--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Levity was my only defence against his…" description: "\"“Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a wedge, a barrier, a reminder that I was not to lick the djinn.”\" — Debbie Cassidy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg" --- # Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a… ![“Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a wedge, a barrier, a reminder that I was not to lick the djinn.” quote by Debbie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg) > ““Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a wedge, a barrier, a reminder that I was not to lick the djinn.”” [Debbie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-cassidy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Levity serves as a protective barrier against overwhelming proximity. **In simple terms:** Levity protects from closeness. Key Takeaway Use humor to maintain personal boundaries. Themes levity boundaries defense humor self‑preservation Mood light defensive Type statement advice When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - light‑hearted conversation - assertiveness training - personal boundaries - creative writing Key Concepts psychological shield social distance personal space Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become avoidance? - How can you balance levity and seriousness? A Different Perspective Reliance on levity may avoid confronting issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrier/) [Barrier Reminder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrier-reminder-5715587/) [Levity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levity/) [Levity Defence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levity-defence-5715585/) [Lick Djinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lick-djinn-5715586/) ## Related quotes > [In my experience sometimes the darker the material that you're doing, the more necessary it is to have some sort of levity around. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-stahl/in-my-experience-sometimes-the-darker-the-material-that-you-re-doing/) [Nick Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-stahl/) > [My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-method-is-to-take-the-utmost-trouble-to-find-the-right-thing-to/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Of all the preaching in the world, I hate that preaching which tends to make the hearers laugh, or to move their minds with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/of-all-the-preaching-in-the-world-i-hate-that-preaching-which-tends/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Without the protection of surliness and levity, all children would be crushed by the past—the past of others, loaded onto their shoulders. Selfishness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/without-the-protection-of-surliness-and-levity-all-children-would-be/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Let him be great, and love shall follow him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/let-him-be-great-and-love-shall-follow-him/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Dickinson is my hero because she was a joker, because she would never explain, because as a poet she confronted pain, dread and death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/dickinson-is-my-hero-because-she-was-a-joker-because-she-would-never/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [If brevity is the soul of wit then brevity and levity are the whole of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-burch/if-brevity-is-the-soul-of-wit-then-brevity-and-levity-are-the-whole/) [Michael R. Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-burch/) > [“Religious people are not fun... So, Jesus shows up and kids run around Him, want to be with Him. You know why? He's fun...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/religious-people-are-not-fun-so-jesus-shows-up-and-kids-run-around/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [Ultimately, we as a band just write what we write. Some of it's very serious, and even in the serious songs, there's sometimes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-robertson/ultimately-we-as-a-band-just-write-what-we-write-some-of-it-s-very/) [Ed Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-robertson/) > [That which is usually called dotage is not the weak point of all old men, but only of such as are distinguished by their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/that-which-is-usually-called-dotage-is-not-the-weak-point-of-all-old/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The old idea that the joke was not good enough for the company has been superseded by the new aristocratic idea that the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-old-idea-that-the-joke-was-not-good-enough-for-the-company-has/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moderate-strength-is-shown-in-violence-supreme-strength-is-shown-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I follow a more easy, and, in my opinion, a wiser course, namely--to inveigh against the levity of the female sex, their fickleness, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-follow-a-more-easy-and-in-my-opinion-a-wiser-course-namely-to/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“I never thought I would see you armed." I was trying for levity. It worked like a lead balloon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-never-thought-i-would-see-you-armed-i-was-trying-for-levity-it/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [Our design, not respecting arts, but philosophy, and our subject, not manual, but natural powers, we consider chiefly those things which relate to gravity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/our-design-not-respecting-arts-but-philosophy-and-our-subject-not/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) ## More by Debbie Cassidy > [“A young man, who I could only assume was Baal’s brother, lounged on a chair, an arm slung over one of the armrests, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-cassidy/a-young-man-who-i-could-only-assume-was-baal-s-brother-lounged-on-a/) [Debbie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-cassidy/) [Explore all 2 Debbie Cassidy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-cassidy/) ## More Barrier quotes > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“The only barrier to Self-realization or enlightenment is the ego. The ego is the false identification with names and forms. Once this barrier dissolves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kulkarni/the-only-barrier-to-self-realization-or-enlightenment-is-the-ego-the/) [Akshay Kulkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kulkarni/) > [I'd probably play games obsessively if I didn't write, although I admit I don't read novels partly because I don't enjoy it, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/i-d-probably-play-games-obsessively-if-i-didn-t-write-although-i/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [I am a romantic, but I do put up a barrier around myself, so it is hard for people to get in and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-am-a-romantic-but-i-do-put-up-a-barrier-around-myself-so-it-is-hard/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [“The greatest barrier of success is the fear of failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-potter/the-greatest-barrier-of-success-is-the-fear-of-failure/) [J.K. Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-potter/) > [“I really hope there is a language barrier thing going on here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ward/i-really-hope-there-is-a-language-barrier-thing-going-on-here/) [Annie Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ward/) > [Do you know there is always a barrier between me and any man or woman who does not like dogs?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/do-you-know-there-is-always-a-barrier-between-me-and-any-man-or-woman/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Friendship, on the other hand, serves a great host of different purposes all at the same time. In whatever direction you turn, it still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/friendship-on-the-other-hand-serves-a-great-host-of-different/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I've never really had any barrier to break I guess. I don't really have anything to rebel against. I'm quite lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-ve-never-really-had-any-barrier-to-break-i-guess-i-don-t-really/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [The biggest barrier to starting a company isn't ideas, funding or experience. It's excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/the-biggest-barrier-to-starting-a-company-isn-t-ideas-funding-or/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [“I tis hopeless to try to convert some borders into seams. Expressways and their ramps are examples. Moreover, even in the case of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/i-tis-hopeless-to-try-to-convert-some-borders-into-seams-expressways/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [It's amazing that something only an atom thick can be an impenetrable barrier. You can have gas on one side and vacuum or liquid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mceuen/it-s-amazing-that-something-only-an-atom-thick-can-be-an-impenetrable/) [Paul McEuen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mceuen/) > [At a certain point, when there's a barrier between you and what's right, eventually you have to decide you're not going to allow yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/at-a-certain-point-when-there-s-a-barrier-between-you-and-what-s/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [Arafat was a barrier to peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/arafat-was-a-barrier-to-peace/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Mind doesn't work properly when taken into a higher level where fear dominates the will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/mind-doesn-t-work-properly-when-taken-into-a-higher-level-where-fear/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) [Browse all 158 Barrier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrier/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a wedge, a barrier, a reminder that I was not to lick the djinn.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debbie Cassidy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-cassidy/levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-proximity-it-was-a-wedge-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barrier" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-cassidy/levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-proximity-it-was-a-wedge-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/debbie-cassidy-91174_barrier_levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-p_3161355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Levity was my only defence against his proximity. It was a wedge, a barrier, a reminder that I was not to…” — Debbie Cassidy", "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": "Debbie Cassidy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-cassidy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Levity was my only defence against...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-cassidy/levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-proximity-it-was-a-wedge-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-cassidy/levity-was-my-only-defence-against-his-proximity-it-was-a-wedge-a/#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 } } ] } ```