---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Coastal sailing as long as it is…"
description: "\"Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy commands no magic. Overseas expeditions are invariably bound up with ceremonies and ritual. Ma..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png"
---

#  Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy…

![“Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy commands no magic. Overseas expeditions are invariably bound up with ceremonies and ritual. Man resorts to magic only where chance and circumstances are not fully controlled by knowledge.” quote by Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png)

> “Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy commands no magic. Overseas expeditions are invariably bound up with ceremonies and ritual. Man resorts to magic only where chance and circumstances are not fully controlled by knowledge.”

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

## About This Quote

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

He argues magic arises where knowledge and control are insufficient, contrasting safe, routine activities with ritualistic expeditions

**In simple terms:** Magic fills gaps where knowledge lacks

Key Takeaway

Magic appears when control is limited

Themes

anthropology ritual knowledge

Mood

analytical critical

Type

anthropological philosophical

When to use this quote

- exploration planning
- cultural ceremonies

Key Concepts

magic risk management

Questions to Reflect On

- When should societies rely on ritual versus rational planning?
- How does perceived risk shape cultural practices?

A Different Perspective

Rituals can become unnecessary if knowledge improves

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Coastal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coastal/) [Coastal Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coastal-sailing-5699756/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Controlled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlled/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Expeditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expeditions/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Magic Overseas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-overseas-5699757/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Overseas Expeditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overseas-expeditions-5699758/) [Resorts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resorts/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [Yes, I guess I am bi-coastal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/yes-i-guess-i-am-bi-coastal/)

[Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/)

> [There is no doubt that now, more than ever, we must work to end our dependence on foreign oil sources. But we cannot do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-dole/there-is-no-doubt-that-now-more-than-ever-we-must-work-to-end-our/)

[Elizabeth Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-dole/)

> [Scientists say an 8.9 earthquake here could knock down buildings, flood coastal areas... and improve the roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/scientists-say-an-8-9-earthquake-here-could-knock-down-buildings/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [California just is so deeply left, particularly coastal. It just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/california-just-is-so-deeply-left-particularly-coastal-it-just-is/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“I’m a mother. You name it, I’ve seen it and probably had to mop it up,” said Lucy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-meier/i-m-a-mother-you-name-it-i-ve-seen-it-and-probably-had-to-mop-it-up/)

[Leslie Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-meier/)

> [Northeastern and most coastal states will vote for the candidate who is more closely aligned with international cooperation and engagement, secularism and science, gun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/northeastern-and-most-coastal-states-will-vote-for-the-candidate-who/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I have learned how to plant coastal hay, fertilize and bale it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-turner/i-have-learned-how-to-plant-coastal-hay-fertilize-and-bale-it/)

[Janine Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-turner/)

> [Whether it's exploring the woods around where I grew up, or even today exploring the coastal habitats and environments where I live in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/whether-it-s-exploring-the-woods-around-where-i-grew-up-or-even-today/)

[Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/)

> [If the Coastal Republic had believed in the existence of virtue, it could at least have aspired to hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/if-the-coastal-republic-had-believed-in-the-existence-of-virtue-it/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [Republicans face unexpected challenges in coastal South amid shrinking white vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-blackmon/republicans-face-unexpected-challenges-in-coastal-south-amid/)

[Douglas A. Blackmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-a-blackmon/)

> [I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-a-high-tech-low-life-a-cutting-edge-state-of-the-art-bi-coastal/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [I am passionate about making sure that we collectively and proactively preserve all of the world's most iconic coastal and oceanic wild places -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-dedina/i-am-passionate-about-making-sure-that-we-collectively-and/)

[Serge Dedina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-dedina/)

> [The undisturbed coastal plain is home to a wide variety of plants and animals and is the only wilderness sanctuary in North America that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/the-undisturbed-coastal-plain-is-home-to-a-wide-variety-of-plants-and/)

[Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/)

> [Protecting dozens of major coastal cities from future flooding will be challenging enough-rebuilding major coastal cities destroyed by super-hurricanes will be an almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/protecting-dozens-of-major-coastal-cities-from-future-flooding-will/)

[Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/)

> [Some of the best advice and insights I have ever received in my professional life have come from people, by listening to them, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/some-of-the-best-advice-and-insights-i-have-ever-received-in-my/)

[Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/)

## More by Bronislaw Malinowski

> [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [Both magic and religion are based strictly on mythological tradition, and they also both exist in the atmosphere of the miraculous, in a constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/both-magic-and-religion-are-based-strictly-on-mythological-tradition/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [ \[W.H.R.\] Rivers is the Rider Haggard of anthropology; I shall be the Conrad. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/w-h-r-rivers-is-the-rider-haggard-of-anthropology-i-shall-be-the/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [In the field one has to face a chaos of facts, some of which are so small that they seem insignificant; others loom so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/in-the-field-one-has-to-face-a-chaos-of-facts-some-of-which-are-so/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [ For no sooner had I begun to read this great work \[Frasier, The Golden Bough \], than I became immersed in it and enslaved… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/for-no-sooner-had-i-begun-to-read-this-great-work-frasier-the-golden/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [The anthropologist must relinquish his comfortable position in the long chair on the veranda of the missionary compound, Government station, or planter's bungalow, where,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/the-anthropologist-must-relinquish-his-comfortable-position-in-the/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [The magnificent title of the Functional School of Anthropology has been bestowed on myself, in a way on myself, and to a large extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/the-magnificent-title-of-the-functional-school-of-anthropology-has/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [I, personally, am unable to accept any revealed religion, Christian or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/i-personally-am-unable-to-accept-any-revealed-religion-christian-or/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [You utter a vow or forge a signature and you may find yourself bound for life to a monastery, a woman or prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/you-utter-a-vow-or-forge-a-signature-and-you-may-find-yourself-bound/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [“...yesterday, returning from Wawela I had some ethnological ideas, but I can't remember what they were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/yesterday-returning-from-wawela-i-had-some-ethnological-ideas-but-i/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [The final goal ... is to grasp the native's point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/the-final-goal-is-to-grasp-the-native-s-point-of-view-his-relation-to/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

[Explore all 12 Bronislaw Malinowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy commands no magic. Overseas expeditions are invariably bound up with ceremonies and ritual. Man resorts to magic only where chance and circumstances are not fully controlled by knowledge.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bronislaw Malinowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfectly-safe-and-easy-commands-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfectly-safe-and-easy-commands-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/bronislaw-malinowski-37631_adventure_coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfect_2346816.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Coastal sailing as long as it is perfectly safe and easy commands no magic. Overseas expeditions are…” — Bronislaw Malinowski",
                "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": "Bronislaw Malinowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Coastal sailing as long as it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfectly-safe-and-easy-commands-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/coastal-sailing-as-long-as-it-is-perfectly-safe-and-easy-commands-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
