laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Happiness is contagious, but sadness is isolating
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone” mean?
Happiness is contagious, but sadness is isolating
Is “laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.