“A man without mirth is like a wagon without springs, in which one is caused to jolt disagreeably by every pebble over which it runs.”. Henry Ward Beecher, clergyman and abolitionist. (quoted in the Montreal Gazette)

My comment: Hard as it surely is to keep a sense of humor in these rather grim and hate-filled times, it becomes ever more important to keep a sense of humor and be able to laugh, even as you witness the renewed rise of a fascist and ill-informed spirit.

I don’t recall any account of the humor of Epicurus – his teachings have been recorded in a bit of a dour manner. But the best way of getting over a set of ideas is to get an audience to chuckle with you as you speak. Laughter is endearing, and I bet Epicurus knew it, even if the scribes and witnesses failed to record it on parchment.