Rafiki is extremely sagacious and wise. However, his way of exploiting his intelligence is highly irregular; he prefers to teach his pupils (such as Simba) by bombarding them with cryptic metaphors, and typically in a way that purposely annoys them. He takes great joy in this, and though unconventional, the methods of his teaching have proven to be effective time and time again. It should be noted that part of the reason Rafiki's teachings are quite eccentric is the fact that Rafiki, himself, is fairly eccentric. He is excitable, and energetic in spite of his age, and tends to fall into fits of hysterical laughter when something amuses him. He also tends to speak in the third person when speaking of himself. Despite this, much as his reputation would conceive, Rafiki does have a tamer side. He takes his role as a sage of the Pride Lands somberly and will act diligently to ensure the balance of the "Circle of Life" remains intact.