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The Meaning of Life, in 10 Amusing Quotes

In life, it’s natural to win some battles and lose others. But often the hardships that befall us cast a shadow over all the other great things we have going for us. Sometimes all it takes is one bad day — a broken garbage disposal, a frustrating phone call, or a ruined meal — to put us in a foul mood.

In those moments, it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. It’s often only in retrospect that we realize how disproportional our reactions can be — how things that seemed like such a big deal in the moment were really just blips in the long arc of our lives. It’s crucial to remember that so much of our understanding about the meaning of life lies in our attitude toward it.

This is why a healthy sense of humor can be an invaluable tool to help us get through bumpy times and find purpose amid the chaos of the everyday. Sometimes a few funny quotes are just what we need to pick ourselves back up and feel less isolated in our experiences. Here, we’ve rounded up 10 amusing quotes about the meaning of life that remind us not to take the whole thing too seriously.

Do not take life too seriously — you will never get out of it alive.
Elbert Hubbard

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I enjoy life when things are happening. I don't care if it's good things or bad things. That means you're alive. Things are happening.
Joan Rivers

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My favorite thing on this planet to do is to play games. And if you don't enjoy games, then you're really missing the point of what this life is. Honestly, it's important to not take this whole process of life on this planet too seriously.
RuPaul

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Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
George Bernard Shaw

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My mama always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”
Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) in “Forrest Gump”

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I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.
Alice Roosevelt Longworth

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I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.
Ron White

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All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then Success is sure.
Mark Twain

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I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.
Carl Sandburg

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You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Mae West

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Featured image credit: Larry Busacca/ Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

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About the Author
Joyce Chen
Joyce Chen is a writer, editor, and community builder based in Seattle, Washington.
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