--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing worth having in an earthly…" description: "\"The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor.\" — Lincoln Steffens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png" --- # The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a… ![“The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor.” quote by Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png) > “The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor.” [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is the essential coping mechanism that gives life meaning despite its hardships. **In simple terms:** Humor gives life meaning. Key Takeaway Cultivate humor daily. Themes resilience perspective joy Mood lighthearted reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily stress - workplace tension - family gatherings - personal setbacks Key Concepts Existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does humor change your view of hardship? - When does humor become avoidance? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper issues if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Earthly Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthly-existence-2028243/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-sense-684654/) [Having Earthly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-earthly-4532208/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Sense Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-humor/) [Sense of humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-humor/) ## Related quotes > [“It is a level of psychic pain wholly incompatible with human life as we know it. It is a sense of radical and thoroughgoing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-is-a-level-of-psychic-pain-wholly-incompatible-with-human-life-as-2/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I have made a great discovery. I no longer believe in anything. Objects don't exist for me except in so far as a rapport…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/i-have-made-a-great-discovery-i-no-longer-believe-in-anything-objects/) [Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/) > [“...For action has no sense. It merely binds one to existence. All existence, however, has no sense. Evil is interpreted as that which leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-action-has-no-sense-it-merely-binds-one-to-existence-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Magic is a sudden opening of the mind to the wonder of existence. It is a sense that there is much more to life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-welwood/magic-is-a-sudden-opening-of-the-mind-to-the-wonder-of-existence-it/) [John Welwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-welwood/) > [“My angel, oh my angel, perhaps our whole earthly existence is now but a pun to you, or a grotesque rhyme, something like "dental"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/my-angel-oh-my-angel-perhaps-our-whole-earthly-existence-is-now-but-a/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [The meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering but in the development of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-meaning-of-earthly-existence-lies-not-as-we-have-grown-used-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man's earthly existence is but a test as to whether he will concentrate his efforts, his mind, his soul upon things which contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/man-s-earthly-existence-is-but-a-test-as-to-whether-he-will/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [“Our life consists not in the pursuit of material success but in the quest for worthy spiritual growth. Our entire earthly existence is but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-i-solzhenitsyn/our-life-consists-not-in-the-pursuit-of-material-success-but-in-the/) [Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-i-solzhenitsyn/) > [Read from a distant star, the majuscule script of our earthly existence would perhaps lead to the conclusion that the earth was the distinctively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/read-from-a-distant-star-the-majuscule-script-of-our-earthly/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I work even when I am on vacation. You know that line by Stéphane Mallarmé, "All earthly existence must ultimately be contained in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-work-even-when-i-am-on-vacation-you-know-that-line-by-st-phane/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [“Human existence is girt round with mystery: the narrow region of our experience is a small island in the midst of a boundless sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-existence-is-girt-round-with-mystery-the-narrow-region-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The most irritating people are those without a sense of humor, amirite?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-irritating-people-are-those-without-a-sense-of-humor-amirite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think God has a sense of humor, and the way my lessons come from God is very funny. I have to laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-nicole-brown/i-think-god-has-a-sense-of-humor-and-the-way-my-lessons-come-from-god/) [Yvette Nicole Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-nicole-brown/) > [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Lincoln Steffens > [The typical American citizen is the business man. The typical business man is a bad citizen; he is busy. If he is a 'big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-typical-american-citizen-is-the-business-man-the-typical-business/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [The best picture has not yet been painted; the greatest poem is still unsung; the mightiest novel remains to be written; the divinest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-best-picture-has-not-yet-been-painted-the-greatest-poem-is-still/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [In science, probably ninety-nine percent of the knowable has to be discovered. We know only a few streaks about astronomy. We are only beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/in-science-probably-ninety-nine-percent-of-the-knowable-has-to-be/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [I never heard a Christian sermon preached in a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/i-never-heard-a-christian-sermon-preached-in-a-church/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [We need some great failures. Especially we ever-successful Americans - conscious, intelligent, illuminating failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/we-need-some-great-failures-especially-we-ever-successful-americans/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [Boston has carried the practice of hypocrisy to the n-th degree of refinement, grace, and failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/boston-has-carried-the-practice-of-hypocrisy-to-the-n-th-degree-of/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [The commercial spirit is the spirit of profit, not patriotism; of credit, not honor; of individual gain, not national prosperity; of trade and dickering,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-commercial-spirit-is-the-spirit-of-profit-not-patriotism-of/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [The misgovernment of the American people is misgovernment by the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-misgovernment-of-the-american-people-is-misgovernment-by-the/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [I am really puzzled to understand myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/i-am-really-puzzled-to-understand-myself/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [The longer I live, the more I feel that the individual is not so much to blame - not even the worst individuals, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-longer-i-live-the-more-i-feel-that-the-individual-is-not-so-much/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [Somebody must take a chance. There are monkeys who became men, and the monkeys who didn't are still jumping around in trees making faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/somebody-must-take-a-chance-there-are-monkeys-who-became-men-and-the/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [Power is what men seek and any group that gets it will abuse it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/power-is-what-men-seek-and-any-group-that-gets-it-will-abuse-it/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [Power is what men seek, and any group that gets it will abuse it. It is the same story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/power-is-what-men-seek-and-any-group-that-gets-it-will-abuse-it-it-is/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [And an educated mind is nothing but the God-given mind of a child after his parents' and his grandparents' generation have got through molding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/and-an-educated-mind-is-nothing-but-the-god-given-mind-of-a-child/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [It is possible to get an education at a university. It has been done; not often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/it-is-possible-to-get-an-education-at-a-university-it-has-been-done/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) [Explore all 63 Lincoln Steffens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) ## 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": "The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lincoln Steffens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthly-existence-is-a-sense-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthly-existence-is-a-sense-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/lincoln-steffens-10842_comedy_the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthl_2964308.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing worth having in an earthly existence is a sense of humor.” — Lincoln Steffens", "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": "Lincoln Steffens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing worth having in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthly-existence-is-a-sense-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-only-thing-worth-having-in-an-earthly-existence-is-a-sense-of/#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 } } ] } ```