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A sense of humor judges one's actions and the actions of others from a wider reference and a longer view and finds them incongruous. It dampens enthusiasm; it mocks hope; it pardons shortcomings; it consoles failure. It recommends moderation.

— Thornton Wilder The Eighth Day (1967)

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More quotes by Thornton Wilder

Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow.

The Matchmaker (1954)

I hold that we cannot be said to be aware of our minds save under responsibility.

The Ides of March (1948)

Wherever you come near the human race there's layers and layers of nonsense.

Our Town (1938)

Love is an energy which exists of itself. It is its own value.

Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you. ...Do human beings ever realize life while they live it? — Every, every minute?

Our Town (1938)

All Thornton Wilder quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Thornton Wilder (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.