Never laugh at live dragons. — J.R.R. Tolkien

Never laugh at live dragons.

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Insight: This feels like obvious advice until you realize how often we do exactly that. We mock what we don't understand or what makes us uncomfortable. We laugh at the person whose ambitions seem too big, the colleague taking a real risk, the friend pursuing something unconventional. We treat their "dragon" as harmless because we've never seen it breathe fire. The thing about live dragons is they're unpredictable. They're not museum pieces or historical cautionary tales—they're active, powerful, and capable of harm. When you laugh at someone's genuine passion or commitment, you're betting you know better than they do. You're also creating distance right when connection might matter most. The person with the dragon either doubles down on proving you wrong, or they retreat and stop sharing vulnerable things with you. What's interesting is that this cuts both ways. It's not just about respecting other people's dragons. It's about protecting your own. If you're afraid to pursue something real because you're worried about being laughed at, that's a dragon too—and letting other people's mockery stop you from living fully is its own kind of tragedy.

Source: The Hobbit, Chapter 6, 1937