---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever I read stories of people doing…"
description: "\"Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time on their hands.' Besides, I don't want to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg"
---

#  Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on…

![“Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time on their hands.' Besides, I don't want to make some poor assistant clean up someone's trailer after I've filled it with, say, Cadbury eggs. See? I can't even think of a good prank.” quote by Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg)

> “Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time on their hands.' Besides, I don't want to make some poor assistant clean up someone's trailer after I've filled it with, say, Cadbury eggs. See? I can't even think of a good prank.”

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pranks require time and resources; excessive frivolity can be wasteful and disruptive.

**In simple terms:** Pranks need time and can be wasteful.

Key Takeaway

Balance humor with responsibility.

Themes

humor workplace boundaries

Mood

playful reflective

Type

comedic cautionary

When to use this quote

- team building
- production sets
- office culture

Key Concepts

social dynamics creative expression

Questions to Reflect On

- When is a prank appropriate at work?
- How do you ensure jokes don’t cross a line?

A Different Perspective

Pranks may harm relationships or safety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assistants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistants/) [Cadbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cadbury-26405/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Eggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eggs/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Prank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-prank-523612/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge/) [Huge Pranks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-pranks-2598161/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Prank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prank/) [Pranks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pranks/) [Pranks Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pranks-set-2598160/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Trailers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trailers/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [ Mac \[Barnett\] and I prank each other during our presentation. We show baby pictures of each other looking completely ridiculous. I can't believe the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jory-john/mac-barnett-and-i-prank-each-other-during-our-presentation-we-show/)

[Jory John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jory-john/)

> [Not only is a good prank harmless, but, like a good story, it reveals an essential truth that would otherwise be hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-barnett/not-only-is-a-good-prank-harmless-but-like-a-good-story-it-reveals-an/)

[Mac Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-barnett/)

> [Of course God enjoys a good prank as much as the next infallible deity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/of-course-god-enjoys-a-good-prank-as-much-as-the-next-infallible-deity/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [You know me...I can't resist a good prank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/you-know-me-i-can-t-resist-a-good-prank/)

[Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/)

> [I sometimes have birthday parties for the kids in my neighborhood and then pretend to suggest that I am going to molest them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-sometimes-have-birthday-parties-for-the-kids-in-my-neighborhood-and/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [One of the first TV shows that I did was this prank show. And we did a prank where we took a Michael Jackson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-huebel/one-of-the-first-tv-shows-that-i-did-was-this-prank-show-and-we-did-a/)

[Rob Huebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-huebel/)

> [When I was a kid, among the other embarrassing things I would do, and there's a list of stupid things, but I would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/when-i-was-a-kid-among-the-other-embarrassing-things-i-would-do-and/)

[J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/)

> [Think about it. These guys have far more reasons to pull a prank on Doug than they do me. I kind of wished we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-jones-gunn/think-about-it-these-guys-have-far-more-reasons-to-pull-a-prank-on/)

[Robin Jones Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-jones-gunn/)

> [ Mac \[Barnett \] and I have been friends for more than ten years. We met working at an educational nonprofit. And we have been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jory-john/mac-barnett-and-i-have-been-friends-for-more-than-ten-years-we-met/)

[Jory John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jory-john/)

> [My parents both had a great sense of humor, and always laughed a lot. One night, when they were watching 'Candid Camera,' I finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/my-parents-both-had-a-great-sense-of-humor-and-always-laughed-a-lot/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [We're barely a prank show, in my opinion. We don't consider it that, we don't call our stuff pranks. The challenges that we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-gatto/we-re-barely-a-prank-show-in-my-opinion-we-don-t-consider-it-that-we/)

[Joe Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-gatto/)

> [Nobody pulls a prank like George Clooney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kendrick/nobody-pulls-a-prank-like-george-clooney/)

[Anna Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kendrick/)

> [She's just playing a trick on us. This is just an Alaska Young Prank Extraordinaire. It's Alaska being Alaska, funny and playful and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-s-just-playing-a-trick-on-us-this-is-just-an-alaska-young-prank/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [If you start a chocolate company, you can't compete with Cadbury in the first ten years because they are a big company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamim-iqbal/if-you-start-a-chocolate-company-you-can-t-compete-with-cadbury-in/)

[Tamim Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamim-iqbal/)

> [I fed my Yak on my spare Cadbury chocolate 21,0000ft up Everest. It was a blonde, very sweet female Yak. I made it my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-fed-my-yak-on-my-spare-cadbury-chocolate-21-0000ft-up-everest-it/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

## More by Amy Poehler

> [When youre a stay-at-home mother you have to pretend its really boring, but its not. Its enriching and fulfilling, and an amazing experience. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/when-youre-a-stay-at-home-mother-you-have-to-pretend-its-really/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [I hope and assume that every good comedy writer, no matter the age, has a moment where they discover how great Cheers is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-hope-and-assume-that-every-good-comedy-writer-no-matter-the-age-has/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [I also think if you're an actor and you can improvise, when you go on an audition and you can improvise you're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-also-think-if-you-re-an-actor-and-you-can-improvise-when-you-go-on/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [It seems a strange thing, but once I was able to get past that kind of self-image problem, I was able to open up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/it-seems-a-strange-thing-but-once-i-was-able-to-get-past-that-kind-of/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [Sleep can completely change your entire outlook on life. One good night's sleep can help you realize that you shouldn't break up with someone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/sleep-can-completely-change-your-entire-outlook-on-life-one-good/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [Career is the stringing together of opportunities and jobs. Mix in public opinion and past regrets. Add a dash of future panic and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/career-is-the-stringing-together-of-opportunities-and-jobs-mix-in/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/as-you-navigate-through-the-rest-of-your-life-be-open-to/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [I like hard work and I don’t like pretending things are perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-like-hard-work-and-i-don-t-like-pretending-things-are-perfect/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [The pressure of 'what are you going to do?' makes everyone feel like they haven't done anything yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/the-pressure-of-what-are-you-going-to-do-makes-everyone-feel-like/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [I ate two waffles, a banana and cereal with blueberries. And that whas between my two breakfasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-ate-two-waffles-a-banana-and-cereal-with-blueberries-and-that-whas/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [ “\[On getting older\]: You can witness young people embarrassing themselves and get a thrill--that it's not you. You can watch them throw around their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/on-getting-older-you-can-witness-young-people-embarrassing-themselves/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [Too often we women try to tackle chaos that is not ours to fix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/too-often-we-women-try-to-tackle-chaos-that-is-not-ours-to-fix/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/try-to-keep-your-mind-open-to-possibilities-and-your-mouth-closed-on/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [All we do is watch The Wire and go out to dinner with our friends. I wish I could tell you that we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/all-we-do-is-watch-the-wire-and-go-out-to-dinner-with-our-friends-i/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [I have these meetings with really powerful men and they ask me all the time, 'Where are your kids? Are your kids here?' It's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-have-these-meetings-with-really-powerful-men-and-they-ask-me-all/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

[Explore all 296 Amy Poehler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

## More Assistants quotes

> [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/)

[Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/)

> [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/)

[Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/)

> [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/)

[Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/)

> [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/)

[Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/)

> [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/)

[Odilo Globocnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilo-globocnik/)

> [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/)

[Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/)

> [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/)

[Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/)

> [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/)

[C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/)

> [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/)

[John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/)

> [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/)

[Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/)

> [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/)

[Tommy Amaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-amaker/)

> [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

[Browse all 322 Assistants quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assistants/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time on their hands.' Besides, I don't want to make some poor assistant clean up someone's trailer after I've filled it with, say, Cadbury eggs. See? I can't even think of a good prank.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amy Poehler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing-huge-pranks-on-set-all-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assistants"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing-huge-pranks-on-set-all-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/amy-poehler-1084_assistants_whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing_264257.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whenever I read stories of people doing huge pranks on set, all I think is, 'These people have too much time…” — Amy Poehler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Amy Poehler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Whenever I read stories of people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing-huge-pranks-on-set-all-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/whenever-i-read-stories-of-people-doing-huge-pranks-on-set-all-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
