---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those who cannot think, have, in my…"
description: "\"Those who cannot think, have, in my opinion, a necessity (which goes very far towards creating a right) for amusement.\" — Sarah Josepha Hale"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/sarah-josepha-hale-14031_amusement_those-who-cannot-think-have-in-my-opinio_2006627.jpg"
---

#  Those who cannot think, have, in my opinion, a necessity…

![“Those who cannot think, have, in my opinion, a necessity (which goes very far towards creating a right) for amusement.” quote by Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/sarah-josepha-hale-14031_amusement_those-who-cannot-think-have-in-my-opinio_2006627.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/sarah-josepha-hale-14031_amusement_those-who-cannot-think-have-in-my-opinio_2006627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/sarah-josepha-hale-14031_amusement_those-who-cannot-think-have-in-my-opinio_2006627.jpg)

> “Those who cannot think, have, in my opinion, a necessity (which goes very far towards creating a right) for amusement.”

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

## About This Quote

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

She argues that the need for amusement stems from a lack of critical thought.

**In simple terms:** Amusement fills a gap when thinking is absent.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate thinking to reduce reliance on distraction.

Themes

thought amusement necessity intellectual engagement

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- education settings
- media consumption
- leisure activities

Key Concepts

philosophy cultural critique human motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What role does play have in learning?
- Can amusement be constructive?

A Different Perspective

Amusement can also inspire creativity, not just fill emptiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amusement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusement/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Necessity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity/) [Necessity Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity-goes-3559613/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Necessity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-necessity-3559612/) [Right Amusement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-amusement-3559614/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

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> [Ordinary people simply don't know what books mean to us, shut up here. Reading, learning, and the radio are our amusements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/ordinary-people-simply-don-t-know-what-books-mean-to-us-shut-up-here/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

> [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [I just started writing for my own amusement and occasionally singing in little clubs around Los Angeles. Then I wrote 'The Rose,' and through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mcbroom/i-just-started-writing-for-my-own-amusement-and-occasionally-singing/)

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> [Every producer in Hollywood had set me down as a type. I was both amused and disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/every-producer-in-hollywood-had-set-me-down-as-a-type-i-was-both/)

[Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## More by Sarah Josepha Hale

> [The burning soul, the burden'd mind, In books alone companions find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/the-burning-soul-the-burden-d-mind-in-books-alone-companions-find/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

> [Morning ... 'tis Nature's gayest hour!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/morning-tis-nature-s-gayest-hour/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

> [A man is never more satisfied than when he is confirming a favorite theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/a-man-is-never-more-satisfied-than-when-he-is-confirming-a-favorite/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

> [Nor need we power or splendour, wide hall or lordly dome; the good, the true, the tender, these form the wealth of home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/nor-need-we-power-or-splendour-wide-hall-or-lordly-dome-the-good-the/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

> [Democracies have been, and governments called, free; but the spirit of independence and the consciousness of unalienable rights, were never before transfused into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/democracies-have-been-and-governments-called-free-but-the-spirit-of/)

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> [The temple of our purest thoughts is silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/the-temple-of-our-purest-thoughts-is-silence/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

> [There is no impossibility to him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard. The fearful are the failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/there-is-no-impossibility-to-him-who-stands-prepared-to-conquer-every/)

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> [There is something in the decay of nature that awakens thought, even in the most trifling mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/there-is-something-in-the-decay-of-nature-that-awakens-thought-even/)

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> [... rights are liable to be perverted to wrongs when we are incapable of rightly exercising them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/rights-are-liable-to-be-perverted-to-wrongs-when-we-are-incapable-of/)

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> [self-control, in every station and to every individual, is indispensable, if people would retain that equanimity of mind, which, depending on self-respect, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/self-control-in-every-station-and-to-every-individual-is/)

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> [I've learned to judge of men by their own deeds; I do not make the accident of birth The standard of their merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/i-ve-learned-to-judge-of-men-by-their-own-deeds-i-do-not-make-the/)

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> [Americans have two ardent passions; the love of liberty, and love of distinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/americans-have-two-ardent-passions-the-love-of-liberty-and-love-of/)

[Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/)

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## More Amusement quotes

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

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> [The Stoics say, "Retire within yourselves; it is there you will find your rest." And that is not true. Others say, "Go out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-stoics-say-retire-within-yourselves-it-is-there-you-will-find/)

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> [I like these boots," I told Vayl. "Do you think they'd sell them to me cheap? I keep ruining mine." "Since when do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rardin/i-like-these-boots-i-told-vayl-do-you-think-they-d-sell-them-to-me/)

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> [It has to be now,” he insisted, a flick of amusement in his voice. He nudged his burgeoning loins against her. “After all, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-has-to-be-now-he-insisted-a-flick-of-amusement-in-his-voice-he/)

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> [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/)

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> [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/)

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