--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep…" description: "\"Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png" --- # Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And… ![“Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.” quote by Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png) > “Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.” [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laughter can be a coping mechanism, turning sorrow into joy and reminding us of life's goodness. **In simple terms:** Laugh to cope with sadness. Key Takeaway Find humor in hardship. Themes resilience humor empathy well‑being Mood hopeful lighthearted Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - dealing with grief - stress relief - daily challenges - mental health support Key Concepts psychology emotional regulation positive coping Questions to Reflect On - When does laughter become avoidance? - How can joy be balanced with sorrow? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laugh Crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-crying-317107/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Realize Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-happy-1120364/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-feels/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [The best feeling comes, when you realize that you're happy without the people you thought you needed the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-feeling-comes-when-you-realize-that-you-re-happy-without-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just stop for a minute and you'll realize you're happy just being. I think it's the pursuit that screws up happiness. If we drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/just-stop-for-a-minute-and-you-ll-realize-you-re-happy-just-being-i/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Sometimes we need to leave our mate alone to realize , how happy is life cause of being together and how empty it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/sometimes-we-need-to-leave-our-mate-alone-to-realize-how-happy-is/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [Sometimes you have to face your past not to continue what you left off, but to simply make you realize how happy and satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-have-to-face-your-past-not-to-continue-what-you-left/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Currently I am happy with my life...and I realize I am happy even without you in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/currently-i-am-happy-with-my-life-and-i-realize-i-am-happy-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Growing old Is Like Climbing A Mountain. We Get Tired And Breathless, But Our View Becomes More Extensive. As We Grow Older, We Realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/growing-old-is-like-climbing-a-mountain-we-get-tired-and-breathless/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [Just stop for a minute and you'll realize you're happy just being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/just-stop-for-a-minute-and-you-ll-realize-you-re-happy-just-being/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [When uh realize that you're happy for no reason ! everything in life seems so beautiful and uh just want to go out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madie/when-uh-realize-that-you-re-happy-for-no-reason-everything-in-life/) [Madie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madie/) > [IT was a kind of KISS that made me realize that I was never so happy in my whole life... is there anyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-a-kind-of-kiss-that-made-me-realize-that-i-was-never-so-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I realize that, while often happy and often cheerful, I am always sad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-realize-that-while-often-happy-and-often-cheerful-i-am-always-sad/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“I am laugh-crying alone in my bedroom. Wonderful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/i-am-laugh-crying-alone-in-my-bedroom-wonderful/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“Baby, it's either laugh or cry and crying takes way too much energy. If you can't find humor in the shit life heaps on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/baby-it-s-either-laugh-or-cry-and-crying-takes-way-too-much-energy-if/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I might smile, but am sad. I might laugh, but am crying. I might live on, but inside am dying, dying to be with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-might-smile-but-am-sad-i-might-laugh-but-am-crying-i-might-live-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our friendship is so beautiful .. You laugh, I will laugh .. You cry, I'm crying .. You fall from the tree, I laughed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-bassam/our-friendship-is-so-beautiful-you-laugh-i-will-laugh-you-cry-i-m/) [Ali Bassam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-bassam/) ## More by Jacqueline Woodson > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I still love Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver and Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-still-love-carson-mccullers-and-raymond-carver-and-toni-morrison/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I'm usually working on several things at once. If I get bored with one, I can go on to another. That way, I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-usually-working-on-several-things-at-once-if-i-get-bored-with-one/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“That's all anybody is-themselves. People all the time wanting to change that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/that-s-all-anybody-is-themselves-people-all-the-time-wanting-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I don't know how women stop being friends with other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-don-t-know-how-women-stop-being-friends-with-other-women/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Who are you without your girls? I truly believe that. Who are you without the people who help you make sense of the misogyny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/who-are-you-without-your-girls-i-truly-believe-that-who-are-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“And freedom? Oh, freedom. Well that's just some people talking. Your prison is walking through this world all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-freedom-oh-freedom-well-that-s-just-some-people-talking-your/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I've learned about marrying poetry and prose and making both accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-ve-learned-about-marrying-poetry-and-prose-and-making-both/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right? —D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-re-a-part-of-me-you-re-in-my-heart-forever-and-always-all-right-d/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I wouldn't mind the early autumn if you came home today I'd tell you how much I miss you and know I'd be okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-wouldn-t-mind-the-early-autumn-if-you-came-home-today-i-d-tell-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > ['Another Brooklyn' came to me in this kind of dreamlike series of vignettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/another-brooklyn-came-to-me-in-this-kind-of-dreamlike-series-of/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“They're all inside of us,...past people and present people. And probably even the people we'll become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/they-re-all-inside-of-us-past-people-and-present-people-and-probably/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [When I was a kid, I got in trouble for lying a lot, and I had a teacher say, 'Instead of lying, write it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-in-trouble-for-lying-a-lot-and-i-had-a-teacher/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) [Explore all 237 Jacqueline Woodson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Christopher Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wood/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Woodson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-and-sometimes-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becoming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-and-sometimes-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/jacqueline-woodson-1482_becoming_sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-f_1902310.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and…” — Jacqueline Woodson", "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": "Jacqueline Woodson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes you do have to laugh...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-and-sometimes-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/sometimes-you-do-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-and-sometimes-the/#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 } } ] } ```