--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sarcasm and compassion are two of the…" description: "\"Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on Earth tolerable.\" — Nick Hornby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png" --- # Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make… ![“Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on Earth tolerable.” quote by Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png) > “Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on Earth tolerable.” [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing sarcasm with compassion helps endure life's difficulties. **In simple terms:** Sarcasm and compassion make life bearable. Key Takeaway Cultivate both humor and empathy. Themes humor empathy resilience Mood reflective balanced Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace interactions - conflict resolution Key Concepts social dynamics emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance wit and kindness? - When does sarcasm become harmful? A Different Perspective Sarcasm can alienate if not tempered. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Compassion Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion-qualities-1014110/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Tolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-tolerable-1385967/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Sarcasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcasm/) [Sarcasm Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcasm-compassion-1385966/) [Tolerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerable/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [“You will have the ability to see other people accurately as divine, amazing, irreplaceable, human beings in the process, just like you. You will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-giles/you-will-have-the-ability-to-see-other-people-accurately-as-divine/) [Kimberly Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-giles/) > [Tolerance and compassion are qualities of fearless people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/tolerance-and-compassion-are-qualities-of-fearless-people/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Some people consider the practice of love and compassion is only related to religious practice and if they are not interested in religion they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/some-people-consider-the-practice-of-love-and-compassion-is-only/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“For the first time, but certainly not the last, I began to believe that Arsenal's moods and fortunes somehow reflected my own”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/for-the-first-time-but-certainly-not-the-last-i-began-to-believe-that/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [You know what's the most terrifying thing about admitting that you're in love? You're just naked. You put yourself in harm's way and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/you-know-what-s-the-most-terrifying-thing-about-admitting-that-you-re/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [While legislation can stimulate and encourage, the real creative ability which builds up and develops the country, and in general makes human existence more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/while-legislation-can-stimulate-and-encourage-the-real-creative/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [ You have not been mistaken in supposing my views and feeling to be in favor of the abolition of war. 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Therefore I need the moon, or happiness, or immortality, I need something which is perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/this-world-such-as-it-is-is-not-tolerable-therefore-i-need-the-moon/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It is more tolerable to be refused than deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/it-is-more-tolerable-to-be-refused-than-deceived/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Pam said, "Sookie, I brought you something, too. I never thought I'd want to spend time with a human, but you're more tolerable than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/pam-said-sookie-i-brought-you-something-too-i-never-thought-i-d-want/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-pharcellus-church/yes-virginia-there-is-a-santa-claus-he-exists-as-certainly-as-love/) [Francis Pharcellus Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-pharcellus-church/) > [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [Sometimes limbo is a tolerable place to be stuck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/sometimes-limbo-is-a-tolerable-place-to-be-stuck/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) ## More by Nick Hornby > [You can wait forever for the muse to sit on your shoulder, but most of the time you know what has to be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/you-can-wait-forever-for-the-muse-to-sit-on-your-shoulder-but-most-of/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > […I've had a bad week." What's happened?" Nothing's happened. I've had a bad week in my head, is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-ve-had-a-bad-week-what-s-happened-nothing-s-happened-i-ve-had-a-bad/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“When they – I cannot bring myself to use the first-person plural in this instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/when-they-i-cannot-bring-myself-to-use-the-first-person-plural-in/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“What you don't ever catch a glimpse of on your wedding day - because how could you? - is that some days you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/what-you-don-t-ever-catch-a-glimpse-of-on-your-wedding-day-because/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You've got to kick off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/a-good-compilation-tape-like-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-and-takes-ages/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I'm still not a very good white wine, but I'm drinkable - you could put me in a punch, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-still-not-a-very-good-white-wine-but-i-m-drinkable-you-could-put/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I never mind the accusations of domesticity, as long as people recognise that all of us, even the luckiest, will live lives in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-never-mind-the-accusations-of-domesticity-as-long-as-people/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I wasted the 1980s. I wasted every minute at Cambridge talking to people who knew more about music than I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-wasted-the-1980s-i-wasted-every-minute-at-cambridge-talking-to/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I took her outside on to a little roof terrace that looked like it never got the sun at nay time of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-took-her-outside-on-to-a-little-roof-terrace-that-looked-like-it/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I feel as though I have been having conversations like this all my life. None of us is young anymore, but what has just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-feel-as-though-i-have-been-having-conversations-like-this-all-my/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I'm OK. Really. I can find people. I'll be all right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-ok-really-i-can-find-people-i-ll-be-all-right/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Read any women's magazine and you'll see the same complaint over and over again: men - those little boys ten or twenty or thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/read-any-women-s-magazine-and-you-ll-see-the-same-complaint-over-and/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Defansçılar her zaman forvetçilerden daha iyi analizcilerdir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/defans-lar-her-zaman-forvet-ilerden-daha-iyi-analizcilerdir/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [On New Year's Eve he ould make a resolution to recover some his previous scepticism, but until then he would do as the Romans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/on-new-year-s-eve-he-ould-make-a-resolution-to-recover-some-his/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [It's no good looking to writers for definitions of what constitutes proper writing, because you will drive yourself crazy, and you won't find anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/it-s-no-good-looking-to-writers-for-definitions-of-what-constitutes/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) [Explore all 645 Nick Hornby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [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/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on Earth tolerable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Hornby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qualities-that-make-life-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qualities-that-make-life-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/nick-hornby-325_compassion_sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qu_2535646.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on Earth tolerable.” — Nick Hornby", "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": "Nick Hornby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sarcasm and compassion are two of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qualities-that-make-life-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/sarcasm-and-compassion-are-two-of-the-qualities-that-make-life-on/#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 } } ] } ```