Skip to main content

Daily Inspiration Quote by Wavy Gravy

"Keep your sense of humor, my friend; if you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny anymore"

About this Quote

Wavy Gravy’s line lands like a friendly nudge and a dare: if you can’t laugh, you’re not just missing the joke - you’re missing the point of the whole circus. Coming from an activist whose public persona is inseparable from clowning, the “my friend” isn’t decoration. It’s a movement-building tactic, a way of lowering defenses so the message can slip past cynicism and into the nervous system.

The twist is in the logic: “if you don’t have a sense of humor it just isn’t funny anymore.” On its face it’s tautological, almost childlike, but that’s the mask. The subtext is about power. Humor is portrayed as a renewable resource that keeps the world legible when institutions, violence, or hypocrisy turn surreal. Lose it, and the absurdity doesn’t disappear; it curdles into despair, paranoia, or numb outrage. The same reality, without the release valve, becomes unlivable.

Context matters: Wavy Gravy comes out of counterculture activism where theater and protest were braided together - a tradition that treats laughter as both shield and spotlight. Jokes aren’t escapism here; they’re a discipline. They keep your ego from becoming a miniature authoritarian, keep your politics from becoming a purity contest, keep your stamina intact when the news cycle is designed to exhaust you. It’s a reminder that seriousness isn’t the same as effectiveness, and that joy can be a form of resistance with better longevity than rage.

Quote Details

TopicWitty One-Liners
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Gravy, Wavy. (2026, January 15). Keep your sense of humor, my friend; if you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny anymore. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/keep-your-sense-of-humor-my-friend-if-you-dont-157561/

Chicago Style
Gravy, Wavy. "Keep your sense of humor, my friend; if you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny anymore." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/keep-your-sense-of-humor-my-friend-if-you-dont-157561/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Keep your sense of humor, my friend; if you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny anymore." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/keep-your-sense-of-humor-my-friend-if-you-dont-157561/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Wavy Add to List
Keep Your Sense of Humor - Wavy Gravy
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

USA Flag

Wavy Gravy (born May 15, 1936) is a Activist from USA.

12 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Anthony Hopkins, Actor
Anthony Hopkins
Florenz Ziegfeld, Producer