--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think someone should have had the…" description: "\"I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/jack-handey-829_decency_i-think-someone-should-have-had-the-dece_2143304.jpg" --- # I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the… ![“I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.” quote by Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/jack-handey-829_decency_i-think-someone-should-have-had-the-dece_2143304.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/jack-handey-829_decency_i-think-someone-should-have-had-the-dece_2143304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/jack-handey-829_decency_i-think-someone-should-have-had-the-dece_2143304.jpg) > “I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.” [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hospitality should be genuine; tricking someone into a fake emergency for amusement is rude. **In simple terms:** Fake emergencies are not hospitality. Key Takeaway Be sincere, not deceptive. Themes humor social etiquette deception Mood playful lighthearted Type satirical anecdotal When to use this quote - parties - social gatherings - friendship - work events Key Concepts social norms practical jokes Questions to Reflect On - When is a prank acceptable? - How do you balance humor and respect? A Different Perspective Some jokes can damage relationships if taken too far. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decency/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Hospitality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/) [Potato salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potato-salad/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“And what would you like, Sharie?" asked Miss Mush. "What do you have?" asked Sharie. "Potato salad". "What else is there?" asked Sharie. "Nothing"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/and-what-would-you-like-sharie-asked-miss-mush-what-do-you-have-asked/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [“Lou Ann’s life was ruled by the fear of salmonella, to the extent that she claimed the only safe way to eat potato salad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lou-ann-s-life-was-ruled-by-the-fear-of-salmonella-to-the-extent-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Sometimes when I'm making a potato salad I don't boil my own potatoes, I take them straight out of a can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadiya-hussain/sometimes-when-i-m-making-a-potato-salad-i-don-t-boil-my-own-potatoes/) [Nadiya Hussain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadiya-hussain/) > [“Before that summer, I had many times heard long-winded Baptist preachers take ten minutes to pray over card tables of potato salad and fried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/before-that-summer-i-had-many-times-heard-long-winded-baptist/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [In life, one is entitled to a side dish of either coleslaw or potato salad, and the choice must be made in terror, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/in-life-one-is-entitled-to-a-side-dish-of-either-coleslaw-or-potato/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [When you see a fly flitting around your hair or your potato salad, you might see an annoyance. 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And when past its prime, it is similarly deadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/high-fashion-has-the-shelf-life-of-potato-salad-and-when-past-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/you-have-to-love-a-nation-that-celebrates-its-independence-every-july/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) ## More by Jack Handey > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Sometimes I wonder if I'm patriotic enough. 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Ask, and ask often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-you-go-to-a-party-at-somebody-s-house-don-t-automatically-assume/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [He was a cowboy, mister, and he loved the land. He loved it so much he made a woman out of dirt and married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/he-was-a-cowboy-mister-and-he-loved-the-land-he-loved-it-so-much-he/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/if-you-were-a-gladiator-in-olden-days-i-bet-the-inefficiency-of-how/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) [Explore all 358 Jack Handey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More Decency quotes > [Come on, that was no foul! 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