Daily Inspiration Quote by Russell Baker

A warning label for the humorless: Baker frames poetry not as sacred scripture but as a mischievous substance that might corrode your prized seriousness. The line is funny because it borrows the language of public safety and slaps it onto something culturally coded as “refined.” By treating solemnity like a fragile possession that needs protection, he punctures the American habit of mistaking gravity for intelligence and gloom for depth.

Baker’s intent is partly defensive and partly aggressive. Defensive, because light verse and comic writing have long been treated as minor leagues compared with “important” literature. He preempts the snobs: if you’re coming in with a furrowed brow and a credentialed sense of what art is allowed to do, consider yourself warned. Aggressive, because he’s not merely asking permission to be playful; he’s implying that solemnity is the real hazard, a kind of emotional stiffness that can make readers miss what’s alive on the page.

The subtext is classic Baker: a journalist’s skepticism toward pomp, whether it’s political, cultural, or literary. As a columnist, he made a career out of noticing how official language tries to anesthetize people, and how comedy can restore sensation. “Hazardous” suggests risk, and that’s the bet: that laughter can be destabilizing, even a little humiliating, to those invested in being seen as serious. The joke lands because it’s also true: humor doesn’t just entertain; it rearranges status.