To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.

The three “bones” form a memorable triad: a wishbone suggests hope, aspiration, and the ability to imagine a better future; a backbone stands for grit, integrity, and the courage to persist; and a funnybone emphasizes humor as a coping skill and social lubricant. The quote implies that success is not only ambition plus discipline, but also emotional resilience—being able to laugh, stay humble, and recover from setbacks. Its folksy anatomy metaphor makes the advice feel practical and approachable, aligning success with character traits rather than status or luck, and framing humor as a serious strength rather than a distraction.