Wit and Brevity in the Art of Storytelling

Wit and Brevity in the Art of Storytelling  

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Researched by Dr Abe V Rotor

     A man parked his bicycle outside a church. He went to a friend’s house and stayed until late, and forgot the bike, and his friend drove him home. The next day he remembered. He assumed that the bicycle had been taken, but was surprised to see it exactly where he had left it. So he went into the church to offer a prayer of thanks. When he came out the bicycle was gone.

x  x  x

     A traveler was walking along the country road when he came across an old man. Addressing him, he asked how long it would take to get to the next village.

     The old man didn’t speak or even glance up traveler, so the traveler went on his way. He had only gone twenty yards further along, however, when the old man called him back. Going back to the old man, the traveler was told that it would take him twenty minutes.
     “Why didn’t you ell me before?” asked the traveler.
     “Because,” replied the old man, “I didn’t know how fast you could walk.

 x  x  x

Two little girls were in danger of being late for school.

     “Let’s stop and pray for God to get us there on time,” said one.
     “No, better than that,” said the other, “let’s run with all our might, and pray while we’re running.”

x  x  x

     A tramp knocked on the door of the inn known as George and the Dragon.  The landlady opened the door, and the tramp asked, "Could you spare a hungry man a bite to eat?" 

     "No!" replied the landlady, slamming the door at his face.

     A few minutes later the tramp knocked again.  The landlady came to the door again. This time the tramp asked, "Could I have a few words with George?"

Acknowledgement with gratitude: Speaker's Encyclopedia of Humor by Jacob M Braude; Internet cartoon characters.