“There isn’t a comic in the world that hasn’t come out of tragedy.” – Phyllis Diller, comedian
“Humor… provides perspective, helps people bond, and offers much-needed hope and optimism through levity.” – Grace Rodriguez, writer, consultant, speaker
“If I hadn’t learned to see the folly as well as the tragedy in life, I would have lost my wits long ago. I would have gone mad.” – Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women
“Humor…is coping in a socially responsible way.” – Ossie Davis, actor, director, playwright
“The darker things get, the stronger the humor… And that’s the life force carrying on.” – Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire
“People who become comedians… come from pain, come from conflict.” – Harvey Korman, comedic actor (from the Carol Burnett Show)
“Humor saved my life.” – Tyler Perry, writer and director
“The seed of all comedy comes from dark, negative places… I use finding the funny as a coping skill in life.” – Howie Mandel, from his autobiography Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me
“Humor may be one of our best antidotes to stressful and negative thinking. By seeing the humor in a stressful situation, we may be able to change our response to the stress.” – Kaiser Permanente Newsletter
“Create theater, or live melodrama.” – Caroline Casey, visionary activist
“There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.” – Erma Bombeck, humorist
“Laughter is poison to fear.” – Catlyn Stark, A Game of Thrones by G R R Martin
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – attributed to Plato, philosopher and mathematician, 427-347 B.C.
“Simple punishment doesn’t allow for transformation. Education and restorative justice do.” – Dr. Elaine Leeder, Dean of Social Sciences, Sonoma State University
“When you’re free to write the truth, the truth will write itself.” – Deb Brown, Secretary, Laughing on the Inside, Inc.
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein, actor/playwright
“I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.” – Hillary Clinton