--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His jest will savour but of shallow wit…" description: "\"His jest will savour but of shallow wit, When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/william-shakespeare-4_jest_his-jest-will-savour-but-of-shallow-wit_817136.jpg" --- # His jest will savour but of shallow wit, When thousands… ![“His jest will savour but of shallow wit, When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/william-shakespeare-4_jest_his-jest-will-savour-but-of-shallow-wit_817136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/william-shakespeare-4_jest_his-jest-will-savour-but-of-shallow-wit_817136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/william-shakespeare-4_jest_his-jest-will-savour-but-of-shallow-wit_817136.jpg) > “His jest will savour but of shallow wit, When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.” [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shallow humor may amuse, but true sorrow outweighs fleeting laughter. **In simple terms:** Superficial jokes can't mask deep pain. Key Takeaway Seek depth over cheap laughs. Themes humor empathy human nature Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grieving families - public speeches - media commentary Key Concepts tragic irony social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance levity with respect? - When is humor appropriate in sorrow? A Different Perspective Humor can still provide relief in grief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jest/) [Jest Savour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jest-savour-334013/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Oath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oath/) [Savour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savour/) [Shallow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallow/) [Shallow Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallow-wit-334011/) [Thousands Weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousands-weep-334012/) [Weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weep/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Wit Thousands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit-thousands-334014/) ## Related quotes > [His jest shall savour but a shallow wit, when thousands more weep than did laugh it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/his-jest-shall-savour-but-a-shallow-wit-when-thousands-more-weep-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile; Filths savour but themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/wisdom-and-goodness-to-the-vile-seem-vile-filths-savour-but-themselves/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Great men may jest with saints; 'tis wit in them; But, in the less foul profanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/great-men-may-jest-with-saints-tis-wit-in-them-but-in-the-less-foul/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In jest, there is truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-jest-there-is-truth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A jest's prosperity lies in the ear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-jest-s-prosperity-lies-in-the-ear/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O jest unseen, inscrutable, invisible, As a nose on a man's face, or a weathercock on a steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-jest-unseen-inscrutable-invisible-as-a-nose-on-a-man-s-face-or-a-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A jest's prosperity lies in the ear Of him that hears it, never in the tongue Of him that makes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-jest-s-prosperity-lies-in-the-ear-of-him-that-hears-it-never-in-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Many a true word hath been spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/many-a-true-word-hath-been-spoken-in-jest/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Alas, poor Yorick! 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Hit's God's will for us to be good and do good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-ann-burns/they-s-a-heap-more-to-god-s-will-than-death-disapoint-ment-and-like/) [Olive Ann Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-ann-burns/) > [I say that in jest a little bit, but Donald Trump is a blue collar guy with a balance sheet. That's the way he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump-jr/i-say-that-in-jest-a-little-bit-but-donald-trump-is-a-blue-collar-guy/) [Donald Trump, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump-jr/) > [“...life is one big jest at the expense of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petina-gappah/life-is-one-big-jest-at-the-expense-of-humanity/) [Petina Gappah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petina-gappah/) > [“Z morderstwem jest jak z życiem; i jedno, i drugie jest nieprzewidywalne.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-beckett/z-morderstwem-jest-jak-z-yciem-i-jedno-i-drugie-jest-nieprzewidywalne/) [Simon Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-beckett/) > [It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that-alone-make-this-world/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [A prison! heav'ns, I loath the hated name, Famine's metropolis, the sink of shame, A nauseous sepulchre, whose craving womb Hourly inters poor mortals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/a-prison-heav-ns-i-loath-the-hated-name-famine-s-metropolis-the-sink/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [There's many a true word spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“Know, O beloved, that man was not created in jest or at random, but marvellously made and for some great end. 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