--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cultures that don't laugh at themselves…" description: "\"Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults.\" — Paul Buchheit" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg" --- # Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults. ![“Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults.” quote by Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg) > “Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults.” [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultures that cannot laugh at themselves become rigid and dogmatic, whereas self‑mockery promotes openness and adaptability. **In simple terms:** Self‑laughing prevents dogma. Key Takeaway Encourage humor about flaws. Themes culture humor flexibility Mood lighthearted insightful Type social philosophical When to use this quote - team meetings - public speaking - social media Key Concepts sociology psychology organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become self‑criticism? - How can humor improve group dynamics? A Different Perspective Excessive self‑deprecation may undermine confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Cults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cults/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Cultures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultures/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ## Related quotes > [I navigate different cultures daily, and I understand how people can make false assumptions because of their lack of interaction with the cultures I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-navigate-different-cultures-daily-and-i-understand-how-people-can/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [Actually there's a very bad trend in some cults about how Guru's are supposed to be mean to their students, and there are some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/actually-there-s-a-very-bad-trend-in-some-cults-about-how-guru-s-are/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [The Christian church is an encyclopedia of prehistoric cults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-christian-church-is-an-encyclopedia-of-prehistoric-cults/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Modern society has not rid itself of religion, as it fondly believes; it has merely replaced the historical religions by a host of idolatrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-herberg/modern-society-has-not-rid-itself-of-religion-as-it-fondly-believes/) [Will Herberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-herberg/) > [“It's a fucking cult, Paul." "So is the Catholic Church.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/it-s-a-fucking-cult-paul-so-is-the-catholic-church/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [Every new movement or group of people who seek to explore awareness is considered a cult. The United States was founded by several cults.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/every-new-movement-or-group-of-people-who-seek-to-explore-awareness/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The world will see many fashions of art and most of the world will follow the fashions and make none. These cults - these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-world-will-see-many-fashions-of-art-and-most-of-the-world-will/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“Among other things Jonestown was an example of a definition well known to sociologists of religion: a cult is a religion with no political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/among-other-things-jonestown-was-an-example-of-a-definition-well/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Religion is the most powerful entity on earth. A phenomenon that has conscripted millions to give or sacrifice their lives without so much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-sarwar/religion-is-the-most-powerful-entity-on-earth-a-phenomenon-that-has/) Cal Sarwar > [“FRACTURED FACTIONS Many cults are created by the uncontrollable egos of religious zealots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/fractured-factions-many-cults-are-created-by-the-uncontrollable-egos/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [“This is the mentality of a cult, in which fantastical beliefs are flaunted as proof of one's piety. That mentality cannot coexist with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pinker/this-is-the-mentality-of-a-cult-in-which-fantastical-beliefs-are/) [Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pinker/) > [ \[Concerning monotheistic religions\] The only thing these hysterical cults have in common is the belief that this world will be consumed, and deservedly so,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/concerning-monotheistic-religions-the-only-thing-these-hysterical/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Cult (totalistic type): a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-jolyon-west/cult-totalistic-type-a-group-or-movement-exhibiting-a-great-or/) Louis Jolyon West > [I didn't read about it for school. It was just for myself. I was interested in cults in general but Jonestown was the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danzy-senna/i-didn-t-read-about-it-for-school-it-was-just-for-myself-i-was/) [Danzy Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danzy-senna/) > [Cults use our vocabulary, but they don't use our dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/cults-use-our-vocabulary-but-they-don-t-use-our-dictionary/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) ## More by Paul Buchheit > [The companies that are the most influential and most successful are the ones that care about impact and the influence they have on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/the-companies-that-are-the-most-influential-and-most-successful-are/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [The intrinsic path to success is to focus on being the person that you are, and put all of your energy and drive into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/the-intrinsic-path-to-success-is-to-focus-on-being-the-person-that/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Until we let go of our mental images of who we are or who we should be, our vision remains clouded by expectation. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/until-we-let-go-of-our-mental-images-of-who-we-are-or-who-we-should/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [If everything you do works, then you're not taking many risks and probably aren't innovating either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/if-everything-you-do-works-then-you-re-not-taking-many-risks-and/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Many people with jobs have a fantasy about all the amazing things they would do if they didn't need to work. In reality, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/many-people-with-jobs-have-a-fantasy-about-all-the-amazing-things/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Pick three key attributes or features, get those things very, very right, and then forget about everything else… By focusing on only a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/pick-three-key-attributes-or-features-get-those-things-very-very/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Google is about information and computers and making things really fast. Facebook is about the sharing and connections. These missions give these companies direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/google-is-about-information-and-computers-and-making-things-really/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Only my phone number and email are private because I don't want random people calling me. But I like the ability to share everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/only-my-phone-number-and-email-are-private-because-i-don-t-want/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Part of the excitement was just seeing how the world would respond. I kind of like uncertainty to some extent, because it's a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/part-of-the-excitement-was-just-seeing-how-the-world-would-respond-i/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [I like writing code. I like building product. I like making things that people like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/i-like-writing-code-i-like-building-product-i-like-making-things-that/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Start out by making 100 users really happy, rather than a lot more users only a little happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/start-out-by-making-100-users-really-happy-rather-than-a-lot-more/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [“If someone says: That's impossible. You should understand it as: According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that's very unlikely”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/if-someone-says-that-s-impossible-you-should-understand-it-as/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Honestly, I was pretty sure AltaVista was going to destroy Google](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/honestly-i-was-pretty-sure-altavista-was-going-to-destroy-google/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Opportunity is all around us, but we have beliefs and habits that block it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/opportunity-is-all-around-us-but-we-have-beliefs-and-habits-that/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Consider spending less time talking, and more time prototyping, especially if you're not very good at talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/consider-spending-less-time-talking-and-more-time-prototyping/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) [Explore all 22 Paul Buchheit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) ## More Cult quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [“Religion, like science, is only noteworthy when it emphasizes a matter of what is true rather than whose belief is greater or lesser or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/religion-like-science-is-only-noteworthy-when-it-emphasizes-a-matter/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [Cults use our vocabulary, but they don't use our dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/cults-use-our-vocabulary-but-they-don-t-use-our-dictionary/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [“Koch believed that what the famed economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction" was so critical to the health of the capitalist system that empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/koch-believed-that-what-the-famed-economist-joseph-schumpeter-called/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [I really hate those Internet freaks who take each thirty minute bundle of joy and turn it into a cult game of Where's Wally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/i-really-hate-those-internet-freaks-who-take-each-thirty-minute/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [I didn't read about it for school. It was just for myself. I was interested in cults in general but Jonestown was the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danzy-senna/i-didn-t-read-about-it-for-school-it-was-just-for-myself-i-was/) [Danzy Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danzy-senna/) > [The star system, the idol, the cult of personality is not the only way to be in entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/the-star-system-the-idol-the-cult-of-personality-is-not-the-only-way/) [Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/) > [“since she would never have practised the cult of these things, she would take no impious delight in their profanation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/since-she-would-never-have-practised-the-cult-of-these-things-she/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I don't think it takes much for a cult to be a cult. Many parts of our society are cultish, and you only need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-flynn/i-don-t-think-it-takes-much-for-a-cult-to-be-a-cult-many-parts-of-our/) [Jerome Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-flynn/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Once I knew what I was doing I was there and with it; I had the total knowing. I Googled God and orgasmed At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/once-i-knew-what-i-was-doing-i-was-there-and-with-it-i-had-the-total/) Initially NO > [“Ms Brennan is telling the very few people who attended an educational event: "You are warriors against the cult of stupidity that is taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wunder/ms-brennan-is-telling-the-very-few-people-who-attended-an-educational/) [Wendy Wunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wunder/) > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) [Browse all 750 Cult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Buchheit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves-are-cults/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves-are-cults/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d58/paul-buchheit-25688_cult_cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves_1779180.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cultures that don't laugh at themselves are cults.” — Paul Buchheit", "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": "Paul Buchheit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cultures that don't laugh at themselves...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves-are-cults/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/cultures-that-don-t-laugh-at-themselves-are-cults/#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 } } ] } ```