--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think play must have been invented so…" description: "\"I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad thinking about certain things.\" — Audrey Niffenegger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg" --- # I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad… ![“I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad thinking about certain things.” quote by Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg) > “I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad thinking about certain things.” [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Play offers a safe outlet for intense thoughts, preventing mental overload. **In simple terms:** Play helps avoid mental overload. Key Takeaway Use play to process heavy thoughts. Themes creativity mental health play Mood relaxed reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - stress relief - creative brainstorming - team building - therapy - education Key Concepts psychology catharsis imagination Questions to Reflect On - How does play change your perspective on a problem? - When does play become avoidance? A Different Perspective Play may not address underlying issues, only distract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Invented Wouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-wouldn-5998105/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Invented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-invented-6056387/) [Playful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playful/) [Think Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-play/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-certain-275514/) ## Related quotes > [If money was being invented now, it wouldn't be designed to look like cash or credit cards. It would look more like Bitcoin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/if-money-was-being-invented-now-it-wouldn-t-be-designed-to-look-like/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [Normally we think of play as the opposite of work. Work is the thing you have to do, and then there's play, the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/normally-we-think-of-play-as-the-opposite-of-work-work-is-the-thing/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) > [With Brexit and the U.S. election, it's become clear that a lot of people have been thinking a certain way. Nothing has actually changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sim/with-brexit-and-the-u-s-election-it-s-become-clear-that-a-lot-of/) [Oliver Sim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sim/) > [Be patient with yourself. Don't make the loss harder by thinking you should be a certain way, or have bounced back, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/be-patient-with-yourself-don-t-make-the-loss-harder-by-thinking-you/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [Is it because they are so comfortable, they already know what the other is thinking? Or is it because after a certain point, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/is-it-because-they-are-so-comfortable-they-already-know-what-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“We also have to be particularly wary of imaginative thought processes for we can very easily create things and ideas in our minds that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-goedken/we-also-have-to-be-particularly-wary-of-imaginative-thought-processes/) [Brian Goedken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-goedken/) > [I actually think I play better now than I've ever played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-summers/i-actually-think-i-play-better-now-than-i-ve-ever-played/) [Andy Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-summers/) > [I think you have to play your own game and sometimes people don't realise that the play-maker runs the most kilometres on the pitch!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-van-der-vaart/i-think-you-have-to-play-your-own-game-and-sometimes-people-don-t/) [Rafael van der Vaart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-van-der-vaart/) > [If I haven't played with a player before and I don't know anything about them, the more they tell me about themselves, the better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-negreanu/if-i-haven-t-played-with-a-player-before-and-i-don-t-know-anything/) [Daniel Negreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-negreanu/) > [We think we can play a small part in the evolution of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-mckelvey/we-think-we-can-play-a-small-part-in-the-evolution-of-culture/) [Miguel McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-mckelvey/) > [I think my play will talk for me, It will show people, and it will show the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/i-think-my-play-will-talk-for-me-it-will-show-people-and-it-will-show/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [When you are playing, it is so hard to think about what life will be like after football. I understand. When you are playing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/when-you-are-playing-it-is-so-hard-to-think-about-what-life-will-be/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [“Here I am in the dark alone, What is it going to be? I can think whatever I like to think, I can play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne-2/here-i-am-in-the-dark-alone-what-is-it-going-to-be-i-can-think/) [A.A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne-2/) > [Yeah, I think that a play is a huge commitment, and I think that what it requires of you is a lot, so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yul-vazquez/yeah-i-think-that-a-play-is-a-huge-commitment-and-i-think-that-what/) [Yul Vazquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yul-vazquez/) > [When I was little, I was always going to the goal. I've always wanted to score and create something, and I think it's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-bruyne/when-i-was-little-i-was-always-going-to-the-goal-i-ve-always-wanted/) [Kevin De Bruyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-bruyne/) ## More by Audrey Niffenegger > [But you know: you know that if I could have stayed, if I could have gone on, that I would have clutched every second:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/but-you-know-you-know-that-if-i-could-have-stayed-if-i-could-have/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-look-at-him-look-at-the-book-remember-this-book-this-moment-the/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“When I was young I didn't understand, but now, I know, how absence can be present, like a damaged nerve, like a dark bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/when-i-was-young-i-didn-t-understand-but-now-i-know-how-absence-can/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [Everything seems simple until you think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/everything-seems-simple-until-you-think-about-it/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [I place my hands over her ears and tip her head back, and kiss her, and try to put my heart into hers, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-place-my-hands-over-her-ears-and-tip-her-head-back-and-kiss-her-and/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“Sister Carmelita says animals don't have souls" "Of course animals have souls, where did she get that idea?" "She said the Pope says." "The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sister-carmelita-says-animals-don-t-have-souls-of-course-animals-have/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [We didn't think the library was funny looking in it's faux- Greek splendor, nor did we find the cuisine limited or bland, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-didn-t-think-the-library-was-funny-looking-in-it-s-faux-greek/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [He said something interesting: he said that he thinks there is only free will when you are in time, in the present. He says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/he-said-something-interesting-he-said-that-he-thinks-there-is-only/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“Dead is the most alone you can be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/dead-is-the-most-alone-you-can-be/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [What are you doing?" Nothing. Breaking and entering. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/what-are-you-doing-nothing-breaking-and-entering-pay-no-attention-to/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [I won't ever leave you, even though you're always leaving me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-won-t-ever-leave-you-even-though-you-re-always-leaving-me/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“It seems like we're going to collide, and we laugh, and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-seems-like-we-re-going-to-collide-and-we-laugh-and-laugh-and/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“We were royally miserable together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-were-royally-miserable-together/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“No.” Valentina closed her eyes. Of course not. “It’ll be great, Mouse. We’ll have our own apartment, we won’t have to work,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/no-valentina-closed-her-eyes-of-course-not-it-ll-be-great-mouse-we-ll/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“I make books because I love them as objects; because I want to put the pictures and the words together, because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-make-books-because-i-love-them-as-objects-because-i-want-to-put-the/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) [Explore all 250 Audrey Niffenegger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad thinking about certain things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Audrey Niffenegger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so-we-wouldn-t-go-mad-thinking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so-we-wouldn-t-go-mad-thinking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/audrey-niffenegger-1298_certain_i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so_2408673.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think play must have been invented so we wouldn't go mad thinking about certain things.” — Audrey Niffenegger", "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": "Audrey Niffenegger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think play must have been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so-we-wouldn-t-go-mad-thinking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-think-play-must-have-been-invented-so-we-wouldn-t-go-mad-thinking/#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 } } ] } ```