Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome’s greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity’s funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him “the stand-up Consul.” How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero’s essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience. As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn’t always clear. Cross it and you’ll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes—while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian’s The Education of the Orator, complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes. Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.
When E. B. White said “analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog; few people are interested and the frog dies,” he hadn’t seen Al Gini’s hilarious, incisive, and informative take on jokes, joke-telling, and the jokers who tell jokes. For Gini, humor is more than just foolish fun: it serves as a safety valve for dealing with reality that gives us the courage to endure that which we cannot understand or avoid. Not everyone tells jokes. Not everyone gets a joke, even a good one. But, Gini argues, joke-telling can act as both a sword and a shield to defend us from reality. As the late, great stand-up comic Joan Rivers put it: ‘If you can laugh at it, you can live with it!’ This book is for anyone who enjoys a good laugh, but also wants to know why.
One of America's preeminent psychiatrists draws on his famous Study of Adult Development to give us an exhilarating look at how the mind's defenses work. What we see as the mind's trickery, George Vaillant tells us, is actually healthy. What's more, it can reveal the mind at its most creative and mature, soothing and protecting us in the face of unbearable reality, managing the unmanageable, ordering disorder. And because creativity is so intrinsic to this alchemy of the ego, Vaillant mingles his studies of obscure lives with psychobiographies of famous artists and others--including Florence Nightingale, Sylvia Plath, Anna Freud, and Eugene O'Neill.
Two rival businessmen meet in the Warsaw train station. "Where are you going?" says the first man. "To Minsk," says the second. "To Minsk, eh? What a nerve you have! I know you're telling me you're going to Minsk because you want me to think that you're really going to Pinsk. But it so happens that I know you really are going to Minsk. So why are you lying to me?" Four men are walking in the desert. The German says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have a beer." The Italian says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have wine." The Mexican says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have tequila." The Jew says, "I'm tired and thirsty. I must have diabetes."
This is a fascinating and beautifully written book on what philosophy can tell us about humour and about what it is to be human. It will fascinate and intrigue anyone with a sense of humour.
Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze! Discover more than 800 silly jokes for kids in this hilarious kids joke book Reading jokes can tickle your funny bone AND help boost reading skills. The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids is chock-full of knock-knock jokes, riddles, tongue twisters, and puns you can share with your friends and family for hours and hours of laughing! Funny facts and illustrations—Find some very silly illustrations that match the jokes, and fun trivia about the joke topics—did you know that elephants can't jump? Beginner joke-writing tips—This joke book for kids explains how setups and punchlines works and includes tips and exercises to help you write your own jokes. Take jokes anywhere—Bring this book on road trips, plane trips, and more so you can have fun everywhere you go. Give the gift of laughter—Whether it's a birthday gift, a stocking stuffer, an Easter basket stuffer, or a present for any occasion, this book makes an educational and hilarious gift for every kid who loves to laugh! The perfect joke book for kids of all ages, The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids promises to keep the young readers entertained and amused.
As powerful as jokes can be, they are also extremely dangerous. It's not always easy to tell the difference between a witty joke and an offensive one. If you cross it, you'll look like a clown, if not worse. Secrets to Telling a Great Joke can be found here. investigate every aspect of telling jokes--while avoiding costly errors Secrets to Telling a Great Joke delves into the risks and rewards of humor, as well as the basic types that readers can use to start writing their own humor. filled with wisdom Anyone taking an interest in humor or the art of speaking in public will enjoy How to Tell a Joke. Click the BUY button at the top of the page.