--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trees are great. Don't get me started…" description: "\"Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever they are, how oxygen-generous, how time-formed in inner cyclic circles, how they provide homes f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg" --- # Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever… ![“Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever they are, how oxygen-generous, how time-formed in inner cyclic circles, how they provide homes for myriad creatures, how - back when this country was covered in forests - the word for sky was an Old English word that meant 'tops of trees.'” quote by Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg) > “Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever they are, how oxygen-generous, how time-formed in inner cyclic circles, how they provide homes for myriad creatures, how - back when this country was covered in forests - the word for sky was an Old English word that meant 'tops of trees.'” [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trees embody complex ecological roles, providing oxygen, habitats, and cultural symbolism while reflecting deep time cycles. **In simple terms:** Trees are vital, clever, and culturally rich. Key Takeaway Recognize and protect trees' multifaceted value. Themes ecology culture time habitats symbolism Mood reflective appreciative Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - urban planning - conservation education - landscape design - climate policy Key Concepts ecosystem services biocultural heritage carbon cycle Questions to Reflect On - How do trees shape human identity? - What policies can balance growth with forest preservation? A Different Perspective Trees' benefits are often overlooked in favor of short‑term development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Forests Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-word-6114954/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Old english](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-english/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Tops Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tops-trees-6114953/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Trees Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees-great-3991874/) ## Related quotes > [I plant a lot of trees. I am a great believer in planting things for future generations. I loathe the now culture where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-keith/i-plant-a-lot-of-trees-i-am-a-great-believer-in-planting-things-for/) [Penelope Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-keith/) > [ I think a lot of people in my circle are thinking that way or see the movie \[Into the Forest\] and then really think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-think-a-lot-of-people-in-my-circle-are-thinking-that-way-or-see-the/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [We're doing Circle of Snakes, we open up with Skin Carver and we are throwing in Skull Forest later on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-danzig/we-re-doing-circle-of-snakes-we-open-up-with-skin-carver-and-we-are/) [Glenn Danzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-danzig/) > [“Twelve years ago I left Boston and New York, and moved east and west at the same time. East, to a little village in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/twelve-years-ago-i-left-boston-and-new-york-and-moved-east-and-west/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“They then named one day after the Moon and another after the Sun, giving them a seven-day week. Seven was regarded as a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marr/they-then-named-one-day-after-the-moon-and-another-after-the-sun/) [Andrew Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marr/) > [Most of us would be upset if we were accused of being "silly." But the word "silly" comes from the old English word "selig,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/most-of-us-would-be-upset-if-we-were-accused-of-being-silly-but-the/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“The association of the wild and the wood also run deep in etymology. The two words are thought to have grown out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/the-association-of-the-wild-and-the-wood-also-run-deep-in-etymology/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [“Holism, wholeness, healing, and holiness are all derived from the same root in Old English: haelen, to “make whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-r-ferguson/holism-wholeness-healing-and-holiness-are-all-derived-from-the-same/) [Elaine R. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-r-ferguson/) > [It's funny how a film about a murderous old English toff can help you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-broadbent/it-s-funny-how-a-film-about-a-murderous-old-english-toff-can-help-you/) [Jim Broadbent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-broadbent/) > [“Modern Our Father, who is in heaven, blessed be your name. Give us our daily bread today. All three of these languages were rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcwhorter/modern-our-father-who-is-in-heaven-blessed-be-your-name-give-us-our/) [John McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcwhorter/) > [“We shall fight on the beaches,” said Churchill in 1940, “we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches-said-churchill-in-1940-we-shall-fight/) [Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/) > [“it was decorated with Japanese fans and Chinese lanterns, which gave it a very Old English effect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saki/it-was-decorated-with-japanese-fans-and-chinese-lanterns-which-gave/) [Saki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saki/) > [ “The practice of buying off the Vikings will always be associated with Æthelred in particular… \[but\] it was not something which proceeded from Æthelred… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-keynes/the-practice-of-buying-off-the-vikings-will-always-be-associated-with/) [Simon Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-keynes/) > [“Now! Forgive me not for what I say Much less what I feel... My lady, You the one who stole my soul and hid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-caban-jr/now-forgive-me-not-for-what-i-say-much-less-what-i-feel-my-lady-you/) [Alexander Caban Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-caban-jr/) > [“A “Kemp” was a wrestler—from cempa, the old English word for “champion” or “warrior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-kemp-was-a-wrestler-from-cempa-the-old-english-word-for-champion-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ali Smith > [As for Aliki - if you were to stand in the middle of Rome and say the name Sophia Loren, or Paris and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/as-for-aliki-if-you-were-to-stand-in-the-middle-of-rome-and-say-the/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Elisabeth had been listening to the programme in the bath. She'd switched the radio off after it and wondered if she'd be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/elisabeth-had-been-listening-to-the-programme-in-the-bath-she-d/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [There is a kind of poetry, bad and good, in evrything, everywhere we look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/there-is-a-kind-of-poetry-bad-and-good-in-evrything-everywhere-we-look/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“human beings can’t be legends, being mortal,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/human-beings-can-t-be-legends-being-mortal/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“I could lick it off with my tongue, if I had a tongue again, if my tongue was wet, and I could taste it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-could-lick-it-off-with-my-tongue-if-i-had-a-tongue-again-if-my/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“How very disappointing truth is sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/how-very-disappointing-truth-is-sometimes/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“...he had simply typed the words something beautiful into the Google images box. Up came a picture of some leaves against the sun. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/he-had-simply-typed-the-words-something-beautiful-into-the-google/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Is there any escaping the junkshop of the self?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/is-there-any-escaping-the-junkshop-of-the-self/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [What shop did this book come from? she asked. Her father was looking worried at the cooker. He always got rice wrong. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/what-shop-did-this-book-come-from-she-asked-her-father-was-looking/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [What's the point of art, of any art, if it doesn't let us see with a little bit of objectivity where we are?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/what-s-the-point-of-art-of-any-art-if-it-doesn-t-let-us-see-with-a/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [If you can read the world as a construct, you can ask questions of the construct, and you can suggest ways to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/if-you-can-read-the-world-as-a-construct-you-can-ask-questions-of-the/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-m-tired-of-the-news-i-m-tired-of-the-way-it-makes-things/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“(this is before we're living together, before we do the most faithful act of all, mix our separate books into one library)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/this-is-before-we-re-living-together-before-we-do-the-most-faithful/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“Believe me. Everything is meant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/believe-me-everything-is-meant/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [ \[Property\] is a brilliant, chillingly revelatory piece of fiction, a work of craft, economy and such good merciless observation-one of those rare, crucial novels… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/property-is-a-brilliant-chillingly-revelatory-piece-of-fiction-a-work/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) [Explore all 199 Ali Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) ## More Circles quotes > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/all-my-life-s-a-circle-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-season-s-spinning/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [I have no name for what circles so perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-have-no-name-for-what-circles-so-perfectly/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-into-my-eyes-and-saw-the-shadow/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) [Browse all 1,860 Circles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever they are, how oxygen-generous, how time-formed in inner cyclic circles, how they provide homes for myriad creatures, how - back when this country was covered in forests - the word for sky was an Old English word that meant 'tops of trees.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ali Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-about-how-clever-they-are-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-about-how-clever-they-are-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/829/ali-smith-1801_circles_trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-abo_3231425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Trees are great. Don't get me started about how clever they are, how oxygen-generous, how time-formed in…” — Ali Smith", "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": "Ali Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Trees are great. Don't get me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-about-how-clever-they-are-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/trees-are-great-don-t-get-me-started-about-how-clever-they-are-how/#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 } } ] } ```