--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When humor works, it works because it's…" description: "\"When humor works, it works because it's clarifying what people already feel. It has to come from someplace real.\" — Tina Fey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/tina-fey-484_clarifying_when-humor-works-it-works-because-it-s-c_1958613.jpg" --- # When humor works, it works because it's clarifying what… ![“When humor works, it works because it's clarifying what people already feel. It has to come from someplace real.” quote by Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/tina-fey-484_clarifying_when-humor-works-it-works-because-it-s-c_1958613.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/tina-fey-484_clarifying_when-humor-works-it-works-because-it-s-c_1958613.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/tina-fey-484_clarifying_when-humor-works-it-works-because-it-s-c_1958613.jpg) > “When humor works, it works because it's clarifying what people already feel. It has to come from someplace real.” [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor works when it clarifies shared feelings, rooted in authenticity. **In simple terms:** Humor clarifies shared feelings. Key Takeaway Use authentic humor to connect. Themes humor clarity authenticity Mood lighthearted insightful Type comedic educational When to use this quote - team building - public speaking - media production - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology communication empathy Questions to Reflect On - What feelings need clarification? - How to ensure humor stays authentic? A Different Perspective Humor may alienate if not genuine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I feel about Photoshop the way some people feel about abortion. It is appalling and a tragic reflection on the moral decay of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-feel-about-photoshop-the-way-some-people-feel-about-abortion-it-is/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) > [Having first rate people on the team is more important than designing hierarchies and clarifying who reports to whom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/having-first-rate-people-on-the-team-is-more-important-than-designing/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Pretend to be a delinquent?" I asked clarifying. "You can do it," Dave advised me. "Just don't smile, and try to look like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/pretend-to-be-a-delinquent-i-asked-clarifying-you-can-do-it-dave/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [It's better for me to go up against someone's passion with my passion and then clarifying something that he wrote. Then I know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-marshall/it-s-better-for-me-to-go-up-against-someone-s-passion-with-my-passion/) [Penny Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-marshall/) > [Not all negativity is bad. In politics, it's a necessary clarifying tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/not-all-negativity-is-bad-in-politics-it-s-a-necessary-clarifying-tool/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [Rather than managing by clarifying events, the creative process may require raising the level of uncertainty. Sometimes this can be done by issuing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/rather-than-managing-by-clarifying-events-the-creative-process-may/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [Guarding your heart and protecting your dignity are a little bit more important than clarifying the emotions of someone who's only texting you back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/guarding-your-heart-and-protecting-your-dignity-are-a-little-bit-more-2/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Before my encounter with Thomist philosophy through Maritain, I had almost reached the same conclusions through the logical development of my work, intuition and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-severini/before-my-encounter-with-thomist-philosophy-through-maritain-i-had/) [Gino Severini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-severini/) > [In some ways clarifying a vision is easy. A more difficult challenge comes in facing current reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/in-some-ways-clarifying-a-vision-is-easy-a-more-difficult-challenge/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [So if we look at progress, or evolution, or we look at accomplishment in our life, the key is to be continually moving on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-merzel/so-if-we-look-at-progress-or-evolution-or-we-look-at-accomplishment/) [Dennis Merzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-merzel/) > [What you feel when you're writing is the relief of thinking: if you write the sentence correctly, you're clarifying. If you write the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/what-you-feel-when-you-re-writing-is-the-relief-of-thinking-if-you/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [During periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/during-periods-of-relaxation-after-concentrated-intellectual-activity/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [I encourage all you superior seekers in the secret depths to devote yourselves to penetrating and clarifying the self, as earnestly as you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakuin-ekaku/i-encourage-all-you-superior-seekers-in-the-secret-depths-to-devote/) [Hakuin Ekaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakuin-ekaku/) > [Universities are very clarifying places of power, because everyone is focused on trying to figure out exactly what to do with their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/universities-are-very-clarifying-places-of-power-because-everyone-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Tina Fey > [I really like John McCain. He's an awesome dude and was a lot of fun when he hosted "SNL." I'd love to see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-really-like-john-mccain-he-s-an-awesome-dude-and-was-a-lot-of-fun/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You mostly know that you want to be funny, know that you have the desire. It's not like people who grow up beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-mostly-know-that-you-want-to-be-funny-know-that-you-have-the/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I was a very confident little kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-was-a-very-confident-little-kid/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You can tell how smart people are by what they laugh at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-tell-how-smart-people-are-by-what-they-laugh-at/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/whatever-the-problem-be-part-of-the-solution-don-t-just-sit-around/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/pentagon-records-show-that-at-least-8-000-members-of-the-all/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“That summer I got to know four families in which half the children were gay. In case you’re interested from a sociological point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/that-summer-i-got-to-know-four-families-in-which-half-the-children/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [The topic of working moms is a tap-dance recital in a minefield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/the-topic-of-working-moms-is-a-tap-dance-recital-in-a-minefield/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [You can be a little bit darker and rougher on the stage, partly because when you're in the theater, people have come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-can-be-a-little-bit-darker-and-rougher-on-the-stage-partly/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [ \[...\] things most people do naturally are often inexplicably difficult for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/things-most-people-do-naturally-are-often-inexplicably-difficult-for/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“To this day, all I know is there are between two and four openings down there and that the set up inside looks vaguely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/to-this-day-all-i-know-is-there-are-between-two-and-four-openings/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Wafah Dufour bin Laden, niece of Osama bin Laden has signed a contract to star in a reality show... called Skating with the Nieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/wafah-dufour-bin-laden-niece-of-osama-bin-laden-has-signed-a-contract/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [It's not vanity, because if you look weird, it will distract from what your trying to do. If you look as good as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/it-s-not-vanity-because-if-you-look-weird-it-will-distract-from-what/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Sometimes, you can feel or see how a movie can... how you can do it. Sometimes it's just like seeing, "Can that work? Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/sometimes-you-can-feel-or-see-how-a-movie-can-how-you-can-do-it/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/forward-women-embraced-their-diversity-and-realized-that-all-shapes/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) [Explore all 527 Tina Fey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## More Clarifying quotes > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) > [I encourage all you superior seekers in the secret depths to devote yourselves to penetrating and clarifying the self, as earnestly as you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakuin-ekaku/i-encourage-all-you-superior-seekers-in-the-secret-depths-to-devote/) [Hakuin Ekaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakuin-ekaku/) > [During periods of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/during-periods-of-relaxation-after-concentrated-intellectual-activity/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [What you feel when you're writing is the relief of thinking: if you write the sentence correctly, you're clarifying. If you write the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/what-you-feel-when-you-re-writing-is-the-relief-of-thinking-if-you/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [So if we look at progress, or evolution, or we look at accomplishment in our life, the key is to be continually moving on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-merzel/so-if-we-look-at-progress-or-evolution-or-we-look-at-accomplishment/) [Dennis Merzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-merzel/) > [In some ways clarifying a vision is easy. A more difficult challenge comes in facing current reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/in-some-ways-clarifying-a-vision-is-easy-a-more-difficult-challenge/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Before my encounter with Thomist philosophy through Maritain, I had almost reached the same conclusions through the logical development of my work, intuition and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-severini/before-my-encounter-with-thomist-philosophy-through-maritain-i-had/) [Gino Severini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-severini/) > [Guarding your heart and protecting your dignity are a little bit more important than clarifying the emotions of someone who's only texting you back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/guarding-your-heart-and-protecting-your-dignity-are-a-little-bit-more-2/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Rather than managing by clarifying events, the creative process may require raising the level of uncertainty. Sometimes this can be done by issuing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/rather-than-managing-by-clarifying-events-the-creative-process-may/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [Not all negativity is bad. In politics, it's a necessary clarifying tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/not-all-negativity-is-bad-in-politics-it-s-a-necessary-clarifying-tool/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [It's better for me to go up against someone's passion with my passion and then clarifying something that he wrote. Then I know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-marshall/it-s-better-for-me-to-go-up-against-someone-s-passion-with-my-passion/) [Penny Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-marshall/) > [Pretend to be a delinquent?" I asked clarifying. "You can do it," Dave advised me. "Just don't smile, and try to look like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/pretend-to-be-a-delinquent-i-asked-clarifying-you-can-do-it-dave/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Having first rate people on the team is more important than designing hierarchies and clarifying who reports to whom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/having-first-rate-people-on-the-team-is-more-important-than-designing/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Universities are very clarifying places of power, because everyone is focused on trying to figure out exactly what to do with their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/universities-are-very-clarifying-places-of-power-because-everyone-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Matisse makes a drawing, then he makes a copy of it. He copies it five times, ten times, always clarifying the line. He’s convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/matisse-makes-a-drawing-then-he-makes-a-copy-of-it-he-copies-it-five/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) Browse all 45 Clarifying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When humor works, it works because it's clarifying what people already feel. 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