The satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive and eventually releases him again for another chance.

A humorist is a person who feels bad, but who feels good about it.

Wit - the salt with which the American humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out.

I'm a classic example of all humorists - only funny when I'm working.

Humor has to surprise us; otherwise, it isn't funny. It's a death knell for a writer to be labeled a humorist because then it's not a surprise anymore.

"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. To quote the American humorist Kin Hubbard, 'It ain't no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be.' It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: 'if you're so smart, why ain't you rich?' There will also be an American flag no larger than a child's hand ? glued to a lollipop stick and flying from the cash register.

The wit makes fun of other persons the satirist makes fun of the world the humorist makes fun of himself but in so doing he identifies himself with people - that is people everywhere not for the purpose of taking them apart but simply revealing their true nature.

The satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive and eventually releases him again for another chance.

Wit - the salt with which the American humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out.

No humorist is under any obligation to provide answers and probably if you were to delve into the literary history of humour it's probably all about not providing answers because the humorist essentially says: this is the way things are.

A humorist is a person who feels bad but who feels good about it.