--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't laugh when things go…" description: "\"If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a little carnival--then you're either dead or wishing you were.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg" --- # If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a… ![“If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a little carnival--then you're either dead or wishing you were.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg) > “If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a little carnival--then you're either dead or wishing you were.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor can be a coping mechanism, but using it to avoid pain may indicate emotional numbness or denial. **In simple terms:** Laughing at tragedy can mask deeper despair. Key Takeaway Use humor wisely, but confront pain directly. Themes humor coping mental health denial resilience Mood wry thoughtful hopeful Type advice psychological When to use this quote - personal crises - grief - stressful events - daily setbacks - mental health treatment Key Concepts psychology self‑care existentialism Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become avoidance? - What healthier outlets can replace forced laughter? A Different Perspective Humor alone cannot replace genuine emotional processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-laugh-3656676/) [Carnivals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnivals/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laugh Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-little-1510075/) [Laugh Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-things/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Things Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-bad/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“When too much is too much or too bad is too bad, we laugh as if it was too good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/when-too-much-is-too-much-or-too-bad-is-too-bad-we-laugh-as-if-it-was/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [The Canteen Boy, the reason you feel bad for him and you can laugh is because he, and I guess a lot of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/the-canteen-boy-the-reason-you-feel-bad-for-him-and-you-can-laugh-is/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [“Those are the only to verbalizations usually that we make in movies—either to scream or to laugh—because those two reactions are rather close. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/those-are-the-only-to-verbalizations-usually-that-we-make-in-movies/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I learned to laugh at myself a little more, and I realized that beautiful things can be made out of mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-durance/i-learned-to-laugh-at-myself-a-little-more-and-i-realized-that/) [Erica Durance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-durance/) > [He barks out a laugh. "My little rebel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-barks-out-a-laugh-my-little-rebel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In future, you'll laugh at yourself on some things you do now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/in-future-you-ll-laugh-at-yourself-on-some-things-you-do-now/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I always laugh when things go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chirstina-aguilera/i-always-laugh-when-things-go-wrong/) [Chirstina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chirstina-aguilera/) > [Comedy exists to laugh at things that aren't laughable. But isn't it? That's what separates us from the animals. We laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/comedy-exists-to-laugh-at-things-that-aren-t-laughable-but-isn-t-it/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [If I'm alone in the car and I fart, I still laugh at it. It's the little things that keep us civilised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/if-i-m-alone-in-the-car-and-i-fart-i-still-laugh-at-it-it-s-the/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [There are some people in life that make you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger, and live just a little bit better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-some-people-in-life-that-make-you-laugh-a-little-louder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love a confident guy and a guy that makes me laugh and who is a little hard to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-agdal/i-love-a-confident-guy-and-a-guy-that-makes-me-laugh-and-who-is-a/) [Nina Agdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-agdal/) > [I have noticed that in plays where the characters on stage laugh a great deal, the people out front laugh very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/i-have-noticed-that-in-plays-where-the-characters-on-stage-laugh-a/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Because of him I laugh a little harder, cry a little less and smile alot more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-of-him-i-laugh-a-little-harder-cry-a-little-less-and-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [~ I know you think you broke my heart. But I saw your game from the start. I saw your game and played it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/i-know-you-think-you-broke-my-heart-but-i-saw-your-game-from-the/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [“Some people make you laugh a little louder, your smile a little brighter, and your life a little better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/some-people-make-you-laugh-a-little-louder-your-smile-a-little/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Carnivals quotes > [Precise, graceful, and generous, the poems in SuperLoop, seem to be born out of a deep, careful attention and a profound compassion. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/precise-graceful-and-generous-the-poems-in-superloop-seem-to-be-born/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) > [I stumble through a carnival of horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-stumble-through-a-carnival-of-horrors/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Not everyone is going to like every carnival ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/not-everyone-is-going-to-like-every-carnival-ride/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [“He wanted a home. He wanted a family. He wanted to have friends. But none of those things were realistic. At least not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/he-wanted-a-home-he-wanted-a-family-he-wanted-to-have-friends-but/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [If you have to give a carnival to get people to come to church, then you will have to keep giving carnivals to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-you-have-to-give-a-carnival-to-get-people-to-come-to-church-then/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [ \[Carnival Ride\] is part of a line from my favorite song on the album, "Wheel of the World." It sums up everything that's happened… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/carnival-ride-is-part-of-a-line-from-my-favorite-song-on-the-album/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [I think honestly when I was younger I use to love going to carnivals in Long Island. I use to love carnival season; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-think-honestly-when-i-was-younger-i-use-to-love-going-to-carnivals/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [Such a scheme.. the betrayal of the national democracy of Industrial Ulster, would mean a carnival of reaction both North and South, would set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-connolly/such-a-scheme-the-betrayal-of-the-national-democracy-of-industrial/) [James Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-connolly/) > [Astrology is the sheerest hokum. This pseudoscience has been around since the day of the Chaldeans and Babylonians. It is as phony as numerology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-kilpatrick/astrology-is-the-sheerest-hokum-this-pseudoscience-has-been-around/) [James J. Kilpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-kilpatrick/) > [Television has borrowed from the carnival midway the barker's tease: "Coming Up Next: a Perfect 10" (Sex? Bo Derek? No, the weatherman comes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-diamond/television-has-borrowed-from-the-carnival-midway-the-barker-s-tease/) [Edwin Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-diamond/) > [Odyssey Dawn? That's not a military operation. That's a Carnival Cruise ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/odyssey-dawn-that-s-not-a-military-operation-that-s-a-carnival-cruise/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Death is not a checkmate…it is more like a carnival trick. You cannot win, no matter how you move your Queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/death-is-not-a-checkmate-it-is-more-like-a-carnival-trick-you-cannot/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Drugs are a carnival in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-piaf/drugs-are-a-carnival-in-hell/) [Edith Piaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-piaf/) > [Crewing and being on film sets is kind of like being in the carnival, with carnie folks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/crewing-and-being-on-film-sets-is-kind-of-like-being-in-the-carnival/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [Through the clouds of smoke I seemed to see all old Asia before me, and the adventures of past years behind me. A carnival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/through-the-clouds-of-smoke-i-seemed-to-see-all-old-asia-before-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 97 Carnivals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carnivals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a little carnival--then you're either dead or wishing you were.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-laugh-and-put-on-a-little/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Carnivals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-laugh-and-put-on-a-little/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/stephen-king-13_carnivals_if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-la_1398066.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't laugh when things go bad--laugh and put on a little carnival--then you're either dead or…” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you can't laugh when things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-laugh-and-put-on-a-little/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/if-you-can-t-laugh-when-things-go-bad-laugh-and-put-on-a-little/#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 } } ] } ```