Number seventeen

From Life is a Joke, 100 Life Lessons by John and Gordon Javna.

—70— Thanks, But No Thanks

“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up alone. 

It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel alone.”

—Robin Williams

A young man is walking through the woods, when he comes upon a bunch of old-timers sitting around a campfire. He says hello and they invite him to join the group. After a few moments of silence, one of the old-timers says, “Number seventeen.” They all start laughing. The next guy says, “Number sixty-four,” and again everyone starts laughing.

The young man turns to the old fellow next to him and says, “What’s everybody laughing about?”

The old guy says, “Well, we’ve all known each other for so long that we don’t need to tell our jokes anymore—we just refer to them by a number.”

So when it’s his turn, the young man stands up and says, “Number thirty-three.” Nobody laughs. Embarrassed, the young man sits down and says to the guy next to him, “I don’t get it. Isn’t number thirty-three funny?”

“Yeah,” says the old guy, “but not the way you tell it.”