--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can be deeply non-serious and still…" description: "\"You can be deeply non-serious and still focused, disciplined, and on task.\" — Jeff VanderMeer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png" --- # You can be deeply non-serious and still focused… ![“You can be deeply non-serious and still focused, disciplined, and on task.” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png) > “You can be deeply non-serious and still focused, disciplined, and on task.” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing lightheartedness with discipline shows seriousness isn’t required for focus. **In simple terms:** You can be playful yet disciplined. Key Takeaway Embrace humor while staying goal‑oriented. Themes discipline focus playfulness productivity Mood balanced motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - academic study - team projects - personal hobbies Key Concepts mindset self‑regulation Questions to Reflect On - How can you signal seriousness when being playful? - What tasks benefit from a light tone? A Different Perspective Humor may be misinterpreted as lack of commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) ## Related quotes > [I knew my time would come I just had to stay focused and disciplined and if you work hard good things happen. 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Be your own disciplinarian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/it-is-one-thing-being-disciplined-to-plan-and-it-is-another-thing/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. 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Do you think Area X traverses interstellar space? Wormholes? Think of something more subtle, something peering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/do-you-think-area-x-builds-spaceships-too-do-you-think-area-x/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“A sudden flash of his partner Wyte, telling him he was compromised, him replying, "I don't have an opinion on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/a-sudden-flash-of-his-partner-wyte-telling-him-he-was-compromised-him/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Explore all 247 Jeff VanderMeer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## More Discipline quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) W.J. Turner > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Stay in your seat come times of trouble. Its only people who jump off the roller coaster who get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/stay-in-your-seat-come-times-of-trouble-its-only-people-who-jump-off/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) [Browse all 5,597 Discipline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can be deeply non-serious and still focused, disciplined, and on task.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff VanderMeer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still-focused-disciplined-and-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discipline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still-focused-disciplined-and-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/jeff-vandermeer-1366_discipline_you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still_2602147.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can be deeply non-serious and still focused, disciplined, and on task.” — Jeff VanderMeer", "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": "Jeff VanderMeer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can be deeply non-serious and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still-focused-disciplined-and-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/you-can-be-deeply-non-serious-and-still-focused-disciplined-and-on/#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 } } ] } ```