--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laughter is equally the expression of…" description: "\"Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and horror as of joy: as there are tears of sorrow and tears of joy, so is there a laugh of terro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg" --- # Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and… ![“Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and horror as of joy: as there are tears of sorrow and tears of joy, so is there a laugh of terror and a laugh of merriment.” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg) > “Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and horror as of joy: as there are tears of sorrow and tears of joy, so is there a laugh of terror and a laugh of merriment.” [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laughter can arise from both extreme sorrow and great joy, just as tears can be of sorrow or happiness; it reflects the dual nature of human emotion. **In simple terms:** Laughter shows both pain and joy. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the complexity of emotional expression. Themes emotion duality expression Mood reflective contrasting Type literary psychological When to use this quote - grieving - celebration - stress relief - social bonding Key Concepts psychology philosophy literature Questions to Reflect On - When have you laughed despite feeling grief? - Can humor help process trauma? A Different Perspective Laughter may mask deeper pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Merriment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merriment/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tears of joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-of-joy/) [Tears of sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-of-sorrow/) ## Related quotes > [“If wars were declared by love, there would be no tears of sorrow, only tears of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-wars-were-declared-by-love-there-would-be-no-tears-of-sorrow-only/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“If tears of sorrow are the echoes of things lost, what then are tears of joy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-lynn/if-tears-of-sorrow-are-the-echoes-of-things-lost-what-then-are-tears/) [Tyra Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-lynn/) > [Love is an avalanche of emotions running wild. An emotion that overcomes every other emotion and can make every other emotion feel better ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-an-avalanche-of-emotions-running-wild-an-emotion-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are sorrowful, look again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/when-you-are-sorrowful-look-again/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Tears of sorrow are dried in the sun of understanding, one bright day you will smile and understand why things went the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/tears-of-sorrow-are-dried-in-the-sun-of-understanding-one-bright-day/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [Every tear of sorrow sown by the righteous springs up a pearl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/every-tear-of-sorrow-sown-by-the-righteous-springs-up-a-pearl/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [Nature best teaches how to pray, and how to reverence all the gifts the Almighty has given us. She is like a vast outspread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-schumann/nature-best-teaches-how-to-pray-and-how-to-reverence-all-the-gifts/) [Robert Schumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-schumann/) > [“Then Ardent, heavy hearted, turned away; sore for the rusted armor and the wasted days: but as Sir Constant saw his shield, and lo!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-cule/then-ardent-heavy-hearted-turned-away-sore-for-the-rusted-armor-and/) W. E. Cule > [“Your tears of sorrow today will bring bliss in the future…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ras-obenn/your-tears-of-sorrow-today-will-bring-bliss-in-the-future/) Ras Obenn > [too much happiness always overflowed into tears of sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-much-happiness-always-overflowed-into-tears-of-sorrow/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [To weep is to make less the depth of grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/to-weep-is-to-make-less-the-depth-of-grief/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“There is a blessèd home, Beyond this land of woe, Where trials never come, Nor tears of sorrow flow; Where faith is lost in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-w-baker/there-is-a-bless-d-home-beyond-this-land-of-woe-where-trials-never/) Henry W. Baker > [“Difficulties are no match for the optimist, who does not fly from them, but welcomes them. He has a mental prism which can separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/difficulties-are-no-match-for-the-optimist-who-does-not-fly-from-them/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [A kiss is the prize?’ he asked sadly. ‘Even more than giving me the rest of you? It should be the other way round,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/a-kiss-is-the-prize-he-asked-sadly-even-more-than-giving-me-the-rest/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [Tears of pain and tears of sorrow, tears for a life that has no tomorrow... As you wipe the tears from your face you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/tears-of-pain-and-tears-of-sorrow-tears-for-a-life-that-has-no/) [SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/) ## More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge > [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises, but in the nature and parts of premises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/facts-are-not-truths-they-are-not-conclusions-they-are-not-even/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I do not wish you to act from these truths; no, still and always act from your feelings; only meditate often on these truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-do-not-wish-you-to-act-from-these-truths-no-still-and-always-act/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-poet-ought-not-to-pick-nature-s-pocket-let-him-borrow-and-so-borrow/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/ignorance-seldom-vaults-into-knowledge/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/therefore-all-seasons-shall-be-sweet-to-thee-whether-the-summer/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Why are not more gems from our great authors scattered over the country? Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Life went a-maying With Nature, Hope, and Poesy, When I was young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/life-went-a-maying-with-nature-hope-and-poesy-when-i-was-young/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [The three great ends which a statesman ought to propose to himself in the government of a nation, are 1. Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“We in ourselves rejoice! And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight, All melodies the echoes of that voice, All colours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/we-in-ourselves-rejoice-and-thence-flows-all-that-charms-or-ear-or/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) [Explore all 570 Samuel Taylor Coleridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## More Anguish quotes > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) > [Knowledge gives a wider choice and more anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/knowledge-gives-a-wider-choice-and-more-anguish/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [The intellectuals' chief cause of anguish are one another's works. Jacques Barzun, 1959 all ignorance toboggans into know and trudges up to ignorance again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/the-intellectuals-chief-cause-of-anguish-are-one-another-s-works/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [I saw my parents as gods whose every wish must be obeyed or I would suffer the penalty of anguish and guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-wood/i-saw-my-parents-as-gods-whose-every-wish-must-be-obeyed-or-i-would/) [Natalie Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-wood/) > [Every last cast is actually a first cast. The first cast and first chance to catch the next fish. The next time you anguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/every-last-cast-is-actually-a-first-cast-the-first-cast-and-first/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Journalism is an extraordinary and terrible privilege. Not by chance, if you are aware of it, does it consume you with a hundred feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/journalism-is-an-extraordinary-and-terrible-privilege-not-by-chance/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I have discovered in my long life that there are many words and phrases which have more power than any spell of magick. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-have-discovered-in-my-long-life-that-there-are-many-words-and/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [I have designed my style pantomimes as white ink drawings on black backgrounds, so that man's destiny appears as a thread lost in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-marceau/i-have-designed-my-style-pantomimes-as-white-ink-drawings-on-black/) [Marcel Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-marceau/) > [So silently, peacefully, without hurry, without any tension, without any anguish, move into yourself instantly. It is urgent. Unless meditation becomes urgent to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-silently-peacefully-without-hurry-without-any-tension-without-any/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-breaks-my-heart-to-think-about-a-family-weeping-over-the-loss-of-a/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) [Browse all 570 Anguish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and horror as of joy: as there are tears of sorrow and tears of joy, so is there a laugh of terror and a laugh of merriment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-extreme-anguish-and-horror-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anguish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-extreme-anguish-and-horror-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/114/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_anguish_laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-ex_575953.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Laughter is equally the expression of extreme anguish and horror as of joy: as there are tears of sorrow and…” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge", "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": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Laughter is equally the expression of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-extreme-anguish-and-horror-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/laughter-is-equally-the-expression-of-extreme-anguish-and-horror-as/#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 } } ] } ```