Of course, the laughter of the book of Proverbs goes deeper than a good joke or a witty reply.

BBC: Archbishop's sermon in full

Mr Friedman's opponents dismiss his campaign as a joke and whisper that he is running only to provide material for another bestselling book.

ECONOMIST: A joke-spinning candidate with serious consequences

But Gates shares Buffett's interest in the media world and even likes to joke that he has created a digital encyclopedia called Encarta that now outsells World Book, which is controlled by Buffett.

CNN: In Search Of The Real Bill Gates

Stephen King, with his book and then screenplay, helped make pet cemeteries a pop culture horror joke.

FORBES: The Loved One