
“Farce may often border on tragedy; indeed, farce is nearer tragedy in its essence than comedy is.”
20 August 1833
Table Talk (1821–1834)
Letter 123 To Robert Jephson (13 July 1777)
“Farce may often border on tragedy; indeed, farce is nearer tragedy in its essence than comedy is.”
20 August 1833
Table Talk (1821–1834)
Summations, Chapter 61
Context: The mother may suffer the child to fall sometimes, and to be hurt in diverse manners for its own profit, but she may never suffer that any manner of peril come to the child, for love. And though our earthly mother may suffer her child to perish, our heavenly Mother, Jesus, may not suffer us that are His children to perish: for He is All-mighty, All-wisdom, and All-love; and so is none but He, — blessed may He be!
“War, no matter what our intentions may be, brings suffering and tragedy.”
Obama raises human rights in Vietnam, calls for 'peaceful resolution' of South China Sea disputes http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/24/politics/obama-vietnam-south-china-sea/, CNN (24 May 2016)
2016
Source: "Turning Loss into Beauty: The Tragedies of Geling Yan" in The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB930264290705115630 (25 June 1999)
The 2,000 Year Old Man (and sequels)
Variant: Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.
“It's so laughable that it's somewhere beyond comedy and right into tragedy again.”