--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adults play in many of the same ways that…" description: "\"“Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by using our minds' eyes to see ourselves in new and different ways, by considering who we are, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg" --- # Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by… ![“Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by using our minds' eyes to see ourselves in new and different ways, by considering who we are, and imagining who and what we can be.” quote by Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg) > ““Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by using our minds' eyes to see ourselves in new and different ways, by considering who we are, and imagining who and what we can be.”” [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults can engage imagination like children, using mental vision to explore identity and possibilities. **In simple terms:** Adults can imagine new selves like kids. Key Takeaway Use imagination to discover who you could become. Themes creativity self‑exploration growth Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - career planning - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts identity possibility imagination Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply childlike curiosity to a current challenge? - What new identity could you envision? A Different Perspective Imagination alone may not change external circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [We can only learn so much about our minds, because we are using our minds to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/we-can-only-learn-so-much-about-our-minds-because-we-are-using-our/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [Kids go to school and college and get through, but they don't seem to really care about using their minds. School doesn't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/kids-go-to-school-and-college-and-get-through-but-they-don-t-seem-to/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [Our feelings tell us how we're using our minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/our-feelings-tell-us-how-we-re-using-our-minds/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Most boys or youths who have had much knowledge drilled into them, have their mental capacities not strengthened, but overlaid by it. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/most-boys-or-youths-who-have-had-much-knowledge-drilled-into-them/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Individuals who require a great deal of outside information to form representations of reality in consciousness may become more dependent on the external environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/individuals-who-require-a-great-deal-of-outside-information-to-form/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My imagination is more tweaked by imagining the lives of the people who were there before us. I don't need to give myself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-imagination-is-more-tweaked-by-imagining-the-lives-of-the-people/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Maybe by imagining these futures we can make them real, and maybe not, but either way we must imagine them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/maybe-by-imagining-these-futures-we-can-make-them-real-and-maybe-not/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Sometimes we get through adversity only by imagining what the world might be like if our dreams should ever come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/sometimes-we-get-through-adversity-only-by-imagining-what-the-world/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [Once you're imagining being the main character, and you're having the conversations and actually being there, the magic in fiction writing takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/once-you-re-imagining-being-the-main-character-and-you-re-having-the/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [You don't know what's coming for you in life, and you don't know what's around the corner. When you're in a great deal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-wyman/you-don-t-know-what-s-coming-for-you-in-life-and-you-don-t-know-what/) [J.H. Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-wyman/) > [“Knowing how to make a life mean something, to wring out its worth when it was right there in one’s hands instead of just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-reed/knowing-how-to-make-a-life-mean-something-to-wring-out-its-worth-when/) [Deborah Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-reed/) > [What I love most about Her Majesty is that she has kept hats alive in people's minds for more than 60 years. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/what-i-love-most-about-her-majesty-is-that-she-has-kept-hats-alive-in/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I was born imagining myself with an apron on, with pies cooling on the window sill and babies crying upstairs. I thought that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-was-born-imagining-myself-with-an-apron-on-with-pies-cooling-on-the/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Sometimes people who had been together for a long time got to imagining that things used to be better, even when they weren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sometimes-people-who-had-been-together-for-a-long-time-got-to/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) ## More by Ben Michaelis > [“It is not uncommon that when someone has been deeply scarred, the walls that they put up to defend themselves from further pain can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/it-is-not-uncommon-that-when-someone-has-been-deeply-scarred-the/) [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) > [“If everybody likes you, you are doing it wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/if-everybody-likes-you-you-are-doing-it-wrong/) [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) > [“Absolutely. If you didn’t have to work or shower, you could do this practically 24–7. Maybe. You do enjoy it but if you didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/absolutely-if-you-didn-t-have-to-work-or-shower-you-could-do-this/) [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) > [“Neither faster nor slower than usual. As slowly as if you were doing your taxes (no offense to the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/neither-faster-nor-slower-than-usual-as-slowly-as-if-you-were-doing/) [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) > [“If we value play and imagination in the early years because they promote healthy minds and contribute to a strong sense of self, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/if-we-value-play-and-imagination-in-the-early-years-because-they/) [Ben Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) [Explore all 6 Ben Michaelis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/) ## More Adults 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/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. Anders Ericsson > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by using our minds' eyes to see ourselves in new and different ways, by considering who we are, and imagining who and what we can be.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Michaelis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-that-kids-do-by-using-our-minds/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-that-kids-do-by-using-our-minds/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/ben-michaelis-56193_different-ways_adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-tha_1536302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Adults play in many of the same ways that kids do: by using our minds' eyes to see ourselves in new and…” — Ben Michaelis", "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": "Ben Michaelis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-michaelis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Adults play in many of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-that-kids-do-by-using-our-minds/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-michaelis/adults-play-in-many-of-the-same-ways-that-kids-do-by-using-our-minds/#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 } } ] } ```