--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge…" description: "\"Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge to play, one that hurls us into sociability. A child's play both demands and creates its own safe space, one in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/daniel-goleman-1599_abandonment_our-brain-comes-hard-wired-with-an-urge_1441693.jpg" --- # Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge to play, one that… ![“Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge to play, one that hurls us into sociability. A child's play both demands and creates its own safe space, one in which she can confront threats, fears, and dangers, but always come through whole. Play offers a child a natural way to manage feared separations…” quote by Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/daniel-goleman-1599_abandonment_our-brain-comes-hard-wired-with-an-urge_1441693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/daniel-goleman-1599_abandonment_our-brain-comes-hard-wired-with-an-urge_1441693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/daniel-goleman-1599_abandonment_our-brain-comes-hard-wired-with-an-urge_1441693.jpg) > “Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge to play, one that hurls us into sociability. A child's play both demands and creates its own safe space, one in which she can confront threats, fears, and dangers, but always come through whole. Play offers a child a natural way to manage feared separations or abandonment, rendering them instead opportunities for mastery and self-discovery.” [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## 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 an innate drive that fosters social connection and helps children safely confront and master fears, leading to personal growth. **In simple terms:** Play helps kids face fears and grow socially. Key Takeaway Encourage safe, playful experiences for children. Themes development socialization emotional growth resilience Mood hopeful reflective optimistic Type educational psychological inspirational When to use this quote - childhood education - therapy sessions - family bonding - team building - conflict resolution Key Concepts attachment theory self‑discovery mastery Questions to Reflect On - How can play be structured to support emotional healing? - What limits does play have in developing resilience? A Different Perspective Play may not address deeper trauma without guided support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandonment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Safe space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-space/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discovery/) [Separation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation/) [Sociability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociability/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) ## Related quotes > [After the mines, what is fighting? Fighting is child's play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-farr/after-the-mines-what-is-fighting-fighting-is-child-s-play/) Tommy Farr > [“I've found that child's play -stuff that was not considered serious, but goofy- was the stuff I liked to do, so I still do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-ve-found-that-child-s-play-stuff-that-was-not-considered-serious/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [Understanding physics is child's play when compared to understanding child's play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/understanding-physics-is-child-s-play-when-compared-to-understanding/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [And I'll say boy the Chucky is Child's play. Just killed another career it's a mild day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/and-i-ll-say-boy-the-chucky-is-child-s-play-just-killed-another/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [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/) > [One must realise that it is not a child's play to run a government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-kumaraswamy/one-must-realise-that-it-is-not-a-child-s-play-to-run-a-government/) [H. D. Kumaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-kumaraswamy/) > [Cooking ought to be, quite literally, child's play. And every child ought to have access to the game. Just don't tell them it's healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/cooking-ought-to-be-quite-literally-child-s-play-and-every-child/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [I don't think we would be specifically remaking "Child's Play 2" and "Child's Play 3". I imagine we'd be dreaming up whole new stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/i-don-t-think-we-would-be-specifically-remaking-child-s-play-2-and/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [I also found child's play - stuff that was not considered serious, but goofy - was the stuff I liked to do, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/i-also-found-child-s-play-stuff-that-was-not-considered-serious-but/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to work Mark Hamill in creating the 'Child's Play Theme.' He dove into the experience head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/i-was-thrilled-to-have-had-the-opportunity-to-work-mark-hamill-in/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [“Sex is child’s play; but gender is serious business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/sex-is-child-s-play-but-gender-is-serious-business/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Business is business, no child's play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/business-is-business-no-child-s-play/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [There is a good deal of excellent research on child's play. It has shown conclusively that through play, with the freedom of action it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/there-is-a-good-deal-of-excellent-research-on-child-s-play-it-has/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [When the spirit of child's play enters into the creative process, it's a wonderful force and something to be nurtured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/when-the-spirit-of-child-s-play-enters-into-the-creative-process-it-s/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [From a child's play, we can gain understanding of how he sees and construes the world--what he would like it to be, what his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/from-a-child-s-play-we-can-gain-understanding-of-how-he-sees-and/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) ## More by Daniel Goleman > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [All the classical meditation traditions, in one way or another, stress nonattachment to the self as a goal of practice. Oddly, this dimension is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/all-the-classical-meditation-traditions-in-one-way-or-another-stress/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Feelings are self-justifying, with a set of perceptions and "proofs" all their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/feelings-are-self-justifying-with-a-set-of-perceptions-and-proofs-all/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [What seems to set apart those at the very top of competitive pursuits from others of roughly equal ability is the degree to which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-seems-to-set-apart-those-at-the-very-top-of-competitive-pursuits/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“What distinguishes leaders in medicine goes far beyond that knowledge, into interpersonal skills like empathy, conflict resolution, and people development.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-distinguishes-leaders-in-medicine-goes-far-beyond-that-knowledge/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin psychologist. He discovered that people who have greater activity in the left frontal lobe, compared to the right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/richard-davidson-a-university-of-wisconsin-psychologist-he-discovered/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The social brain is in its natural habitat when we're talking with someone face-to-face in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-social-brain-is-in-its-natural-habitat-when-we-re-talking-with/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The ability to handle stress increases with the practice of meditation. In a culture like ours in which inner, spiritual growth is totally neglected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-ability-to-handle-stress-increases-with-the-practice-of/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-emotional-brain-responds-to-an-event-more-quickly-than-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Positive work environments outperform negative work environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/positive-work-environments-outperform-negative-work-environments/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Who does not recall school at least in part as endless dreary hours of boredom punctuated by moments of high anxiety?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/who-does-not-recall-school-at-least-in-part-as-endless-dreary-hours/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) [Explore all 200 Daniel Goleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More Abandonment quotes > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them. Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-brown/sometimes-people-walk-away-from-love-because-it-is-so-beautiful-that/) [Jeff Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-brown/) > [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. But they have not accepted - they have scarcely even heard -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/modern-societies-accepted-the-treasures-and-the-power-offered-them-by/) [Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/) > [Judaism is absolutely incompatible with the abandonment of the Torah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/judaism-is-absolutely-incompatible-with-the-abandonment-of-the-torah/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [“Abandonment is ugly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-moore/abandonment-is-ugly/) [Michelle Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-moore/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [“When you give everything, you have nothing to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/when-you-give-everything-you-have-nothing-to-lose/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [The only thing worse than being abandoned, is not being worthy of an explanation. It hurts to let go... but the feeling you're falling..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joryneville/the-only-thing-worse-than-being-abandoned-is-not-being-worthy-of-an/) JoryNeville > [“I am not so different in my history of abandonment from anyone else after all. We have all been split away from each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/i-am-not-so-different-in-my-history-of-abandonment-from-anyone-else/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“The introduction to horrors so young impressed on me just how helpless and vulnerable I was. Parents are supposed to empower their children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-enevoldsen/the-introduction-to-horrors-so-young-impressed-on-me-just-how/) [Christina Enevoldsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-enevoldsen/) > [Heartbreak has an archetypal core, all heartbroken individuals suffer from the same kind of torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginette-paris/heartbreak-has-an-archetypal-core-all-heartbroken-individuals-suffer/) Ginette Paris > [“Lonely Balcony The deterioration brought by weariness was visible. Its burden of abandonment can be perceived at a glance. The balcony ache with longings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iqra-iqbal/lonely-balcony-the-deterioration-brought-by-weariness-was-visible-its/) [iqra iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iqra-iqbal/) > [God causes us to promise in time of peace what He exacts from us in time of war; He enables us to make our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/god-causes-us-to-promise-in-time-of-peace-what-he-exacts-from-us-in/) [Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/) [Browse all 348 Abandonment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our brain comes hard-wired with an urge to play, one that hurls us into sociability. A child's play both demands and creates its own safe space, one in which she can confront threats, fears, and dangers, but always come through whole. 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