--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: what else is there to do but laugh and…" description: "\"“what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can you bear up under the unbearable?”\" — Jim Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png" --- # what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can… ![“what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can you bear up under the unbearable?” quote by Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png) > ““what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can you bear up under the unbearable?”” [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is a coping mechanism that helps endure extreme hardship. **In simple terms:** Laughter eases suffering. Key Takeaway Use humor to survive tough times. Themes humor resilience coping Mood lighthearted reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - stressful work - personal loss - health challenges Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What makes you laugh in adversity? - Can humor replace other coping tools? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ## Related quotes > [Lesson in life: A wise man sat in the audience and cracked a joke. Everybody laughs like crazy. After a moment, he cracked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lesson-in-life-a-wise-man-sat-in-the-audience-and-cracked-a-joke/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Caleb fed me better food during my kidnapping than these people. I laugh at my own joke”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/caleb-fed-me-better-food-during-my-kidnapping-than-these-people-i/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [You need to have people to laugh and joke with you to share in it, and I love that, too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uniique-styles-randxom/you-need-to-have-people-to-laugh-and-joke-with-you-to-share-in-it-and/) Uniique Styles Randxom > [“Your ass is flapping in the breeze,” Maddox warned with what felt like his first real laugh since this whole thing started. “Shut up.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabeth-albert/your-ass-is-flapping-in-the-breeze-maddox-warned-with-what-felt-like/) [Annabeth Albert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabeth-albert/) > [JUST READ THE JOKE AND LAUGH !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-read-the-joke-and-laugh/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't laugh at the same joke again and again, but why do you keep crying over the same thing over and over again?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/you-can-t-laugh-at-the-same-joke-again-and-again-but-why-do-you-keep/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [We can't laugh again again on the same joke,then Y do we cry again again for the same problem pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/we-can-t-laugh-again-again-on-the-same-joke-then-y-do-we-cry-again/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Best Friends. We're the kind of people who who laugh at a joke three times. Once when it's told. The 2nd when someone explains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/best-friends-we-re-the-kind-of-people-who-who-laugh-at-a-joke-three/) Unknow > [Best friends are the kind of people who laugh at a joke 3 times. Once when it's told. A 2nd time when someone explains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-friends-are-the-kind-of-people-who-laugh-at-a-joke-3-times-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any comedic-type person will tell you there's no greater high in the world than someone to laugh at a joke or tell you, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/any-comedic-type-person-will-tell-you-there-s-no-greater-high-in-the/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [“A blanket could be used to make you laugh, and a joke could be used to keep you warm inside. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-to-make-you-laugh-and-a-joke-could-be-used-to/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When we cant laugh again on the same joke, then why do we cry again and again for the one and the same pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-cant-laugh-again-on-the-same-joke-then-why-do-we-cry-again/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no bad time to laugh. I always joke, even five minutes before a game. It's not bad to stay a little immature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylian-mbappe/there-is-no-bad-time-to-laugh-i-always-joke-even-five-minutes-before/) [Kylian Mbappe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylian-mbappe/) > [And I admit it: there's a rather dirty thrill when 700 people laugh at a joke you've written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/and-i-admit-it-there-s-a-rather-dirty-thrill-when-700-people-laugh-at/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I laugh and joke, but I don't get distracted very easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-laugh-and-joke-but-i-don-t-get-distracted-very-easily/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) ## More by Jim Thompson > [“It was like being asleep when you were awake and awake when you were asleep. I'd pinch myself, figuratively speaking - I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/it-was-like-being-asleep-when-you-were-awake-and-awake-when-you-were/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“Yeah, Johnnie,’ I said, ‘it’s a screwed up, bitched up world, and I’m afraid it’s going to stay that way. And I’ll tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/yeah-johnnie-i-said-it-s-a-screwed-up-bitched-up-world-and-i-m-afraid/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“Flight is many things. Something clean and swift, like a bird skimming across the sky. Or something filthy and crawling; a series of crablike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/flight-is-many-things-something-clean-and-swift-like-a-bird-skimming/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“Well. Well? What are you going to do? What are you going to say? What are you going to say when you’re drowning in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/well-well-what-are-you-going-to-do-what-are-you-going-to-say-what-are/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“Strolling down a white-graveled walk to the cliff above the ocean, he let his eyes rove aimlessly over the expanse of sea and sand:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/strolling-down-a-white-graveled-walk-to-the-cliff-above-the-ocean-he/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“I knew–though I didn't recognize the fact–that I wasn't all right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/i-knew-though-i-didn-t-recognize-the-fact-that-i-wasn-t-all-right/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [I looked at her, with her hair spilled out on the pillows and the warmth of her body warming mine. And I thought, god-dang,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/i-looked-at-her-with-her-hair-spilled-out-on-the-pillows-and-the/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“He picked her up and tossed her on the bed. They had a hell of a time. But afterward, after she had gone back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/he-picked-her-up-and-tossed-her-on-the-bed-they-had-a-hell-of-a-time/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [Dad always said that he had enough trouble sorting the fiction out of so-called facts, without reading fiction. He always said that science was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/dad-always-said-that-he-had-enough-trouble-sorting-the-fiction-out-of/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“if I wasn't a decent woman I'd heist a leg and pee in your ear until it washed out that stinking pile of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/if-i-wasn-t-a-decent-woman-i-d-heist-a-leg-and-pee-in-your-ear-until/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“Anyone who deprived her of something she wanted deserved what he got.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/anyone-who-deprived-her-of-something-she-wanted-deserved-what-he-got/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“He could be breaking apart inside and you'd never know it from the way he acted. He'd be just as pleasant and polite as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/he-could-be-breaking-apart-inside-and-you-d-never-know-it-from-the/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“You've got no time at all, but it seems like you've got forever. You've got nothing to do, but it seems like you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/you-ve-got-no-time-at-all-but-it-seems-like-you-ve-got-forever-you-ve/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“you might think it wasn't real nice to kick a dying man, and maybe it wasn't, but I'd been wanting to kick him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/you-might-think-it-wasn-t-real-nice-to-kick-a-dying-man-and-maybe-it/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [Then he laughed and she laughed. And quivering with the movement of the train, the dead man seemed to laugh too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/then-he-laughed-and-she-laughed-and-quivering-with-the-movement-of/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) [Explore all 64 Jim Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“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/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“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/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [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/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can you bear up under the unbearable?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-joke-how-else-can-you-bear-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-joke-how-else-can-you-bear-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/092/jim-thompson-10572_comedy_what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-j_1046249.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“what else is there to do but laugh and joke...how else can you bear up under the unbearable?” — Jim Thompson", "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": "Jim Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“what else is there to do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-joke-how-else-can-you-bear-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/what-else-is-there-to-do-but-laugh-and-joke-how-else-can-you-bear-up/#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 } } ] } ```