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About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker turns a classic gratitude lesson into a transactional joke about shoes.
In plain terms
He felt better seeing someone worse off, then asked for their unused shoes.
What can you take from it?
Gratitude can coexist with opportunism.

Where it applies

  • reflection on privilege
  • social comparison
  • joking

Putting it to work

  • compare situations to gain perspective
  • use humor to cope

Questions to consider

  • How does perspective change gratitude?
  • Can humor diminish serious lessons?

Another view

The punchline undermines the moral lesson of the original story.

More from Steven Wright

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  2. I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.

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  3. I was once arrested for walking in someone else's sleep.

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