--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O, to be sure, we laugh less and play…" description: "\"O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose need..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg" --- # O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear… ![“O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.” quote by Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg) > “O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.” [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults lose childlike wonder, hiding simple needs behind adult masks. **In simple terms:** Adults conceal simple child needs. Key Takeaway Reconnect with inner child for fulfillment. Themes childhood authenticity playfulness psychology Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family life - creative work - stress relief Key Concepts inner child simplicity masking Questions to Reflect On - What childlike needs are you ignoring? - How can you safely express playfulness? A Different Perspective Adults may resist vulnerability; societal expectations pressure conformity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Costumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costumes/) [Daily life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) [Disguise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguise/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Fairy tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tales/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [I used to wear disguises, like hats and false beards, just to walk around and avoid attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/i-used-to-wear-disguises-like-hats-and-false-beards-just-to-walk/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [I've always loved the idea of changing myself, wearing costumes and disguises. It takes you back to being a kid, to dressing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/i-ve-always-loved-the-idea-of-changing-myself-wearing-costumes-and/) [Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/) > [“You can understand and relate to most people better if you look at them - no matter how old or impressive they may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/you-can-understand-and-relate-to-most-people-better-if-you-look-at/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [As a goalkeeper, you feel like if you're treated like adults and have your position explained to you, you respect that. You might not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green/as-a-goalkeeper-you-feel-like-if-you-re-treated-like-adults-and-have/) [Robert Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green/) > [“I talk to children like adults and to adults like children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/i-talk-to-children-like-adults-and-to-adults-like-children/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“I was starting to realize how much the presence of a child could make adults act more like adults.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/i-was-starting-to-realize-how-much-the-presence-of-a-child-could-make/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [We don't grow up. We just learn how to act like adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew/we-don-t-grow-up-we-just-learn-how-to-act-like-adults/) [Andrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew/) > [Teenagers are the most misunderstood people on earth. Treated like children but expected to act like adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teenagers-are-the-most-misunderstood-people-on-earth-treated-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was like adults had their own little world that we weren't allowed to be a part of, and it didn't make sense because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-pogorzelski/it-was-like-adults-had-their-own-little-world-that-we-weren-t-allowed/) [Susan Pogorzelski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-pogorzelski/) > [Adults acting like children and children acting like adults is generally a pretty reliable comic device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-macfarlane/adults-acting-like-children-and-children-acting-like-adults-is/) [Seth MacFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-macfarlane/) > [When adults behave like Children and children like adults, life becomes chaotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-adults-behave-like-children-and-children-like-adults-life/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [My parents were never condescending to us. They treated us like adults from a very young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hanson/my-parents-were-never-condescending-to-us-they-treated-us-like-adults/) [Isaac Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hanson/) > [If you set as your goal to roll back the size of government, you have an obligation to answer the tough questions and show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-baird/if-you-set-as-your-goal-to-roll-back-the-size-of-government-you-have/) [Brian Baird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-baird/) > [TEENAGER the most misunderstood people on earth, treated like children but expected to act like adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teenager-the-most-misunderstood-people-on-earth-treated-like-children/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Teenagers: The most misunderstood people on earth. Treated like children and expected to act like adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teenagers-the-most-misunderstood-people-on-earth-treated-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Leo Rosten > [Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-fiction-has-to-make-sense/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [There was no answer, no solution, no sop, no deliverance. What, then, did I do? I read faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/there-was-no-answer-no-solution-no-sop-no-deliverance-what-then-did-i/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [People say: idle curiosity. The one thing that curiosity cannot be is idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/people-say-idle-curiosity-the-one-thing-that-curiosity-cannot-be-is/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Everyone, in some small sacred sanctuary of the self, is nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/everyone-in-some-small-sacred-sanctuary-of-the-self-is-nuts/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [ What's green, hangs on a wall and whistles? \[A Herring\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/what-s-green-hangs-on-a-wall-and-whistles-a-herring/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Dogs are getting bigger, according to a leading dog manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/dogs-are-getting-bigger-according-to-a-leading-dog-manufacturer/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Acting is a form of deception, and actors can mesmerize themselves almost as easily as an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/acting-is-a-form-of-deception-and-actors-can-mesmerize-themselves/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Her cooking suggested she had attended the Cordon Noir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/her-cooking-suggested-she-had-attended-the-cordon-noir/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/the-purpose-of-life-is-not-to-be-happy-but-to-matter-to-be-productive/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [For some not to be martyrs is martyrdom indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/for-some-not-to-be-martyrs-is-martyrdom-indeed/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“Anybody who hates dogs and babies can't be all bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/anybody-who-hates-dogs-and-babies-can-t-be-all-bad/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Where was it ever promised us that life on this earth can ever be easy, free from conflict and uncertainty, devoid of anguish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/where-was-it-ever-promised-us-that-life-on-this-earth-can-ever-be/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/first-rate-people-hire-first-rate-people-second-rate-people-hire/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [The purpose of life is not to be happy, the purpose of life is to matter..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/the-purpose-of-life-is-not-to-be-happy-the-purpose-of-life-is-to/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/courage-is-the-capacity-to-confront-what-can-be-imagined/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) [Explore all 69 Leo Rosten quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) ## 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": "O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Rosten" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less-and-wear-uncomfortable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less-and-wear-uncomfortable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8f/leo-rosten-9943_adults_o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less_395197.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the…” — Leo Rosten", "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": "Leo Rosten", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "O, to be sure, we laugh...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less-and-wear-uncomfortable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less-and-wear-uncomfortable/#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 } } ] } ```