A jest's prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it, never in the tongue of him that makes it.

This line is spoken by the clownish Touchstone in Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy *As You Like It*. Touchstone is reflecting on wit, mockery, and the social risks of “jesting” in a courtly world where words can offend as easily as they can amuse. In the play’s early court scenes, he often comments on how language functions—who controls meaning, how status shapes reception, and how easily a joke can be misread. The remark comes amid his broader observations about the relativity of judgment and the way listeners, not speakers, ultimately determine whether speech is taken as clever, harmless, or insulting.

The quote argues that the success of a joke depends less on the speaker’s intention than on the audience’s perception. Humor is not a fixed property of the words themselves; it is created (or denied) by the hearer’s temperament, expectations, and social position. Shakespeare uses Touchstone to highlight a larger theme in *As You Like It*: meaning is unstable and contingent, shaped by context and interpretation. The line also carries a cautionary edge—if listeners control a jest’s “prosperity,” then wit is always a gamble, and the jester cannot fully manage how his words will land.