---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As far as the game of marbles is…"
description: "\"As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is therefore no contradiction between the egocentric practice of games and the mystical respect enter..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg"
---

#  As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is…

![“As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is therefore no contradiction between the egocentric practice of games and the mystical respect entertained for rules. This respect is the mark of a mentality fashioned, not by free cooperation between equals, but by adult constraint.” quote by Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg)

> “As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is therefore no contradiction between the egocentric practice of games and the mystical respect entertained for rules. This respect is the mark of a mentality fashioned, not by free cooperation between equals, but by adult constraint.”

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Play can be both self‑centered and rule‑respecting, showing that personal enjoyment and shared structure coexist.

**In simple terms:** Games blend ego and respect for rules.

Key Takeaway

Balance personal fun with communal norms.

Themes

play rules socialization

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- classroom games
- family board games
- team sports

Key Concepts

psychology of games developmental theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do rules shape play?
- When should rules be flexible?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on rules may stifle creativity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/)

## Related quotes

> [Children's games constitute the most admirable social institutions. The game of marbles, for instance, as played by boys, contains an extremely complex system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/children-s-games-constitute-the-most-admirable-social-institutions/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [The discussion of the game of marbles seems to have led us into rather deep waters. But in the eyes of children the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-discussion-of-the-game-of-marbles-seems-to-have-led-us-into/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [I follow the rules, whatever they are, with respect to ethical obligations. And it's important in my view to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-follow-the-rules-whatever-they-are-with-respect-to-ethical/)

[Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/)

> [For 350 years we have been taught that reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man. Football's place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-smith/for-350-years-we-have-been-taught-that-reading-maketh-a-full-man/)

[Red Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-smith/)

> [Nobody does remakes for the sake of it. As for me, I have not hard and fast rules with respect to remakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-charan/nobody-does-remakes-for-the-sake-of-it-as-for-me-i-have-not-hard-and/)

[Ram Charan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-charan/)

> [“few simple rules: respect your elders, take care of your body, finish what you start, and solve your own problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/few-simple-rules-respect-your-elders-take-care-of-your-body-finish/)

[Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/)

> [ “\[Ivan: \] ”... you haven't let the lack of half-marks stop you. Or the rules. Or respect for reality, as afar as I can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/ivan-you-haven-t-let-the-lack-of-half-marks-stop-you-or-the-rules-or/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“He had a few simple rules: respect your elders, take care of your body, finish what you start, and solve your own problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/he-had-a-few-simple-rules-respect-your-elders-take-care-of-your-body/)

[Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/)

> [As a lawyer I did various IPOs and I know the power of our listing rules and the respect that has around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-morgan/as-a-lawyer-i-did-various-ipos-and-i-know-the-power-of-our-listing/)

[Nicky Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-morgan/)

> [It is as his own mind comes into contact with others that truth will begin to acquire value in the child's eyes and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/it-is-as-his-own-mind-comes-into-contact-with-others-that-truth-will/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [If we fail to appreciate the soul that Easternism gives us, then what we have is a disconnected, Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/if-we-fail-to-appreciate-the-soul-that-easternism-gives-us-then-what/)

[Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/)

> [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [One can write, think and pray exclusively of others; dreams are all egocentric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/one-can-write-think-and-pray-exclusively-of-others-dreams-are-all/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

## More by Jean Piaget

> [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/)

> [Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he could have discovered himself, that child is kept from inventing it and consequently from understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/each-time-one-prematurely-teaches-a-child-something-he-could-have/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Childish egocentrism is, in its essence, an inability to differentiate between the ego and the social environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/childish-egocentrism-is-in-its-essence-an-inability-to-differentiate/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [“A fact is first an answer to a question. If Sartre had consulted psychologists before judging them in the light of his own genius,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/a-fact-is-first-an-answer-to-a-question-if-sartre-had-consulted/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [If logic itself is created rather than being inborn, it follows that the first task of education is to form reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/if-logic-itself-is-created-rather-than-being-inborn-it-follows-that/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Experience precedes understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/experience-precedes-understanding/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Equilibrium is the profoundest tendency of all human activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/equilibrium-is-the-profoundest-tendency-of-all-human-activity/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [“To expect a fact, is by definition to expect the isolated, it is for positivism, to prefer the ‘accident’ to the essential, the contingent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/to-expect-a-fact-is-by-definition-to-expect-the-isolated-it-is-for/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Knowing reality means constructing systems of transformations that correspond, more or less adequately, to reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/knowing-reality-means-constructing-systems-of-transformations-that/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [The majority of parents are poor psychologists and give their children the most questionable moral trainings. It is perhaps in this domain that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-majority-of-parents-are-poor-psychologists-and-give-their/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [As you know, Bergson pointed out that there is no such thing as disorder but rather two sorts of order, geometric and living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/as-you-know-bergson-pointed-out-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [For the fundamental fact of human psychology is that society, instead of remaining almost entirely inside the individual organism as in the case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/for-the-fundamental-fact-of-human-psychology-is-that-society-instead/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [What is desired is that the teacher ceased being a lecturer, satisfied with transmitting ready-made solutions. His role should rather be that of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/what-is-desired-is-that-the-teacher-ceased-being-a-lecturer-satisfied/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [“I know some very intelligent philosophers, not at all dogmatic, who believe that “science” cannot introduce the concept of finality in the analysis and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/i-know-some-very-intelligent-philosophers-not-at-all-dogmatic-who/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

[Explore all 112 Jean Piaget quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

## 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": "As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is therefore no contradiction between the egocentric practice of games and the mystical respect entertained for rules. This respect is the mark of a mentality fashioned, not by free cooperation between equals, but by adult constraint.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jean Piaget"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concerned-there-is-therefore-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adults"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concerned-there-is-therefore-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/jean-piaget-4336_adults_as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concern_988273.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As far as the game of marbles is concerned, there is therefore no contradiction between the egocentric…” — Jean Piaget",
                "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": "Jean Piaget",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As far as the game of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concerned-there-is-therefore-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/as-far-as-the-game-of-marbles-is-concerned-there-is-therefore-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
