--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of all the laughs that strictly speaking…" description: "\"“Of all the laughs that strictly speaking are not laughs, but modes of ululation, only three I think need detain us, I mean the bitter, the hollow and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/samuel-beckett-365_comedy_of-all-the-laughs-that-strictly-speaking_3093582.png" --- # Of all the laughs that strictly speaking are not laughs… ![“Of all the laughs that strictly speaking are not laughs, but modes of ululation, only three I think need detain us, I mean the bitter, the hollow and the mirthless. They correspond to successive… how shall I say successive… suc… successive excoriations of the understanding, and the passage from…” quote by Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/samuel-beckett-365_comedy_of-all-the-laughs-that-strictly-speaking_3093582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/samuel-beckett-365_comedy_of-all-the-laughs-that-strictly-speaking_3093582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/samuel-beckett-365_comedy_of-all-the-laughs-that-strictly-speaking_3093582.png) > ““Of all the laughs that strictly speaking are not laughs, but modes of ululation, only three I think need detain us, I mean the bitter, the hollow and the mirthless. They correspond to successive… how shall I say successive… suc… successive excoriations of the understanding, and the passage from the one to the other is the passage from the lesser to the greater, from the lower to the higher, from the outer to the inner, from the gross to the fine, from the matter to the form. The laugh that now is mirthless once was hollow, the laugh that once was hollow once was bitter. And the laugh that once was bitter? Eyewater, Mr. Watt, eyewater. But do not let us waste our time with that. . . . The bitter, the hollow and—Haw! Haw!— the mirthless. The bitter laugh laughs at that which is not good, it is the ethical laugh. The hollow laugh laughs at that which is not true, it is the intellectual laugh. Not good! Not true! Well well. But the mirthless laugh is the dianoetic laugh, down the snout—Haw!—so. It is the laugh of laughs, the risus purus, the laugh laughing at the laugh, the beholding, the saluting of the highest joke, in a word the laugh that laughs—silence please—at that which is unhappy”.”” [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote categorizes three types of laughter—bitter, hollow, mirthless—as stages of intellectual and ethical insight, moving from crude reaction to a refined, self‑referential humor that confronts absurdity. **In simple terms:** Three laughter levels show deeper understanding of absurdity. Key Takeaway Recognize humor as a tool for philosophical insight. Themes philosophy humor absurdism ethics intellectual growth Mood reflective ironic thoughtful Type philosophical literary critical When to use this quote - theatrical performance - philosophical discussion - personal contemplation Key Concepts meta‑humor dialectic self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does each laugh type affect our perception of truth? - Can humor bridge ethical and intellectual gaps? A Different Perspective The mirthless laugh may seem detached, limiting emotional connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-laugh-2775276/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Ethical Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-laugh-5330142/) [Hollow Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollow-laugh-5330141/) [Intellectual Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-laugh-5330143/) [Laugh Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-bitter-659516/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) ## Related quotes > [I shall laugh my bitter laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/i-shall-laugh-my-bitter-laugh/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“You crossed the entire continent together, and yet neither of you made a move?" She huffed another short hollow laugh. "No wonder you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/you-crossed-the-entire-continent-together-and-yet-neither-of-you-made/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [Pippa's laugh is bitter, tinged with tears. 'Ha! Why do girls think being beautiful will solve every problem? Being beautiful just creates problems. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/pippa-s-laugh-is-bitter-tinged-with-tears-ha-why-do-girls-think-being/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I laugh at bitter people. The facial muscles on bitter people must be stiff all the time...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-laugh-at-bitter-people-the-facial-muscles-on-bitter-people-must-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why is it always easier to be optimistic about somebody else’s worries?” Adrian said with a bitter laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/why-is-it-always-easier-to-be-optimistic-about-somebody-else-s/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [“Just wanted to make sure the number wasn't a fake," Az said. She couldn't help her bitter laugh. "Well, you can go ahead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-clifford/just-wanted-to-make-sure-the-number-wasn-t-a-fake-az-said-she-couldn/) [Leah Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-clifford/) > [The days draw out, the weather gets warmer, and it's what we call summer, with a bitter laugh when we've said it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-barstow/the-days-draw-out-the-weather-gets-warmer-and-it-s-what-we-call/) [Stan Barstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-barstow/) > [“Laughter sometimes hurts us, and sometimes it makes us feel better. No matter how down you feel... laughter brings a new ray of hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiko-tobe/laughter-sometimes-hurts-us-and-sometimes-it-makes-us-feel-better-no/) [Keiko Tobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiko-tobe/) > [Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't refract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [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/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! 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The laugh that now is mirthless once was hollow, the laugh that once was hollow once was bitter. And the laugh that once was bitter? Eyewater, Mr. Watt, eyewater. But do not let us waste our time with that. . . . The bitter, the hollow and—Haw! Haw!— the mirthless. The bitter laugh laughs at that which is not good, it is the ethical laugh. The hollow laugh laughs at that which is not true, it is the intellectual laugh. Not good! Not true! Well well. But the mirthless laugh is the dianoetic laugh, down the snout—Haw!—so. 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