Quotations with a sense of humor: witty words from great figures that make you chuckle.

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

Things that give us the strength to keep going, things that help us get back up when we’ve stumbled.

When we think of famous quotes, we often imagine powerful, rousing words like these—but some are full of humor, too.

In this article, we’ll introduce memorable quotes with a sense of humor.

Because they come from great figures who have experienced the bitter and the sweet of life, these amusing words can give you courage and lift your spirits in a way that’s different from straightforward pep talks.

If you want a little laugh and a boost of energy, be sure to check them out!

Witty Quotes: Chuckle-Worthy Words from Great Figures (21–30)

People tell their secrets to their friends, but those friends have friends too.Leo Tolstoy

Even those whom we trust as friends do not spend all their time with us alone; they also spend time with others.

These words by the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy prompt us to think about such interpersonal dynamics and the risks involved in sharing secrets.

A friend to whom we confide a secret may have another friend they trust, and sharing a secret with someone means it may spread from there.

Perhaps the ones we can trust even with the possibility of a secret spreading are the ones who deserve to be called true friends.

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kappamaki

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There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook but doesn’t: a wife who can’t cook but does.Robert Frost

Robert Frost, who thrived as a poet in the United States, was also noted for addressing social and philosophical themes.

Here is a remark left by that great, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet—words that sound like venting pent-up frustration.

He says he resents people who can cook but won’t, and even more than that, he resents those who can’t cook yet try to do it anyway.

It conveys not just irritation but a sense of fear—that when someone without the necessary ability forces their way forward, they may cause irreparable failure.

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kappamaki

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Witty quotes: chuckle-worthy words from great figures (31–40)

People marry for the wrong reasons and divorce for the right ones.Michiko Miyamoto

Here’s a wry take on the truth of marriage and divorce.

As a nonfiction writer who has penned many books about her own experiences and about dieting, Michiko Miyamoto may have struck a chord with some readers through these words.

Just as they say love is blind, some marriages entered in a state of elation may indeed be the result of mistaken choices.

By contrast, at the stage of divorce—when one can see things more calmly—people make the decision to divorce after presenting clear reasons.

It may sound unromantic, but it’s a deftly phrased observation about marriage and divorce.

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SAKI

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Politicians don’t even believe what they themselves are saying, so they’re surprised when others believe them.Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle, former President of France, founder of Free France, and a hero of World War II.

Here is a quote from him that makes you involuntarily go, “Huh?” Don’t politicians show us the path they believe in, or at least the path that’s feasible? you might think.

But perhaps even great people speak their ambitions out loud simply to spur themselves on.

Why not try speaking your dreams and goals in front of others first—and turn that into confidence?

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sasashina