---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're like a two-year old playing with…"
description: "\"We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're messing around with something really dangerous and don't really understand what will happen.\" — W..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg"
---

#  We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're…

![“We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're messing around with something really dangerous and don't really understand what will happen.” quote by William F. Laurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg)

> “We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're messing around with something really dangerous and don't really understand what will happen.”

[William F. Laurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-laurance/)

## About This Quote

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

We play with dangerous forces without understanding the consequences.

**In simple terms:** Playing with danger is reckless.

Key Takeaway

Respect hazardous situations.

Themes

risk danger environment responsibility

Mood

warning analysis

Type

Climate:1 Dangerous:1 Fire:1 Happens:0 Playing:0 Playing with fire:1 Two:0 Two year olds:0 Two years:0 Years:0 Really Dangerous:1 Playing Messing:0 Messing Really:0

When to use this quote

- Ignoring risks can cause catastrophic loss.

Key Concepts

climate change fire safety industrial hazards policy enforcement

Questions to Reflect On

- concerned
- urgent

A Different Perspective

What risks are we overlooking today?;How can we better assess danger?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Messing Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messing-really-5893088/) [Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing/) [Playing Messing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-messing-5893087/) [Playing with fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-with-fire/) [Really Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-dangerous-271491/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two year olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-year-olds/) [Two years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-years/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [Chances are that any helpful two-year-old will break some eggs. We are often not very good at things when we are new. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/chances-are-that-any-helpful-two-year-old-will-break-some-eggs-we-are/)

[Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/)

> [My daddy died when I was two years old. My mother raised my two older brothers and me. And we couldn't have had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-barbour/my-daddy-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-my-mother-raised-my-two-older/)

[Haley Barbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-barbour/)

> [Tomorrow, I am fifty-two years old. And I want to say unequivocally that I am very happy to be alive, that being alive is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/tomorrow-i-am-fifty-two-years-old-and-i-want-to-say-unequivocally/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [If you have ever seen a four-year-old trying to lord it over a two-year-old, then you know what the basic problem of human nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-ever-seen-a-four-year-old-trying-to-lord-it-over-a-two/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Since I was two years old, all I knew was gospel music. That music became such a part of my life it was as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/since-i-was-two-years-old-all-i-knew-was-gospel-music-that-music/)

[Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/)

> [You might think that's an exaggeration but believe me, if you leave twin two-year-olds alone in your living room, at some point a cow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-might-think-that-s-an-exaggeration-but-believe-me-if-you-leave/)

[Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/)

> [I intend to give my eighty-two-year-old dad a copy of God Never Blinks. I will also buy one for a sixteen-year-old friend. This wise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/i-intend-to-give-my-eighty-two-year-old-dad-a-copy-of-god-never/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [My son Darrel could recite 'Straight Outta Compton' at two years old. He loved it! You can expose your kids to anything as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/my-son-darrel-could-recite-straight-outta-compton-at-two-years-old-he/)

[Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/)

> [I got started at a really young age. I was about two years old when I started playing the piano and around seven or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-guthy/i-got-started-at-a-really-young-age-i-was-about-two-years-old-when-i/)

[Jackson Guthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-guthy/)

> [I'm not complicated at all. I say raps that your two-year-old son can learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-not-complicated-at-all-i-say-raps-that-your-two-year-old-son-can/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [My dad abandoned me when I was about two years old. So, he wasn't around to protect me the way I needed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattie-mallette/my-dad-abandoned-me-when-i-was-about-two-years-old-so-he-wasn-t/)

[Pattie Mallette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattie-mallette/)

> [I write like a two-year-old, and I can't spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-redknapp/i-write-like-a-two-year-old-and-i-can-t-spell/)

[Harry Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-redknapp/)

> [My real father died when I was two years old, so I never knew him. He was a barber in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/my-real-father-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-so-i-never-knew-him-he/)

[Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/)

> [I think it gets really dangerous, though, to do it on the show. I think that the writers and producers are very much aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/i-think-it-gets-really-dangerous-though-to-do-it-on-the-show-i-think/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [I think free-to-play is both exciting and also really dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-think-free-to-play-is-both-exciting-and-also-really-dangerous/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

## More Climate quotes

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/)

[Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/)

> [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

[Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're messing around with something really dangerous and don't really understand what will happen.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William F. Laurance"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-laurance/we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-fire-we-re-messing-around-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Climate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-laurance/we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-fire-we-re-messing-around-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/william-f-laurance-286930_climate_we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-f_3192251.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We're like a two-year old playing with fire ... we're messing around with something really dangerous and…” — William F. Laurance",
                "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": "William F. Laurance",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-laurance/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We're like a two-year old playing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-laurance/we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-fire-we-re-messing-around-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-laurance/we-re-like-a-two-year-old-playing-with-fire-we-re-messing-around-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
