William Taft was a large man who even enjoyed a laugh at his own expense. While visiting Japan, Taft took a rickshaw to the temples high in the mountains. “The road was steep and got steeper,” Taft recalled. “I had one ‘pusher’ in addition to the rickshaw man when I began, another joined when we were halfway up, and it seemed to me that when we struck the last hill, the whole village was engaged in the final push . . . The Japanese gathered in crowds about me, smiling and enjoying the prospect of so much flesh and size.”

Abraham Lincoln often used humor to make a point with folksy tales and bawdy stories. His stories usually poked fun at himself. Lincoln was once called “two-faced” by a rival. Lincoln responded, “If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?”