Happiness Quote by Felicity Kendal

Kendal sneaks a serious relationship thesis into a breezy, backstage-friendly line. By defining compatibility as “a sense of humour,” she demotes the usual checklists - status, taste, even shared goals - and elevates something less measurable but more revealing: how two people metabolize life together in real time. “Being able to laugh together” isn’t about telling jokes; it’s about shared timing, the same instinct for what’s absurd, and the safety to be slightly ridiculous without punishment. That’s why it works. Laughter is a social stress test disguised as play.

The subtext is pragmatic, almost professional. An actress lives by timing, listening, rhythm, and the ability to pivot when a scene changes. Offstage, humour functions similarly: it’s a rehearsal for conflict. Couples who can laugh are often couples who can repair. A joke can be an apology with the corners sanded down; a shared laugh can pull you back from the brink of taking yourself (or your partner) as a fixed identity rather than a messy work-in-progress.

Kendal’s “for me” matters, too. It’s a soft qualifier that signals earned perspective rather than a lecture. Coming from someone whose career is built on chemistry - that mysterious audience-detectable charge between people - she’s translating a performance truth into a private one. Compatibility, in her framing, isn’t a static match; it’s a live, ongoing improvisation, and humour is the cue that keeps you in the same scene.