--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two insults no human being will…" description: "\"There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble.\" — Sinclair Lewis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png" --- # There are two insults no human being will endure: that he… ![“There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble.” quote by Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png) > “There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble.” [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being without humor or trouble is intolerable; both are essential to human experience. **In simple terms:** Humor and hardship are vital. Key Takeaway Embrace humor and challenges. Themes resilience humor human condition Mood lighthearted thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - stress coping - community building Key Concepts psychological health social interaction Questions to Reflect On - How does humor help you endure difficulty? - What lessons arise from trouble? A Different Perspective Some may view trouble as unnecessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humor Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor-known-2187368/) [Insults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insults/) [Insults Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insults-human-2187367/) [Sense Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-humor/) [Sense of humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-humor/) ## Related quotes > [There are two insults which no human being will endure: The assertion that he hasn't a sense of humor, and the doubly impertinent assertion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/there-are-two-insults-which-no-human-being-will-endure-the-assertion/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [If we lose our sense of humor, then we most certainly have lost our perspective, and therefore our happiness and joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/if-we-lose-our-sense-of-humor-then-we-most-certainly-have-lost-our/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [I've often said that the seventh paramita should be a sense of humor, so we don't take ourselves too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-ve-often-said-that-the-seventh-paramita-should-be-a-sense-of-humor/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Nowadays, you cannot be a very Effective political figure without Having a demonstrable sense of humor. People take to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/nowadays-you-cannot-be-a-very-effective-political-figure-without/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Senses of humor define people, as factions, deeper rooted than religious or political opinions. When carrying out everyday tasks, opinions are rather easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/senses-of-humor-define-people-as-factions-deeper-rooted-than/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-sense-of-humor-is-the-pole-that-adds-balance-to-our-steps-as-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think anyone who behaves boorishly but without a good sense of humor is not as fun to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/i-think-anyone-who-behaves-boorishly-but-without-a-good-sense-of/) [Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/) > [A sense of humor saves your life, and being able to make friends wherever you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-o-mara/a-sense-of-humor-saves-your-life-and-being-able-to-make-friends/) [Jason O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-o-mara/) > [“I'm quite certain that if I lost my sense of humor, it would most definitely need to be replaced by a padded cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/i-m-quite-certain-that-if-i-lost-my-sense-of-humor-it-would-most/) [Comic Strip Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/comic-strip-mama/) > [The person who has a sense of humor is not just more relaxed in the face of a potentially stressful situation, but is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morreall/the-person-who-has-a-sense-of-humor-is-not-just-more-relaxed-in-the/) [John Morreall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morreall/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The most irritating people are those without a sense of humor, amirite?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-irritating-people-are-those-without-a-sense-of-humor-amirite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I think God has a sense of humor, and the way my lessons come from God is very funny. I have to laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-nicole-brown/i-think-god-has-a-sense-of-humor-and-the-way-my-lessons-come-from-god/) [Yvette Nicole Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-nicole-brown/) > [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sinclair Lewis > [“She found beauty in the children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/she-found-beauty-in-the-children/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [What is Love? Listen! It is the rainbow that stands out, in all its glorious many-colored hues, illuminating and making glad again the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/what-is-love-listen-it-is-the-rainbow-that-stands-out-in-all-its/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [When you think that most of us are doomed by divine grace to roast in hell, to say nothing of mortgages and hail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/when-you-think-that-most-of-us-are-doomed-by-divine-grace-to-roast-in/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/he-loved-the-people-just-as-much-as-he-feared-and-detested-persons/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“He had expected that traditionally Republican Vermont would give him too drearily easy a task in preaching Trowbridge. What he found was a dismaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/he-had-expected-that-traditionally-republican-vermont-would-give-him/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Day on day he waited. So much of a revolution for so many people is nothing but waiting. That is one reason why tourists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/day-on-day-he-waited-so-much-of-a-revolution-for-so-many-people-is/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“She continued it to Hugh, 'Darling, do you know what mother and you are going to find beyond the blue horizon rim?' 'What?' flatly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/she-continued-it-to-hugh-darling-do-you-know-what-mother-and-you-are/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Is it possible that nobody has ever known that there never has been a completely civilized man, and won't be for another thousand years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/is-it-possible-that-nobody-has-ever-known-that-there-never-has-been-a/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“I think perhaps we want a more conscientious life. We're tired of drudging and sleeping and dying. We're tired of always deferring hope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/i-think-perhaps-we-want-a-more-conscientious-life-we-re-tired-of/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [It might be the doing of Satan, in whom Aaron anxiously believed with all of his being except, perhaps, his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/it-might-be-the-doing-of-satan-in-whom-aaron-anxiously-believed-with/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“The author says one character's definition of a classic is any book he'd heard of before he was thirty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/the-author-says-one-character-s-definition-of-a-classic-is-any-book/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Like all males, he hated to confess ignorance by asking directions,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/like-all-males-he-hated-to-confess-ignorance-by-asking-directions/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Winter is not a season, it's an occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/winter-is-not-a-season-it-s-an-occupation/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Author sees the "congested idealism" of the generally discontent as reservoir that will support centralized power even while disagreeing with many specific provisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/author-sees-the-congested-idealism-of-the-generally-discontent-as/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“The poor we have always with us, and the purpose of the Lord in providing the poor is to enable us of the better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/the-poor-we-have-always-with-us-and-the-purpose-of-the-lord-in/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) [Explore all 196 Sinclair Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) ## 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 two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sinclair Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-will-endure-that-he-has-no-sense/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-will-endure-that-he-has-no-sense/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49d/sinclair-lewis-1945_comedy_there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-wil_2630565.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known…” — Sinclair Lewis", "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": "Sinclair Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are two insults no human...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-will-endure-that-he-has-no-sense/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/there-are-two-insults-no-human-being-will-endure-that-he-has-no-sense/#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 } } ] } ```