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Play
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“At the center of everything we call 'the arts,' and children call 'play,' is something which seems somehow alive.”
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“It is a fundamental law of nature that we shall play in proportion to the amount of work we do.”
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“Play is not for every hour of the day, or for any hour taken at random. There is a tide in the affairs of children. Civilization is cruel in sending them to bed at the most stimulating time of dusk.”
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“Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if some manufacturer would make a toy as tough, as staunch, as hard to crack open as the carton it comes in!”
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“It has been explained to me that toys are packaged in shards, to be assembled by the middle-aged and butter-fingered, because this makes it easier for the shippers. ... If they had to spend hours and hours putting handlebars onto bicycles ... they would repent their ways and deliver something that looked like a rocking horse and not like the result of a small street accident.”
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“Each day, and the living of it, has to be a conscious creation in which discipline and order are relieved with some play and some pure foolishness.”
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“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, / All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.”
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“To this crib I always took my doll; human beings must love something, and in the dearth of worthier objects of affection, I contrived to find a pleasure in loving and cherishing a faded graven image, shabby as a miniature scarecrow. It puzzles me now to remember with what absurd sincerity I doted on this little toy, half fancying it alive and capable of sensation. I could not sleep unless it was folded in my night-gown; and when it lay there safe and warm, I was comparatively happy, believing it to be happy likewise.”
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“The great enemy of creativity is fear. When we're fearful, we freeze up — like a nine-year-old who won't draw pictures, for fear everybody will laugh. Creativity has a lot to do with a willingness to take risks. Think about how children play. They run around the playground, they trip, they fall, they get up and run some more. They believe everything will be all right. They feel capable; they let go. Good businesspeople behave in a similar way: they lose $15 million, gain $20 million, lose $30 million and earn it back. If that isn't playing, I don't know what is!”
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“[On the Barbie doll:] Her values, while somewhat Yuppified, are not so bad. Look at GI Joe. His only wardrobe is fatigues, he spends all his time trying to kill people, or getting his own innards splashed across the landscape. His big hobby is death.”
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“Dolls are safe companions.”
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“Dolls ... can do things they will not let us know about. ... If you stay in the room, Emily will just sit there and stare; but if you go out she will begin to read, perhaps, or go and look out the window. Then, if she heard either of us coming, she would just run back and jump into her chair and pretend she had been there all the time.”
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“I used to tiptoe up to my bedroom door and leap into my room in an attempt to surprise my dolls in the midst of some kind of action. Unfortunately, they were always too quick for me. I'm still disappointed about that.”
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“When we can play with the unself-conscious concentration of a child, this is: art: prayer: love.”
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“The concentration of a small child at play is analogous to the concentration of the artist of any discipline. In real play, which is real concentration, the child is not only outside time, he is outside himself.”
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“Work and play are the same. When you're following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves.”
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“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury; the time spent engaged in it is not time that could be better spent in more formal educational pursuits. Play is a necessity.”
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“Play is a universal language. It gives a sense of joy in being alive. It is one of the healthiest things we have in our culture. When we play, we give a gift of joy to another. Happy and joyous family times are a unifying force. They increase closeness and positive feelings. They increase loyalty to the family team. Everyone relaxes and feels more alive. Love just happens when you're having fun together!”
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“Play is an activity enjoyed for its own sake. It is our brain's favorite way of learning and maneuvering.”