Comedy, we may say, is society protecting i. - J. B. Priestley quotes fridge magnet, Black

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John Boynton Priestley, OM (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984), known by his pen name J.B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright, scriptwriter, social commentator and broadcaster. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

To show a child what once delighted you, to find the child's delight added to your own - this is happiness. J. B. Priestley Before we could communicate verbally, we had to communicate with our faces,” Martinez says. “Which brings us to a very interesting, very fundamental question in science: where does language come from?” One of the hypotheses is that it evolved through the facial expression of emotion, he says. “First we learned to move our facial muscles – ‘I’m happy. I feel positive with you! I’m angry. I feel disgust.’” Then a grammar of facial expressions developed, and over time that evolved into what we call language. So when we wonder how something as complex as language evolved from nothingness, the answer is it almost certainly started with a smile. While losing a smile is a serious blow at any age, it can have a particular impact on younger people who are forming the bonds that will carry them through the rest of their lives – or trying to. “It’s a huge problem,” says Tami Konieczny, supervisor of occupational therapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “When you look at somebody, the first thing you see is their face, their ability to smile or not smile, or an asymmetrical smile. It’s your social world. If someone can’t read your facial expressions, then it’s difficult to be socially accepted. It’s hugely devastating for kids. I had kids Photoshopping their pictures. They are taking mirror images of their good side and copying it, Photoshopping their own pictures before posting them to social media.” The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?

I know only two words of American slang, 'swell' and 'lousy'. I think 'swell' is lousy, but 'lousy' is swell. J. B. Priestley For those focused on personal growth and well-being, our health and wellness quotes offer guidance on self-care, mental resilience, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle. We recognize the importance of nurturing your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and our carefully selected quotes aim to empower you on your wellness journey. In plain words: now that Britain has told the world that she has the H-Bomb she should announce as early as possible that she has done with it, that she proposes to reject in all circumstances nuclear warfare. J. B. Priestley A novelist who writes nothing for 10 years finds his reputation rising. Because I keep on producing books they say there must be something wrong with this fellow. J. B. Priestley Scientists have shown that smiles are far easier to recognise than other expressions. What they don’t know is why. “We can do really well recognising smiles,” says Aleix Martinez, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Ohio State University. “Why is that true? Nobody can answer that right now. We don’t know. We really do not know. We have a classical experiment, where we showed images of facial expressions to people, but we showed them very rapidly… 10 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds. I can show you an image for just 10 milliseconds and you can tell me it’s a smile. It does not work with any other expression.”

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”There are plenty of clever young writers. But there is too much genius, not enough talent. J. B. Priestley The father of modern plastic surgery, Harold Gillies, reported in 1934 that restoring the ability to smile made patients’ faces “feel much more comfortable”. In addition, Gillies observed, “The psychological effect is also one of considerable value.” On the interpretive side, Charles Darwin discusses the meaning and value of smiles in his 1872 landmark study The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Like many, Darwin sees a smile as the first part of a continuum. If you're looking for a daily dose of inspiration or searching for the perfect quote to share with friends and family, RareQuote has you covered. With categories ranging from business and leadership to health and wellness, our quotes are tailored to meet the unique needs of anyone seeking to improve their life. A smile, therefore, may be said to be the first stage in the development of a laugh,” he writes, then reverses course, musing that perhaps the smile is instead the remnant of laughter. Scientists have shown that smiles are far easier to recognise than other expressions. What they don’t know is why He observes his own infants closely, detecting in two their first smiles at six weeks, and earlier in the third. He comments how smiles do more than merely convey happiness, mentioning the “derisive or sardonic smile” and the “unnatural or false smile”, and showing photos to see if his associates can read what they mean.

Even before the pandemic, our daily communications involved a complex mixture of authentic and fake smiles. Now that many of us are wearing face masks in public, how does it influence our communication of emotion? If we openly declare what is wrong with us, what is our deepest need, then perhaps the death and despair will by degrees disappear. J. B. Priestley If you're an entrepreneur or aspiring business professional, our business and leadership quotes will provide you with valuable insights, strategic thinking, and the inspiration needed to excel in your career. We believe that the right words have the ability to ignite innovation, foster growth, and cultivate a positive mindset essential for achieving success. The real lost souls don’t wear their hair long and play guitars. They have crew cuts and trained minds, sign on for research in biological warfare, and don’t give their parents a moment’s worry.”We complain and complain, but we have lived and seen the blossom -apple, pear, cherry, plum, almond blossom – in the sun; and the best among us cannot pretend they deserve – or could contrive – anything better.” There is exactly one smile in the Old Testament – Job, ironically, in the book of suffering – though in many passages faces are said to “shine”, which could mean smiling or could mean heavenly radiance. Eastern religions, however, often use the smile to denote enlightenment. The Buddha and various religious figures were depicted with serene smiles, though the original Buddhist texts are as devoid of smiling as scripture. Jesus weeps but never smiles. If you are a genius, you’ll make your own rules, but if not – and the odds are against it – go to your desk no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper – write.” Our trouble is that we drink too much tea. I see in this the slow revenge of the Orient, which has diverted the Yellow River down our throats. J. B. Priestley

It’s one of the most fundamental things that humans do. Smile. Newborns can manage it spontaneously, as a reflex, and this is sometimes misinterpreted by new parents as a reaction to their presence, although it’s not until six to eight weeks of age that babies smile in a social way. That new parents optimistically interpret the first reflex smiles reflects the complexity of smiling: there is the physical act and then the interpretation society gives to it – the smile and what the smile means. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior questioned thousands of people in 44 cultures about sets of photographs of eight faces – four smiling, four not. Most people deemed the smiling faces to be more honest than the non-smiling ones. This difference was huge in some countries, such as Switzerland, Australia and the Philippines, but small in others, such as Pakistan, Russia and France. In a few countries, such as Iran, India and Zimbabwe, there was no trustworthy benefit to smiling at all. The researchers concluded that where trust was low, smiling was less likely to influence the respondent. “Greater corruption levels decreased trust granted toward smiling individuals,” the authors concluded. If anything it could arouse suspicions. I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. J. B. PriestleyI have lived longer than you. I have thought more, and I have suffered more. And I tell you there is more truth to the fundamental nature of things in the most foolish fairy tales than there is in any of your complaints against life. J. B. Priestley We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.” Living in an age of advertisement, we are perpetually disillusioned. The perfect life is spread before us every day, but it changes and withers at a touch. J. B. Priestley