--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears…" description: "\"“Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility of thinking and strivin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/kurt-vonnegut-41_comedy_laughs-are-exactly-as-honorable-as-tears_306805.jpg" --- # Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and… ![“Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility of thinking and striving anymore. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/kurt-vonnegut-41_comedy_laughs-are-exactly-as-honorable-as-tears_306805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/kurt-vonnegut-41_comedy_laughs-are-exactly-as-honorable-as-tears_306805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/kurt-vonnegut-41_comedy_laughs-are-exactly-as-honorable-as-tears_306805.jpg) > ““Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility of thinking and striving anymore. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”” [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. Laughter and tears are equally valid reactions to frustration, exhaustion, and the absurdity of striving. **In simple terms:** Both are honest responses to life's hardships. Key Takeaway Accept both joy and sorrow as natural. Themes humor existentialism resilience Mood reflective wry Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - creative work - stress relief - coping mechanisms Key Concepts emotional expression absurdism Questions to Reflect On - When do you choose humor over sadness? - What does laughing reveal about your coping? A Different Perspective Laughter may mask deeper issues needing attention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ## Related quotes > [Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning do to do afterward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/laughter-and-tears-are-both-responses-to-frustration-and-exhaustion-i/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Jokes can be noble. Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/jokes-can-be-noble-laughs-are-exactly-as-honorable-as-tears-laughter/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes; nor would I be content with converting my tears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-would-not-exchange-the-laughter-of-my-heart-for-the-fortunes-of-the/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [It is better to write of laughter than of tears, for laughter is the property of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/it-is-better-to-write-of-laughter-than-of-tears-for-laughter-is-the/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [“Laughter and tears are not separate experiences, with intervals of rest: they rush out together and it is like walking with a sword between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/laughter-and-tears-are-not-separate-experiences-with-intervals-of/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Laughter and tears may not persuade, but they cannot be refuted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/laughter-and-tears-may-not-persuade-but-they-cannot-be-refuted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The space between the tears we cry is the laughter keeps us coming back for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews-band/the-space-between-the-tears-we-cry-is-the-laughter-keeps-us-coming/) [Dave Matthews Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews-band/) > [The space between the tears we cry is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-space-between-the-tears-we-cry-is-the-laughter-that-keeps-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Laughter is more serious than tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/laughter-is-more-serious-than-tears/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Cleanse Yourself With Laughter And Tears. 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And I prefer to laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/sometimes-in-life-you-either-laugh-or-you-cry-and-i-prefer-to-laugh/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [“I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/i-myself-prefer-to-laugh-since-there-is-less-cleaning-up-to-do/) [Kurt Vonnegut, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2/) > [I'd much prefer to have a laugh instead of a fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/i-d-much-prefer-to-have-a-laugh-instead-of-a-fight/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [No, my young apprentice. You said the exact right thing. Again. I'm just laughing at life." "Why?" he asked, opening both his eyes. "Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-my-young-apprentice-you-said-the-exact-right-thing-again-i-m-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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. 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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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