--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't understand,\" says Gerald, alone…" description: "\"“I don't understand,\" says Gerald, alone in his third- class carriage, \"how railway trains and magic can go on at the same time.\" And yet they do.”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg" --- # I don't understand," says Gerald, alone in his third… ![“I don't understand," says Gerald, alone in his third- class carriage, "how railway trains and magic can go on at the same time." And yet they do.” quote by E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg) > ““I don't understand," says Gerald, alone in his third- class carriage, "how railway trains and magic can go on at the same time." And yet they do.”” [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Impossibility can coexist with imagination; wonder accepts paradoxes without needing logic. **In simple terms:** Magic and reality can exist together. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity despite contradictions. Themes imagination paradox wonder Mood playful intrigued Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - children's storytelling - science fiction - philosophical debate Key Concepts creativity logic fantasy Questions to Reflect On - What paradoxes spark your imagination? - How do you reconcile conflicting ideas? A Different Perspective Some may find the juxtaposition confusing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [Spring is noticed, if at all By people sitting in railway trains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/spring-is-noticed-if-at-all-by-people-sitting-in-railway-trains/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Why do all the clerks and navvies in the railway trains look so sad and tired, so very sad and tired? I will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-all-the-clerks-and-navvies-in-the-railway-trains-look-so-sad/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God is greater than anything that man can do or has done. He is not undone by just a train of powder. "Our God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/god-is-greater-than-anything-that-man-can-do-or-has-done-he-is-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Some friends and I, we went right up there behind the studio and we got on a train, we could tell it was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/some-friends-and-i-we-went-right-up-there-behind-the-studio-and-we/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [“Never yet has such furious movement brought in its train such slowness in the passage of time. Everything is spinning, only time stands still.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/never-yet-has-such-furious-movement-brought-in-its-train-such/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [I will say it's nice to train with someone to kind of pace yourself and try to push yourself as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayshia-adams/i-will-say-it-s-nice-to-train-with-someone-to-kind-of-pace-yourself/) [Tayshia Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayshia-adams/) > [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Every day, I want to be a winner. I want to train my best; I want to work my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-rahul/every-day-i-want-to-be-a-winner-i-want-to-train-my-best-i-want-to/) [K. L. Rahul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-rahul/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) > [I usually listen to my body and train the body parts that I feel are strong for that particular day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-piana/i-usually-listen-to-my-body-and-train-the-body-parts-that-i-feel-are/) [Rich Piana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-piana/) > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/) [Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/) ## More by E. Nesbit > [Time and space are only forms of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/time-and-space-are-only-forms-of-thought/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“I don't agree with you in the least," said Temple— "about marriage, I mean. A man ought to want to get married—" "To anybody?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-agree-with-you-in-the-least-said-temple-about-marriage-i-mean/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [I think everyone in the world is friends if you can only get them to see you don't want to be un-friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-think-everyone-in-the-world-is-friends-if-you-can-only-get-them-to/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Our darling Roberta, No sorrow shall hurt her If we can prevent it Her whole life long. Her birthday's our fete day, We'll make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/our-darling-roberta-no-sorrow-shall-hurt-her-if-we-can-prevent-it-her/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [Then suddenly Jack was a changed boy. Something wonderful had happened to him, and it had made him different. It sometimes happened to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/then-suddenly-jack-was-a-changed-boy-something-wonderful-had-happened/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [The ones as big as sheep were easier to avoid, because you could see them coming, but when they flew in at the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/the-ones-as-big-as-sheep-were-easier-to-avoid-because-you-could-see/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Oh, Helen, I don't want to.' 'Then don't,' said Helen. 'Ah, but I do want to, too.' 'Then do,' said she. 'But don't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/oh-helen-i-don-t-want-to-then-don-t-said-helen-ah-but-i-do-want-to/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“The ones I got are all right,’ Jane said; ‘I know they are, because the man at the shop said they were worth thribble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/the-ones-i-got-are-all-right-jane-said-i-know-they-are-because-the/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-no-bond-like-the-bond-of-having-read-and-liked-the-same-books/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [I'll plant and water, sow and weed, Till not an inch of earth shows brown, And take a vow of each small seed To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-ll-plant-and-water-sow-and-weed-till-not-an-inch-of-earth-shows/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“For really there is nothing like wings for getting you into trouble. But, on the other hand, if you are in trouble, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/for-really-there-is-nothing-like-wings-for-getting-you-into-trouble/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [Also she had the power of silent sympathy. That sounds rather dull, I know, but it's not so dull as it sounds. It just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/also-she-had-the-power-of-silent-sympathy-that-sounds-rather-dull-i/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Boys and girls are only little men and women. And WE are much harder and hardier than they are--" (Peter liked the "we." Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/boys-and-girls-are-only-little-men-and-women-and-we-are-much-harder/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“This shows you that even mistakes are sometimes valuable, so do not be hard on grown-up people if they are wrong sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/this-shows-you-that-even-mistakes-are-sometimes-valuable-so-do-not-be/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [There is no bond like having read and liked the same books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-no-bond-like-having-read-and-liked-the-same-books/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) [Explore all 56 E. Nesbit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) ## More Fitness quotes > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/) [Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [“For those filled with regret, perhaps the most needful exercise of proactivity is to realize that past mistakes are also out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/for-those-filled-with-regret-perhaps-the-most-needful-exercise-of/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [Physical beauty is not everything, but the beauty is more careful than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/physical-beauty-is-not-everything-but-the-beauty-is-more-careful-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [“He sighed. "Look, love, I know I seem like a tactical genius, but really, I'm just a magician who occasionally kills a bunny or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delilah-s-dawson/he-sighed-look-love-i-know-i-seem-like-a-tactical-genius-but-really-i/) [Delilah S. Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delilah-s-dawson/) > [There are things you can do in training like learn from the manager and talk with team-mates, but it's the game that tests you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burke/there-are-things-you-can-do-in-training-like-learn-from-the-manager/) [Oliver Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burke/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) [Browse all 13,910 Fitness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't understand,\" says Gerald, alone in his third- class carriage, \"how railway trains and magic can go on at the same time.\" And yet they do.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. Nesbit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in-his-third-class-carriage-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fitness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in-his-third-class-carriage-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/e-nesbit-12141_fitness_i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in_2156013.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't understand,\" says Gerald, alone in his third- class carriage, \"how railway trains and magic can go…” — E. Nesbit", "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": "E. Nesbit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I don't understand,\" says Gerald, alone...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in-his-third-class-carriage-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-understand-says-gerald-alone-in-his-third-class-carriage-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 } } ] } ```