A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.

In the quiet wisdom of ages, the words of Allen Klein ring like a bell across the centuries: “A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.” At first glance, it may seem a simple observation — gentle, almost domestic — but within it lies a deep and eternal truth about the art of living. For perspective and humor are twin lights that keep the soul from sinking into darkness. One gives distance to pain; the other gives it laughter. Together, they transform hardship into understanding and sorrow into strength.

Klein, known as the “Jollytologist,” was a man who turned grief into grace. After losing his beloved wife to illness, he discovered that laughter could heal wounds that tears could not reach. His words were not born of naivety, but of struggle. He learned that even in life’s darkest corridors, a glimmer of perspective — the ability to step back and see the whole — and a spark of humor — the courage to smile amid ruin — could carry one further than any wealth or wisdom alone. In his own life, humor became both shield and lantern, guiding him through grief toward meaning.

When Klein said “a little perspective”, he spoke to the power of widening the mind. So often, human sorrow grows not from the depth of pain, but from the narrowness of vision. A single setback looms like a mountain when we stand too close; yet from afar, it becomes a mere hill upon the horizon of life. Perspective is the ability to step back and remember that this moment, too, shall pass — that what feels infinite now will one day be a memory, softened by time and understanding.

History, too, bears witness to this truth. Consider Winston Churchill, who during the bleakest nights of war used humor and perspective to steel the hearts of his people. Bombs fell, cities burned, yet he declared, “If you’re going through hell — keep going.” His wit was not flippancy, but faith; his laughter was not denial, but defiance. In that humor was courage — the kind that reminded men and women that despair was not destiny. It was perspective that made him see beyond the smoke of war to the dawn of victory.

The power of humor lies in its ability to reveal truth without cruelty. It lets the spirit breathe when reality feels suffocating. To laugh at one’s own folly is to rise above it; to find mirth amid misfortune is to claim victory over it. Humor is not a retreat from pain — it is a rebellion against it. It says, “You may hurt me, but you cannot define me.” Like perspective, it gives us space — not physical, but spiritual — to endure what must be endured with grace and dignity.

And so, humor and perspective are the twin teachers of resilience. The wise know that to survive life’s storms, one must neither take everything too seriously nor dismiss it too lightly. There is balance in seeing clearly, and mercy in laughing kindly. Without these gifts, the heart hardens; with them, it becomes supple, like bamboo bending in the wind but never breaking. They remind us that life is not a test to be passed, but a song to be sung — sometimes in tears, sometimes in laughter, always in harmony.

So let this teaching be inscribed upon your heart: when the world feels heavy, seek a little perspective, and when your soul feels weary, seek a little humor. Step back, breathe, and smile at the absurdity of being human — for in that smile lies freedom. Learn to laugh gently at your troubles, to see from a higher place, and to walk lightly even when the road is long. For as Allen Klein taught, a little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way — farther, perhaps, than reason or sorrow ever could.