From the Introduction
My qualifications to write books on humor began at age eighteen when I started serving my electrical apprenticeship under several Irish electricians on the railroad. How's that for a good start! Humor is the great equalizer. When you make someone laugh, you make them feel good. When they feel good around you, they tend to feel good about you. A good sense of humor is essential to deal with the world's reality. I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

We have a signboard in front of our office that has the quips we post each week. Quips which have poked fun at practically everyone and everything. Popular topics such as taxes, lawyers, marriage, and kids have dominated our signboard over the years. As the neighbors walk or drive by our office on their way to the post office next door they always pause to read our signboard which brings a smile. We feel that we have contributed a small but important element in helping them cope with the frantic pace at which things move today. Humor is a valuable commodity in today's everchanging world.

Jokes are no laughing matter to the brain. They are a type of release valve that enables us to think the unthinkable, accept the unacceptable, discover new relationships, adjust better, and maintain our mental health. They are also funny. Without them we probably would be a dull, dim-witted society, trapped in a harsh world too serious to bear.

People say, "One day we'll look back on this and laugh." I say, "Why wait?"

I have a sense of humor and a sense for humor. I like joy; I want to be joyous, I want people to smile, and I want to make people laugh, that's what I want.