There isn't a sight better than your own child's smile...and Nothing is better than being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/there-isn-t-a-sound-better-than-your-own-child-s-laugh-there-isn-t-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [What I like to think I've done is try to teach all women and my three female daughters, to teach them to rise above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joely-fisher/what-i-like-to-think-i-ve-done-is-try-to-teach-all-women-and-my-three/) [Joely Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joely-fisher/) > [You didn't want to laugh, did you? It wasn't very funny, was it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-kennedy/you-didn-t-want-to-laugh-did-you-it-wasn-t-very-funny-was-it/) [Graham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-kennedy/) > [Spirituality does not have to be serious. You are spirituality. Fun laughter heal you faster than anything. Introduce fun back into your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/spirituality-does-not-have-to-be-serious-you-are-spirituality-fun/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) [Browse all 5,682 Laughter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...and with that he began to laugh, not a laugh either, but a cackle, a hideous cackle like a rooster with its head on the block. 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