--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no kind of false wit which has…" description: "\"There is no kind of false wit which has been so recommended by the practice of all ages, as that which consists in a jingle of words, and is comprehend..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png" --- # There is no kind of false wit which has been so… ![“There is no kind of false wit which has been so recommended by the practice of all ages, as that which consists in a jingle of words, and is comprehended under the general name of punning.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png) > “There is no kind of false wit which has been so recommended by the practice of all ages, as that which consists in a jingle of words, and is comprehended under the general name of punning.” [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Puns are a false wit, widely used across ages, but they are merely wordplay. **In simple terms:** Puns are shallow humor. Key Takeaway Use humor wisely, not just wordplay. Themes humor language wit Mood lighthearted critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - social gatherings - writing workshops - public speaking Key Concepts pun rhetoric literary devices Questions to Reflect On - When are puns appropriate? - How does wordplay affect credibility? A Different Perspective Puns can undermine serious discourse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [False Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-wit-1021434/) [General Punning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-punning-3066564/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Jingles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jingles/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Punning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punning/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Wit Recommended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit-recommended-3066565/) [Words Comprehended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-comprehended-3066566/) ## Related quotes > [The character of false wit is that of appearing to depend only upon reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-character-of-false-wit-is-that-of-appearing-to-depend-only-upon/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/humor-is-the-only-test-of-gravity-and-gravity-of-humor-for-a-subject/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A sense of humor is regarded as a sign of mental health - apart from excessive punning, which is another matter entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-cresswell/a-sense-of-humor-is-regarded-as-a-sign-of-mental-health-apart-from/) [Helen Cresswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-cresswell/) > [Punning is an art of harmonious jingling upon words, which, passing in at the ears, excites a titillary motion in those parts; and this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/punning-is-an-art-of-harmonious-jingling-upon-words-which-passing-in/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [The goodness of your true pun is in the direct ratio of its intolerability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/the-goodness-of-your-true-pun-is-in-the-direct-ratio-of-its/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“It is the observer of the pun that makes it, my dear Brumm. Of course, when the word is distorted, as in Evilution, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-davidson/it-is-the-observer-of-the-pun-that-makes-it-my-dear-brumm-of-course/) [John Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-davidson/) > [“All progress, ultimately, is the result of playing with ideas and seeing new ways of connecting existing knowledge in such a way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pollack/all-progress-ultimately-is-the-result-of-playing-with-ideas-and/) [John Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pollack/) > [“Puns are just another form of sarcasm, which may or may not make you - smile, giggle, or laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aniruddha-sastikar/puns-are-just-another-form-of-sarcasm-which-may-or-may-not-make-you/) [Aniruddha Sastikar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aniruddha-sastikar/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/) [Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/) > [English language is the most universal language in history, way more than the Latin of Julius Caesar. It's the most punderful language because its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lederer/english-language-is-the-most-universal-language-in-history-way-more/) [Richard Lederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lederer/) > [The copy of an ad is merely a punning gag to distract the critical faculties while the image of the product goes to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-copy-of-an-ad-is-merely-a-punning-gag-to-distract-the-critical/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Our punning minds rejoin what logic has separated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/our-punning-minds-rejoin-what-logic-has-separated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“...you mustn’t pun, Brumm, puns are produced only in vacant minds. Keep high thoughts and visions of delightful things before you and you won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-davidson/you-mustn-t-pun-brumm-puns-are-produced-only-in-vacant-minds-keep/) [John Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-davidson/) > [Punning is a talent which no man affects to despise but he that is without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/punning-is-a-talent-which-no-man-affects-to-despise-but-he-that-is/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) ## More by Joseph Addison > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Many actions calculated to procure fame are not conducive to ultimate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/many-actions-calculated-to-procure-fame-are-not-conducive-to-ultimate/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [T is liberty crowns Britannia's Isle, And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountains smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/t-is-liberty-crowns-britannia-s-isle-and-makes-her-barren-rocks-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The utmost we can hope for in this world is contentment; if we aim at anything higher, we shall meet with nothing but grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-utmost-we-can-hope-for-in-this-world-is-contentment-if-we-aim-at/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/courage-that-grows-from-constitution-often-forsakes-a-man-when-he-has/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) [Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no kind of false wit which has been so recommended by the practice of all ages, as that which consists in a jingle of words, and is comprehended under the general name of punning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Addison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has-been-so-recommended-by-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has-been-so-recommended-by-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-addison-377_age_there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has_2746540.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no kind of false wit which has been so recommended by the practice of all ages, as that which…” — Joseph Addison", "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": "Joseph Addison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no kind of false...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has-been-so-recommended-by-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-kind-of-false-wit-which-has-been-so-recommended-by-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 } } ] } ```