--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's why our comics are important…" description: "\"That's why our comics are important: they're pointing things out and laughing at the same time. There have been horrible, horrible times in history. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/lynne-tillman-5609_comics_that-s-why-our-comics-are-important-they_2373592.png" --- # That's why our comics are important: they're pointing… ![“That's why our comics are important: they're pointing things out and laughing at the same time. There have been horrible, horrible times in history. They're mostly horrible times. But not to laugh? Not to find humor in something like dark optimism/bright pessimism - I think that's sad, frankly.” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/lynne-tillman-5609_comics_that-s-why-our-comics-are-important-they_2373592.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/lynne-tillman-5609_comics_that-s-why-our-comics-are-important-they_2373592.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/lynne-tillman-5609_comics_that-s-why-our-comics-are-important-they_2373592.png) > “That's why our comics are important: they're pointing things out and laughing at the same time. There have been horrible, horrible times in history. They're mostly horrible times. But not to laugh? Not to find humor in something like dark optimism/bright pessimism - I think that's sad, frankly.” [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comics highlight absurdities, offering laughter even during bleak periods, which is essential for coping. **In simple terms:** Humor helps us endure hardship. Key Takeaway Seek humor in adversity. Themes humor history coping Mood cynical hopeful Type satirical commentary When to use this quote - political turmoil - personal loss - social critique Key Concepts satire dark optimism Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become disrespectful? - Can laughter mask needed action? A Different Perspective Humor can trivialize serious issues if misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Comics Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics-important-5854906/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Laugh Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-humor-2464285/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) [Pointing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pointing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I go out and speak to women's groups all the time, and I say, 'Guys, you gotta laugh and find the humor in things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lawrence/i-go-out-and-speak-to-women-s-groups-all-the-time-and-i-say-guys-you/) [Vicki Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lawrence/) > [I consider myself always a humorist. And I think anybody who tells jokes or makes people laugh is humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/i-consider-myself-always-a-humorist-and-i-think-anybody-who-tells/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humor teaches tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/you-are-not-angry-with-people-when-you-laugh-at-them-humor-teaches-2/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [A lot of people can find something to laugh at in my humor, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/a-lot-of-people-can-find-something-to-laugh-at-in-my-humor-i-guess/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humor teaches them tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/you-are-not-angry-with-people-when-you-laugh-at-them-humor-teaches/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it ... what you wish in your secret heart were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/humor-is-laughing-at-what-you-haven-t-got-when-you-ought-to-have-it-2/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [How can you feel like an actual member of society casting a vote for a president when in a professional interview you said that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-kinane/how-can-you-feel-like-an-actual-member-of-society-casting-a-vote-for/) [Kyle Kinane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-kinane/) > [I don't laugh at your humor, I laugh because you look stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-laugh-at-your-humor-i-laugh-because-you-look-stupid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are comics in L.A. doing impressions, and the first thing they do is hunch over and then start to do this bad Rick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-madrigal/there-are-comics-in-l-a-doing-impressions-and-the-first-thing-they-do/) [Al Madrigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-madrigal/) > [Always look on the bright side...unless you're holding a laser pointing device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-look-on-the-bright-side-unless-you-re-holding-a-laser-pointing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/whatever-the-problem-be-part-of-the-solution-don-t-just-sit-around/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [ I glanced at Radu. "What, exactly is Louis-Cesare's problem?'. \[..\] Suddenly a speculative gleam lit his eyes. It made me nervous. 'He tends to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/i-glanced-at-radu-what-exactly-is-louis-cesare-s-problem-suddenly-a/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [Every study on chocolate is pointing to the same conclusion: there is something in chocolate that is really good for us. That something is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/every-study-on-chocolate-is-pointing-to-the-same-conclusion-there-is/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [You're getting into some kind of shape, cop." Aw, come on, now." Butch grinned. "Don't let that shower we took go to your head."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/you-re-getting-into-some-kind-of-shape-cop-aw-come-on-now-butch/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) ## More by Lynne Tillman > [There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and-some-are-better-at-it-than/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Laughing and crying are very similar. 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I write about what is bothering me or what is a political, aesthetic, or ethical issue or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-write-about-what-i-m-thinking-about-i-write-about-what-is-bothering/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [My friends and I sometimes laugh at each other that there is so much maintenance of a body. I paid no attention when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/my-friends-and-i-sometimes-laugh-at-each-other-that-there-is-so-much/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [In a practical sense, pain kept me from sitting down as much, so that sometimes I would have to stand to write. Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-a-practical-sense-pain-kept-me-from-sitting-down-as-much-so-that/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. I stayed away from New York for a long time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-true-you-have-to-screen-out-a-lot-living-in-the-city-i-stayed/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Kafka wrote the great line: "my education has damaged me in ways I do not even know." And that's always been a signature motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/kafka-wrote-the-great-line-my-education-has-damaged-me-in-ways-i-do/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) [Explore all 100 Lynne Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## More Comics quotes > [Well, the coffeehouse audiences never know what they're going to get, and all the comics are different, as opposed to when you go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/well-the-coffeehouse-audiences-never-know-what-they-re-going-to-get/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [I enjoy the fact that we have these mobile comics now, which are sort of a cross between a comic book and an animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-enjoy-the-fact-that-we-have-these-mobile-comics-now-which-are-sort/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [The main way I start to allocate color is that it comes from the comics. That's where it all starts from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-byrne/the-main-way-i-start-to-allocate-color-is-that-it-comes-from-the/) [Alexandra Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-byrne/) > [I've been reading Ed Brubaker comics since the first appearance of Ed Brubaker comics and every single time he announces a new title I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/i-ve-been-reading-ed-brubaker-comics-since-the-first-appearance-of-ed/) [Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/) > [The development of the comedy club industry destroyed the uniqueness and intimacy of the profession but it also created jobs for comics and bred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/the-development-of-the-comedy-club-industry-destroyed-the-uniqueness/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [Art uses many different styles, but his voice is very consistent. He's always concise and clever and funny. 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But when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/when-you-look-at-a-photo-or-realistic-drawing-of-a-face-you-see-it-as/) [Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/) [Browse all 982 Comics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's why our comics are important: they're pointing things out and laughing at the same time. There have been horrible, horrible times in history. They're mostly horrible times. But not to laugh? 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