“In general, the straight line of a joke sets up a premise, an expectation. Then the funny ending – the punch line – in a sense contradicts the original assumption by refusing […]
Steve Allen Defines What is Funny
John Wayne on Life’s Gray Areas
“If everything isn’t black and white, I say, ‘Why the hell not?’” — John Wayne
Learning By Peeing On An Electric Fence
“There are three kinds of men: the ones that learn by readin’, the few who learn by observation; the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.” — […]
Politics Makes Estranged Bedfellows
Kansas City native and humorist Goodman Ace summed up the divisiveness of certain types of discussion when he observed, “Politics makes estranged bedfellows.”
Political Power Increases But Rarely Lessens
George Bryan and John Smilie published a series of eight articles signed by “An Old Whig” from October 1787 to February 1788, expressing concern about the ratification of the newly-drafted Constitution of […]
Lucy’s Advice for Staying Young
“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” — Lucille Ball
Erma Bombeck on Marriage and Parenting
“It seems I have spent a lifetime of mouthing mechanically, ‘Say thank you. Sit up straight. Use your napkin. Close your mouth when you chew. Don’t lean back in your chair.’ Just […]
Mark Twain on Entitlement
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” — Mark Twain
Progress and the Unreasonable Man
Lucy’s Quest For Wisdom
Fairies Intervene to Keep Churchill Humble
“When Winston [Churchill] was born, lots of fairies swooped down on his cradle with gifts–imagination, eloquence, industry, ability–and then came a fairy who said ‘No one person has a right to so […]
Politics: The Groucho Marx Way
Lincoln’s Advice About Law and Life
Government, Luck, and Fools
“A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.” — P.J. O’Rourke
Avoid Shadows and Face the Sun
For a woman who spent her life without the ability to see, Helen Keller had a profound way of expressing the appropriate outlook on life. “When you face the sun,” she said, […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 