--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you make people laugh or cry about…" description: "\"If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All the great story lines are gre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/kurt-vonnegut-41_black_if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-li_51136.jpg" --- # If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks… ![“If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/kurt-vonnegut-41_black_if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-li_51136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/kurt-vonnegut-41_black_if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-li_51136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07d/kurt-vonnegut-41_black_if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-li_51136.jpg) > “If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Storytelling exploits simple symbols to provoke emotional reactions, revealing that narratives are essentially tricks that manipulate audience expectations. **In simple terms:** Stories are emotional tricks. Key Takeaway Narratives manipulate feelings. Themes Storytelling Emotion Symbolism Deception Humor Mood Playful Reflective Provocative Type Aphorism Observation Philosophical insight When to use this quote - Writing fiction - Crafting speeches - Designing marketing campaigns - Teaching literature - Creating comedy sketches Key Concepts Narrative structure Audience perception Emotional resonance Practical Applications - Developing compelling story arcs - Designing persuasive messages Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate a manipulative story from an authentic one? - What role does humor play in revealing deeper truths? A Different Perspective Some argue that not all stories are manipulative; they can also serve to reflect truth and foster empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Making people laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-people-laugh/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practical joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical-joke/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/all-the-great-story-lines-are-great-practical-jokes-that-people-fall/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Penn & Teller stopped doing practical jokes, and the reason is we got much too good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/penn-teller-stopped-doing-practical-jokes-and-the-reason-is-we-got/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“Practical jokes are a demonstration that the distinction between seriousness and play is not a law of nature but a social convention which can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/practical-jokes-are-a-demonstration-that-the-distinction-between/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“I didn't play practical jokes at home. I had a strict upbringing, which is part of my rebellion. I was raised Catholic and went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-didn-t-play-practical-jokes-at-home-i-had-a-strict-upbringing-which/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [I love practical jokes and humor. That there's frankly no joke that I don't think is funny. I love practical jokes, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-love-practical-jokes-and-humor-that-there-s-frankly-no-joke-that-i/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [When grown-up persons indulge in practical jokes, the fact gauges them. They have lived narrow, obscure, and ignorant lives, and at full manhood they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-grown-up-persons-indulge-in-practical-jokes-the-fact-gauges-them/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Most practical jokes, I'll feel too bad for the other person so I'll stop just before the punchline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/most-practical-jokes-i-ll-feel-too-bad-for-the-other-person-so-i-ll/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [Happy April 1st everyone! May your day be filled with obnoxious practical jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-april-1st-everyone-may-your-day-be-filled-with-obnoxious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-trouble-with-practical-jokes-is-that-very-often-they-get-elected/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-s-hard-to-enjoy-practical-jokes-when-your-whole-life-feels-like-one/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When you have a couple hundred people in one huge space, that's gonna lead to jokes and it's a breeding ground for practical jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-have-a-couple-hundred-people-in-one-huge-space-that-s-gonna/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My father, the practical joker, did not care for practical jokes on himself; he did not encourage the practice in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/my-father-the-practical-joker-did-not-care-for-practical-jokes-on/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [“He had a curiously stunted sense of humor and loved practical jokes that veered dangerously close to cruelty. Once on a hot day he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/he-had-a-curiously-stunted-sense-of-humor-and-loved-practical-jokes/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I'm terrible at practical jokes. I do them too well, so they're not funny. I end up saying, “Oh, no, I'm joking, I'm joking .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/i-m-terrible-at-practical-jokes-i-do-them-too-well-so-they-re-not/) [Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/) > [I think I have a reputation for being really serious. In interviews I use big words, but I'm just an emotional goofball. I play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/i-think-i-have-a-reputation-for-being-really-serious-in-interviews-i/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. 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