Laughter is the most revolutionary emotion because it is free. It is the only emotion that is free. Fear can be compelled. Even love can be compelled. But laughter is an 'aha' of understanding — it's an orgasm of the mind.
Gloria Steinem
Bennington College Commencement 2015, 2015
Video starts at 29:03 — the moment this quote was spoken
The Story Behind This Quote
In her David Letterman-inspired 'Top Ten' list of life advice, Steinem argued that laughter occupies a unique position among human emotions. Fear can be forced upon us through threats and violence. Even love can be manufactured through isolation and dependence — the Stockholm Syndrome, she noted, 'happens to men too.' But laughter cannot be coerced. It emerges spontaneously when familiar things combine into something new, which is why it is inherently subversive to any system of control. She cited Einstein, who reportedly had to be careful while shaving because sudden insights would make him laugh and cut himself. Her practical conclusion: 'Do not go anyplace they won't let you laugh. Big, important rule. Including religious places.'