Perhaps nothing is more annoying than human stupidity. But there is an antidote for it — humor.
“I perfectly understand that I would not have been able to withstand the overwhelming stupidity that I constantly encounter if it were not for this great thought. Knowing that it is more than one thousand years old makes life more fun: it means that the main stupidities did not occur in 1917 and not 2000 years ago, but much earlier. And will continue to happen in the future. For stupidity is boundless in time and space. It is not worth wasting the precious matter of life on worries about this. It is much more important to constantly develop a sense of humor in yourself. In order not to seethe indignant mind, listen to the music of Haydn and Prokofiev, read Erasmus of Rotterdam and Shakespeare, enjoy Pushkin’s burning verbs, laugh at fears and rejoice at the immortal clarity of the creators. I am sure that no idea has the right to exist if it is impossible to laugh at it painlessly. A person has no other choice, because a sense of humor is the only alternative to stupidity.
* It is believed that this phrase belongs to one of the ancient Greek philosophers.