--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are several kinds of stories, but…" description: "\"There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind-the humorous.\" — Mark Twain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png" --- # There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult… ![“There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind-the humorous.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png) > “There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind-the humorous.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## 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 most challenging literary genre, demanding timing, wit, and insight. **In simple terms:** Humor is hard to write. Key Takeaway Practice comedic timing. Themes humor creativity challenge Mood playful thoughtful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - stand‑up - novel writing - scriptwriting - blogging - teaching humor Key Concepts comedy narrative difficulty Questions to Reflect On - What makes humor universal? - How can you balance humor with seriousness? A Different Perspective Humor may alienate some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-kind-851939/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-humorous-2576976/) [Kinds Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinds-stories-888882/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-difficult-2631050/) ## Related quotes > [Love stories are the most difficult to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/love-stories-are-the-most-difficult-to-make/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) > [Possibly the only thing we Notekillers place on a higher pedestal than music is laughs, so, of course, we also know that the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-first/possibly-the-only-thing-we-notekillers-place-on-a-higher-pedestal/) [David First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-first/) > [ \[On writing:\] What a difficult kind of work to choose! But of course one did not choose it. There was no choice. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/on-writing-what-a-difficult-kind-of-work-to-choose-but-of-course-one/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Life is so very difficult. How can we be anything but kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/life-is-so-very-difficult-how-can-we-be-anything-but-kind/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [The theater's much the most difficult kind of writing for me, the most naked kind, you're so entirely restricted… I find myself stuck with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/the-theater-s-much-the-most-difficult-kind-of-writing-for-me-the-most/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [It's very difficult to have any kind of romantic feelings for a movie where you know exactly what's going to happen in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-swanberg/it-s-very-difficult-to-have-any-kind-of-romantic-feelings-for-a-movie/) [Joe Swanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-swanberg/) > [I think, like, Twitter is somewhat difficult sometimes, and it can be kind of negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-teigen/i-think-like-twitter-is-somewhat-difficult-sometimes-and-it-can-be/) [Chrissy Teigen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-teigen/) > [I find it difficult enough as it is to keep some kind of normality in my life. I enjoy this experience, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/i-find-it-difficult-enough-as-it-is-to-keep-some-kind-of-normality-in/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [I actually feel that the different kinds of stories come out of different parts of my brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-moon/i-actually-feel-that-the-different-kinds-of-stories-come-out-of/) [Elizabeth Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-moon/) > [What one's goal should be is just to become a better writer and to tell different kinds of stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-mott-davidson/what-one-s-goal-should-be-is-just-to-become-a-better-writer-and-to/) [Diane Mott Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-mott-davidson/) > [“I remember writing all kinds of stories as a kid, but I really don’t know what the first thing was. Whatever it was, I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-remember-writing-all-kinds-of-stories-as-a-kid-but-i-really-don-t/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [“People grow up listening to all kinds of stories, but that doesn't mean they all want to spend their whole lives studying them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/people-grow-up-listening-to-all-kinds-of-stories-but-that-doesn-t/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [When I'm directing or producing, I like to do different kinds of stories. But you have to know what you really like, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-devito/when-i-m-directing-or-producing-i-like-to-do-different-kinds-of/) [Danny DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-devito/) > [There are really good stories that can be told in a way that makes people feel good at the end of the day, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/there-are-really-good-stories-that-can-be-told-in-a-way-that-makes/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stories-those-we-live-those-we/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) [Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## 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": "There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind-the humorous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Twain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-only-one-difficult-kind-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-only-one-difficult-kind-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/mark-twain-22_comedy_there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-o_580637.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind-the humorous.” — Mark Twain", "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": "Mark Twain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are several kinds of stories,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-only-one-difficult-kind-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-are-several-kinds-of-stories-but-only-one-difficult-kind-the/#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 } } ] } ```