--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We study play because life is crap. Life…" description: "\"We study play because life is crap. Life is crap, and it’s full of pain and suffering, and the only thing that makes it worth living — the only thing t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49c/brian-sutton-smith-65498_art_we-study-play-because-life-is-crap-life_2757534.jpg" --- # We study play because life is crap. Life is crap, and it’s… ![“We study play because life is crap. Life is crap, and it’s full of pain and suffering, and the only thing that makes it worth living — the only thing that makes it possible to get up in the morning and go on living — is play. Art and play.” quote by Brian Sutton-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49c/brian-sutton-smith-65498_art_we-study-play-because-life-is-crap-life_2757534.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49c/brian-sutton-smith-65498_art_we-study-play-because-life-is-crap-life_2757534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49c/brian-sutton-smith-65498_art_we-study-play-because-life-is-crap-life_2757534.jpg) > “We study play because life is crap. Life is crap, and it’s full of pain and suffering, and the only thing that makes it worth living — the only thing that makes it possible to get up in the morning and go on living — is play. Art and play.” [Brian Sutton-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-sutton-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Play is a coping mechanism that gives meaning to suffering, turning pain into creative expression. **In simple terms:** Play makes life bearable. Key Takeaway Embrace play. Themes play coping meaning creativity Mood hopeful inspirational Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - daily stress - mental health - creative work Key Concepts existentialism psychology art therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does play change your perception of pain? - When is play a hindrance? A Different Perspective Play may distract from addressing root problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Crap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crap/) [Crap Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crap-life-609764/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Get up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-up/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Crap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-crap-486459/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain and suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-and-suffering/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-life/) [Playful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playful/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Study Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-play-2468223/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [The perfect state, the summum bonum, is Play. In play, life expresses itself in its fullness. God's life is play. Adam fell when his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/the-perfect-state-the-summum-bonum-is-play-in-play-life-expresses/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [“Of all the crap, crap, crappy nights I've ever had in the whole of my crap life. On a scale of one to 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/of-all-the-crap-crap-crappy-nights-i-ve-ever-had-in-the-whole-of-my/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“Having two-faced friends is like keeping a crap in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhinang/having-two-faced-friends-is-like-keeping-a-crap-in-your-life/) [jhinang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhinang/) > [God knows I've done enough crap in my life to grow a few flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/god-knows-i-ve-done-enough-crap-in-my-life-to-grow-a-few-flowers/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [“Crap. It's all crap. Living is crap. Life has no meaning. None. Nowhere to be found. Crap. Why doesn't anybody realize this?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-ske-hasegawa/crap-it-s-all-crap-living-is-crap-life-has-no-meaning-none-nowhere-to/) [K-Ske Hasegawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-ske-hasegawa/) > [Scientists who study play, in animals and humans alike, are developing a consensus view that play is something more than a way for restless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/scientists-who-study-play-in-animals-and-humans-alike-are-developing/) [Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/) > [The correct unit of study is not the play; it is the scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/the-correct-unit-of-study-is-not-the-play-it-is-the-scene/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-orff/since-the-beginning-of-time-children-have-not-liked-to-study-they-2/) [Carl Orff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-orff/) > [Study first, play afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/study-first-play-afterwards/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-orff/since-the-beginning-of-time-children-have-not-liked-to-study-they/) [Carl Orff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-orff/) > [Life may give you crap, but that's what toilet paper is for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-may-give-you-crap-but-that-s-what-toilet-paper-is-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life is full of crap, so don't add any crap in too it, because it will stick”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zybejta-beta-metani-marashi-2/life-is-full-of-crap-so-don-t-add-any-crap-in-too-it-because-it-will/) [Zybejta "Beta" Metani' Marashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zybejta-beta-metani-marashi-2/) > [“And someone, somewhere, was having an even worse time of it than me. I tried to keep that in mind. No matter how crappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/and-someone-somewhere-was-having-an-even-worse-time-of-it-than-me-i/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“life is crap but, every day is an experience”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/life-is-crap-but-every-day-is-an-experience/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“I'm going because my life was crap until I met you. I'm going because I don't want to be here when you're not, still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/i-m-going-because-my-life-was-crap-until-i-met-you-i-m-going-because/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) ## More by Brian Sutton-Smith > [The opposite of play isn’t work. It’s depression. To play is to act out and be willful, exultant and committed as if one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-sutton-smith/the-opposite-of-play-isn-t-work-it-s-depression-to-play-is-to-act-out/) [Brian Sutton-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-sutton-smith/) > [Play is a subset of voluntary behaviour involving a selective mechanism which reverses the usual contingencies of power so as to permit the subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-sutton-smith/play-is-a-subset-of-voluntary-behaviour-involving-a-selective/) [Brian Sutton-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-sutton-smith/) > [It is my opinion that the 21st century will be the century of play, and the heteroglossic activity of artists in the 20th century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-sutton-smith/it-is-my-opinion-that-the-21st-century-will-be-the-century-of-play/) [Brian Sutton-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-sutton-smith/) [Explore all 4 Brian Sutton-Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-sutton-smith/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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