--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There often seems to be a playfulness to…" description: "\"There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from eq..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png" --- # There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as… ![“There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and smile.” quote by Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png) > “There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and smile.” [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wise people blend calm equanimity with playful humor, helping agitated others relax. **In simple terms:** Wisdom mixes calmness and playfulness to soothe others. Key Takeaway Use humor to ease tension. Themes wisdom equanimity playfulness emotional intelligence Mood warm insightful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - team leadership - conflict mediation - education Key Concepts serenity joy persuasion Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance seriousness and humor? - When is playfulness most effective? A Different Perspective Playfulness may be misread as frivolity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Equanimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equanimity/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Playfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playfulness/) [Serenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serenity/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-people/) ## Related quotes > [Photography is solitary and there are lags between seeing with your eyes and seeing through the lens, and then seeing the image on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-marclay/photography-is-solitary-and-there-are-lags-between-seeing-with-your/) [Christian Marclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-marclay/) > [Camp is a solvent of morality. It neutralizes moral indignation, sponsors playfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/camp-is-a-solvent-of-morality-it-neutralizes-moral-indignation/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [ I think at the end of the day she \[Rose from "Fences"\] is a strong woman in the truest sense of the word. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-she-rose-from-fences-is-a-strong-woman/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [As much as I liked acting for its playfulness and the reward of hearing big laughs wash over you on a stage, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/as-much-as-i-liked-acting-for-its-playfulness-and-the-reward-of/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [“And, if you'll investigate the history of science, my dear boy, I think you'll find that most of the really big ideas have come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-if-you-ll-investigate-the-history-of-science-my-dear-boy-i-think/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Tremendous concentrations of paper wealth have made it possible for a few persons or institutions to endow certain sorts of human playfulness with inappropriate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/tremendous-concentrations-of-paper-wealth-have-made-it-possible-for-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Never did I think that the university was properly ministerial to the society around it. Rather I thought and think that society is ministerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/never-did-i-think-that-the-university-was-properly-ministerial-to-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [I think entrepreneurship is our natural state--a big adult word that probably boils down to something much more obvious like playfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-think-entrepreneurship-is-our-natural-state-a-big-adult-word-that/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [In the years since The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, Voinovich has sharpened his satire, and Monumental Propaganda is a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kalfus/in-the-years-since-the-life-and-extraordinary-adventures-of-private/) [Ken Kalfus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kalfus/) > [The playfulness that I talk about comes very slowly. You cannot just jump out of your seriousness which you have accumulated for lives. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-playfulness-that-i-talk-about-comes-very-slowly-you-cannot-just/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The very essence of playfulness is an openness to anything that may happen, the feeling that whatever happens, it's okay... you're either free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/the-very-essence-of-playfulness-is-an-openness-to-anything-that-may/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Anywhere everywhere! Anything anyhow! just dance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/anywhere-everywhere-anything-anyhow-just-dance/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [One of the things I've always loved about genre, comic books, science fiction and fantasy is that there's a certain level of playfulness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-loved-about-genre-comic-books-science/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [We wanted to make Tucker's Witch just more human and playful, because I don't think we see enough playfulness between characters on TV. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/we-wanted-to-make-tucker-s-witch-just-more-human-and-playful-because/) [Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/) > [Perfectionism kills art. I find that if I criticise myself, it spoils the fun. You can get paralysed by analysis - it takes all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/perfectionism-kills-art-i-find-that-if-i-criticise-myself-it-spoils/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) ## More by Edward Hoagland > [When I was 18 I worked with the Ringling Brothers circus, taking care of menagerie animals. I used to rather deliberately risk my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/when-i-was-18-i-worked-with-the-ringling-brothers-circus-taking-care/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Henry David Thoreau, who never earned much of a living or sustained a relationship with any woman that wasn't brotherly -- who lived mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/henry-david-thoreau-who-never-earned-much-of-a-living-or-sustained-a/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [There is a time of life somewhere between the sullen fugues of adolescence and the retrenchments of middle age when human nature becomes so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-is-a-time-of-life-somewhere-between-the-sullen-fugues-of/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [The zest for life of those unusual men and women who make a great zealous success of living is due more often in good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/the-zest-for-life-of-those-unusual-men-and-women-who-make-a-great/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Sophistication" is another word for that inventive mix of tolerance, resilience, and resourcefulness city people develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/sophistication-is-another-word-for-that-inventive-mix-of-tolerance/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [The novelist screws up his courage in order to invest another two or three years in another attempt to float a boat of original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/the-novelist-screws-up-his-courage-in-order-to-invest-another-two-or/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Once I climbed into a mountain lion's cage and she bounded at me and put her paw on my face, but she kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/once-i-climbed-into-a-mountain-lion-s-cage-and-she-bounded-at-me-and/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Poetry is engendered in solitude, so what better meter for it than the clip of a buckskin horse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/poetry-is-engendered-in-solitude-so-what-better-meter-for-it-than-the/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [The question of whether it's God's green earth is not at center stage, except in the sense that if so, one is reminded with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/the-question-of-whether-it-s-god-s-green-earth-is-not-at-center-stage/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Many people have believed that they were Chosen, but none more baldly than the Texans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/many-people-have-believed-that-they-were-chosen-but-none-more-baldly/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Animals used to provide a lowlife way to kill and get away with it, as they do still, but, more intriguingly, for some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/animals-used-to-provide-a-lowlife-way-to-kill-and-get-away-with-it-as/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Silence is exhilarating at first - as noise is - but there is a sweetness to silence outlasting exhilaration, akin to the sweetness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/silence-is-exhilarating-at-first-as-noise-is-but-there-is-a-sweetness/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Men greet each other with a sock on the arm, women with a hug, and the hug wears better in the long run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/men-greet-each-other-with-a-sock-on-the-arm-women-with-a-hug-and-the/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [Man is different from animals in that he speculates, a high-risk activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/man-is-different-from-animals-in-that-he-speculates-a-high-risk/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [There were periods during my childhood when I stammered so badly I couldn't talk at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-were-periods-during-my-childhood-when-i-stammered-so-badly-i/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) [Explore all 47 Edward Hoagland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) ## More Agitation quotes > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/) [Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/) > [“It is unworthy of great spirits to spread abroad the agitation they feel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-unworthy-of-great-spirits-to-spread-abroad-the-agitation-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Agitation is that part of our intellectual life where vitality results; there ideas are born, breed and bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/agitation-is-that-part-of-our-intellectual-life-where-vitality/) [George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/) > [It is not proper to project our feelings onto things or to attribute our own sensations and passions to them. Can it also be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/it-is-not-proper-to-project-our-feelings-onto-things-or-to-attribute/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Agitation is all about poetry, governance is all about prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/agitation-is-all-about-poetry-governance-is-all-about-prose/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/wherever-capitalism-appears-in-pursuit-of-its-mission-of-exploitation/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [Patience takes courage. It is not an ideal state of calm. In fact, when we practice patience we will see our agitation far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/patience-takes-courage-it-is-not-an-ideal-state-of-calm-in-fact-when/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day I observe more and more the folly of judging of others by ourselves; and I have so much trouble with myself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-day-i-observe-more-and-more-the-folly-of-judging-of-others-by/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) [Browse all 173 Agitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and smile.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hoagland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to-wise-people-as-if-either/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agitation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to-wise-people-as-if-either/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db4/edward-hoagland-14156_agitation_there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to_568785.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this…” — Edward Hoagland", "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": "Edward Hoagland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There often seems to be a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to-wise-people-as-if-either/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/there-often-seems-to-be-a-playfulness-to-wise-people-as-if-either/#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 } } ] } ```