Over-seriousness is a warning sign for mediocrity and bureaucratic thinking. People who are seriously committed to mastery and high performance are secure enough to lighten up. Michael J Gelb
A person’s maturity consists in having found again the seriousness one had as a child, at play. Friedrich Nietzsche
Seriousness is stupidity sent to college. P J O’Rourke
Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness. Oscar Wilde
Though Americans talk a good deal about the virtue of being serious, they generally prefer people who are solemn over people who are serious. In politics, the rare candidate who is serious, like Adlai Stevenson, is easily overwhelmed by one who is solemn, like General Eisenhower. This is probably because it is hard for most people to recognize seriousness, which is rare, especially in politics, but comfortable to endorse solemnity, which is as commonplace as jogging. Russell Baker
It is not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about the important things. The monkey wears an expression of seriousness which would do credit to any college student, but the monkey is serious because he itches. Robert M. Hutchins
Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow. Oscar Wilde