--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can I help being a humbug,\" he said…" description: "\"“How can I help being a humbug,\" he said, \"when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?”\" — L. Frank Baum" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png" --- # How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all these… ![“How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?” quote by L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png) > ““How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?”” [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when faced with impossible tasks, one can question the absurdity of expectations. **In simple terms:** Question absurd expectations when faced with impossibility. Key Takeaway Challenge unreasonable demands. Themes absurdity self‑efficacy resistance Mood skeptical humorous Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - family - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to impossible demands? - When is it okay to accept limits? A Different Perspective Not all expectations are inherently unreasonable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guile/) [Help Humbug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-humbug-2011641/) [Humbug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humbug/) [Humbug Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humbug-said-2011642/) [Said People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-people/) [Things Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-everybody-370682/) [Trickery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trickery/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Wishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishes/) [Wishes-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishes-quotes/) ## Related quotes > [“If I don't save her from the hands of that humbug," he said, aloud, as he went to bed, "she is lost. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-leroux/if-i-don-t-save-her-from-the-hands-of-that-humbug-he-said-aloud-as-he/) [Gaston Leroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-leroux/) > [Why can't somebody give us a list of things that everybody thinks and nobody says, and another list of things that everybody says and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-can-t-somebody-give-us-a-list-of-things-that-everybody-thinks-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Most people go along with the crowd. They do things because everybody else does it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/most-people-go-along-with-the-crowd-they-do-things-because-everybody/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Every family struggles with different things, and everybody struggles with different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shriver/every-family-struggles-with-different-things-and-everybody-struggles/) [Mark Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shriver/) > [I love running, swimming and riding, sleeping and eating, reading and loving things that everybody likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/i-love-running-swimming-and-riding-sleeping-and-eating-reading-and/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) > [I'm slow to pick things up. Everybody always seems to know more than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lloyd/i-m-slow-to-pick-things-up-everybody-always-seems-to-know-more-than-i/) [Christopher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lloyd/) > [Every human being in this world is interested in certain things. Everybody has a hobby. Some people like art; I know nothing about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bikram-choudhury/every-human-being-in-this-world-is-interested-in-certain-things/) [Bikram Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bikram-choudhury/) > [Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/two-things-everybody-s-got-tuh-do-fuh-theyselves-they-got-tuh-go-tuh/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [When you're a new person and a new idea, you get invited to all these different things, and everybody wants a piece of you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/when-you-re-a-new-person-and-a-new-idea-you-get-invited-to-all-these/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [“It was pretty cool to have someone around here who didn't like the same things as everybody else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-eulberg/it-was-pretty-cool-to-have-someone-around-here-who-didn-t-like-the/) [Elizabeth Eulberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-eulberg/) > [ I don't know whether you \[musician\] can be all things to everybody, which is why there are different kinds of music. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/i-don-t-know-whether-you-musician-can-be-all-things-to-everybody/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [“Doesn't anybody get tired of it all? Of having the same lives as everybody else, doing the same things as everybody else, following the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/doesn-t-anybody-get-tired-of-it-all-of-having-the-same-lives-as/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [Everyone always wants new things. Everybody likes new inventions, new technology. People will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-always-wants-new-things-everybody-likes-new-inventions-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My colleagues and I fought to increase the resources to address several things, like maternity, prenatal, and newborn care, and mental health and substance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-mcsally/my-colleagues-and-i-fought-to-increase-the-resources-to-address/) [Martha McSally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-mcsally/) > [“There two things everybody had to do: Go to God and find out what living is for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/there-two-things-everybody-had-to-do-go-to-god-and-find-out-what/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) ## More by L. Frank Baum > [No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/no-matter-how-dreary-and-gray-our-homes-are-we-people-of-flesh-and/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/the-tin-woodman-knew-very-well-he-had-no-heart-and-therefore-he-took/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/the-proud-spirit-of-the-original-owners-of-these-vast-prairies/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“If I had a heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/if-i-had-a-heart/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [I believe that dreams - day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing - are likely to lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/i-believe-that-dreams-day-dreams-you-know-with-your-eyes-wide-open/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“Oh, no my dear. I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad Wizard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/oh-no-my-dear-i-m-a-very-good-man-i-m-just-a-very-bad-wizard/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“Perhaps I should admit on the title page that this book is "By L. Frank Baum and his correspondents," for I have used many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/perhaps-i-should-admit-on-the-title-page-that-this-book-is-by-l-frank/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [Beautiful things may be admired, if not loved,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/beautiful-things-may-be-admired-if-not-loved/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [My people have been wearing green glasses on their eyes for so long that most of them think this really is an Emerald City.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/my-people-have-been-wearing-green-glasses-on-their-eyes-for-so-long/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“cut the beast’s head clean”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/cut-the-beast-s-head-clean/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/when-dorothy-stood-in-the-doorway-and-looked-around-she-could-see/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“you do not I will make an end of you, as I did of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow." Dorothy followed her through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/you-do-not-i-will-make-an-end-of-you-as-i-did-of-the-tin-woodman-and/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“Don't tell anyone I'm a poet; they might want me to write a book. Don't tell 'em I can sing, or they'd want me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/don-t-tell-anyone-i-m-a-poet-they-might-want-me-to-write-a-book-don-t/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“It is but honest that I should acknowledge at the beginning of my recital that I was born an ordinary Woggle-Bug," began the creature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/it-is-but-honest-that-i-should-acknowledge-at-the-beginning-of-my/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“Not willingly," admitted the tiger. "But here is the alternative; either you transform yourself into an eye for our child, or I and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/not-willingly-admitted-the-tiger-but-here-is-the-alternative-either/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) [Explore all 242 L. Frank Baum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) ## More Guile quotes > [Life is impermanent and in the face of that impermanence, cavort! Look death in the eye, tell him you’re as cute as a button,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/life-is-impermanent-and-in-the-face-of-that-impermanence-cavort-look/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Babies are endlessly fascinating to look at and I'm obsessed about their complete and utter lack of guile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minnie-driver/babies-are-endlessly-fascinating-to-look-at-and-i-m-obsessed-about/) [Minnie Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minnie-driver/) > [To be without guile is to be free of deceit, cunning, hypocrisy, and dishonesty in thought or action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/to-be-without-guile-is-to-be-free-of-deceit-cunning-hypocrisy-and/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Opportunism is self interest seeking with guile often involving subtle forms of deceit, especially calculated efforts to mislead, distort, disguise, obfuscate, or otherwise confuse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-e-williamson/opportunism-is-self-interest-seeking-with-guile-often-involving/) [Oliver E. Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-e-williamson/) > [ In practice \[monetary management\] is merely a high-sounding euphemism for continuous currency debasement. It consists of constant lying in order to support constant swindling.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/in-practice-monetary-management-is-merely-a-high-sounding-euphemism/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“She’d say this for him: He had no guile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandhya-menon/she-d-say-this-for-him-he-had-no-guile/) [Sandhya Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandhya-menon/) > [“In Your Early Years people Tell You, Correct You and Forgive You. But when you become an Adult, they Neither Correct you nor Forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/in-your-early-years-people-tell-you-correct-you-and-forgive-you-but/) [Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/) > [I’m giving you that chance now. (Stryker) It’s too late. Too many centuries have passed. There was a time when I lived only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-giving-you-that-chance-now-stryker-it-s-too-late-too-many/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Our duty is to rise in the bright daylight, openly, beating the drums. The cause for which we are ready to give our necks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-stanislaw-reymont/our-duty-is-to-rise-in-the-bright-daylight-openly-beating-the-drums/) [Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-stanislaw-reymont/) > [Women have tongues of craft, and hearts of guile, They will, they will not; fools that on them trust; For in their speech is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquato-tasso/women-have-tongues-of-craft-and-hearts-of-guile-they-will-they-will/) [Torquato Tasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquato-tasso/) > [“Guile is the shield and spear of the oppressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/guile-is-the-shield-and-spear-of-the-oppressed/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [What man so wise, what earthly wit so ware, As to descry the crafty cunning train, By which deceit doth mask in visor fair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/what-man-so-wise-what-earthly-wit-so-ware-as-to-descry-the-crafty/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name of Jesus Christ in wicked guile, while yet they practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/but-some-most-worthless-persons-are-in-the-habit-of-carrying-about/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [..we wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes- this debt we pay to human guile; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laurence-dunbar/we-wear-the-mask-that-grins-and-lies-it-hides-our-cheeks-and-shades/) [Paul Laurence Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laurence-dunbar/) [Browse all 55 Guile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How can I help being a humbug,\" he said, \"when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "L. Frank Baum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-when-all-these-people-make-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Guile" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-when-all-these-people-make-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/l-frank-baum-1339_guile_how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-wh_2609088.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How can I help being a humbug,\" he said, \"when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't…” — L. Frank Baum", "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": "L. Frank Baum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How can I help being a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-when-all-these-people-make-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/how-can-i-help-being-a-humbug-he-said-when-all-these-people-make-me/#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 } } ] } ```