--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He's safe as long as he can laugh, he…" description: "\"“He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works pretty fair.”\" — Ken Kesey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png" --- # He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works… ![“He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works pretty fair.” quote by Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png) > ““He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works pretty fair.”” [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## 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 act as a protective shield, allowing individuals to endure hardship as long as they can find humor. **In simple terms:** Laughter helps survive tough times. Key Takeaway Use humor to cope with adversity. Themes humor coping survival Mood lighthearted hopeful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - stress relief - team building - mental health therapy - support groups Key Concepts psychology social resilience Questions to Reflect On - When does humor fail as a coping tool? - Can laughter mask deeper issues? A Different Perspective Humor may not work for everyone or in all situations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Laugh Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-thinks-771121/) [Pretty Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-fair-653033/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safe Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-long-1627142/) [Thinks Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-works-5044888/) ## Related quotes > [“Didn’t I tell you that you would be safe as long as you were with me?” “Yes, but I didn’t believe you when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-lyons/didn-t-i-tell-you-that-you-would-be-safe-as-long-as-you-were-with-me/) [Missy Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-lyons/) > [Fantasies are absolutely safe, as long as you never try to make them a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/fantasies-are-absolutely-safe-as-long-as-you-never-try-to-make-them-a/) [Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/) > [You … You had always made the future feel safe. As long as you were in it too, beside me, I could be okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/you-you-had-always-made-the-future-feel-safe-as-long-as-you-were-in/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Every girl need a best friend to help her laugh when she thinks she'll never smile again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-girl-need-a-best-friend-to-help-her-laugh-when-she-thinks-she/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every girl needs a good guy who can help her laugh when she thinks shell never smile again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-girl-needs-a-good-guy-who-can-help-her-laugh-when-she-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every girl needs a bestfriend to help her laugh when she thinks she'll never smile again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-ventura/every-girl-needs-a-bestfriend-to-help-her-laugh-when-she-thinks-she/) [Cassie Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-ventura/) > [Every girl wants a good guy to help her laugh when she thinks she'll never smile again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-girl-wants-a-good-guy-to-help-her-laugh-when-she-thinks-she-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm always pretty fair-handed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haskell/i-m-always-pretty-fair-handed/) [James Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haskell/) > [I think God's a pretty fair guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-think-god-s-a-pretty-fair-guy/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [I had held a notion that I could make a pretty fair appraisal of the worth of an opponent simply by speaking to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jones/i-had-held-a-notion-that-i-could-make-a-pretty-fair-appraisal-of-the/) [Bobby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jones/) > [Im pretty fair-skinned, so I need to get in the sun for a little while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lester/im-pretty-fair-skinned-so-i-need-to-get-in-the-sun-for-a-little-while/) [Jon Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lester/) > [I have long held the opinion that the amount of noise that anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportion to his mental capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/i-have-long-held-the-opinion-that-the-amount-of-noise-that-anyone-can/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [I'm pretty fair-skinned, so I need to get in the sun for a little while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lester/i-m-pretty-fair-skinned-so-i-need-to-get-in-the-sun-for-a-little-while/) [Jon Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lester/) > [I think God is a pretty fair guy, so tithing is a pretty fair process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cavuto/i-think-god-is-a-pretty-fair-guy-so-tithing-is-a-pretty-fair-process/) [Neil Cavuto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cavuto/) > [I think Cannes is usually pretty fair in choosing what will play well to the home festival crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/i-think-cannes-is-usually-pretty-fair-in-choosing-what-will-play-well/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) ## More by Ken Kesey > [“Time overlaps itself. A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The Grateful Dead are faster than light drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-grateful-dead-are-faster-than-light-drive/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men faint from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The frontiers we broke into in the '60s are still largely unexplored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-frontiers-we-broke-into-in-the-60s-are-still-largely-unexplored/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [There's something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-something-about-taking-a-plow-and-breaking-new-ground-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The best of all possible cages.' Ben stepped back to regard the job with a sad smile. 'What more can one ask?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-best-of-all-possible-cages-ben-stepped-back-to-regard-the-job/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Your trouble is, you keep trying to unscrew the unscrutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/your-trouble-is-you-keep-trying-to-unscrew-the-unscrutable/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [That ain't me, that ain't my face. It wasn't even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn't even really me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/that-ain-t-me-that-ain-t-my-face-it-wasn-t-even-me-when-i-was-trying/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [But if the strength ain't real, I recall thinking the very last thing that day, before I finally passed out, then the weakness sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-if-the-strength-ain-t-real-i-recall-thinking-the-very-last-thing/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“They think they know the book by its cover, but the book knows what it is. Now he knew better; if the book never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/they-think-they-know-the-book-by-its-cover-but-the-book-knows-what-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/more-was-revealed-in-a-human-face-than-a-human-being-can-bear-face-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [If this glorious birth to death hassle is the only hassle we are ever to have ..if our grand exhilarating fight of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/if-this-glorious-birth-to-death-hassle-is-the-only-hassle-we-are-ever/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“It's gonna burn me just that way, finally telling about all this, about the hospital, and her, and the guys- and about McMurphy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/it-s-gonna-burn-me-just-that-way-finally-telling-about-all-this-about/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [When Shakespeare was writing, he wasn't writing for stuff to lie on the page; it was supposed to get up and move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/when-shakespeare-was-writing-he-wasn-t-writing-for-stuff-to-lie-on/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Explore all 295 Ken Kesey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## 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": "“He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works pretty fair.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thinks-and-it-works-pretty-fair/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thinks-and-it-works-pretty-fair/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abe/ken-kesey-1034_comedy_he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thi_624148.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He's safe as long as he can laugh, he thinks, and it works pretty fair.” — Ken Kesey", "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": "Ken Kesey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He's safe as long as he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thinks-and-it-works-pretty-fair/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/he-s-safe-as-long-as-he-can-laugh-he-thinks-and-it-works-pretty-fair/#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 } } ] } ```