--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year…" description: "\"Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So when you cut a tree open, you smell a hundred years' worth of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg" --- # Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it… ![“Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So when you cut a tree open, you smell a hundred years' worth of light. Ancient starlight that took millions of years to reach earth. That's why trees smell so beautiful and old.” quote by Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg) > “Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So when you cut a tree open, you smell a hundred years' worth of light. Ancient starlight that took millions of years to reach earth. That's why trees smell so beautiful and old.” [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Trees absorb ancient starlight, storing it in their wood, which gives them a timeless, luminous scent when cut. **In simple terms:** Trees hold ancient light, creating a deep scent. Key Takeaway Appreciate the hidden histories in nature. Themes nature time light memory Mood awe curiosity Type poetic educational When to use this quote - forest hiking - woodworking - environmental education - meditative walking Key Concepts photosynthesis cosmic cycles organic memory Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing this change your view of trees? - What other natural processes hold ancient histories? A Different Perspective Scientific accuracy may be poetic rather than literal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Starlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starlight/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [“In the dark of the trees he could smell splintered wood and see white upturned faces like wide white dirty flowers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shaara/in-the-dark-of-the-trees-he-could-smell-splintered-wood-and-see-white/) [Michael Shaara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shaara/) > [“After a long day of screaming at the trees, I smell like a skyscraper. Would you care to ride on my elevator shaft?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/after-a-long-day-of-screaming-at-the-trees-i-smell-like-a-skyscraper/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The faint metallic smell of the falling snow surrounds her. calm yourself. Listen. Cars splash along streets, and snowmelt drums through runnels; she can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/the-faint-metallic-smell-of-the-falling-snow-surrounds-her-calm/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“The park was littered with couples kissing behind trees and making out on park benches. And paper stars were everywhere; in trees, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/the-park-was-littered-with-couples-kissing-behind-trees-and-making/) [Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/) > [“The moon rises. The red cubs rolling In the ferns by the rotten oak Stare over a marsh and a meadow To the farm's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/the-moon-rises-the-red-cubs-rolling-in-the-ferns-by-the-rotten-oak/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“Between the dark, heavily laden treetops of the spreading chestnut trees could be seen the dark blue of the sky, full of stars, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/between-the-dark-heavily-laden-treetops-of-the-spreading-chestnut/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There was no smell. Over the years time other than when it rained, the musty odour was present. People were in and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne-gacy/there-was-no-smell-over-the-years-time-other-than-when-it-rained-the/) [John Wayne Gacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne-gacy/) > [“When I hug trees, the bark marks my cheek and reminds me I'm alive. Or that my nervous system is still intact. The trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-roskos/when-i-hug-trees-the-bark-marks-my-cheek-and-reminds-me-i-m-alive-or/) [Evan Roskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-roskos/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“The depths of the hearts of humankind cannot be known. But in my birthplace, the plum blossoms smell the same as in the years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-maccauley/the-depths-of-the-hearts-of-humankind-cannot-be-known-but-in-my/) Clay MacCauley > [What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/what-is-the-good-of-your-stars-and-trees-your-sunrise-and-the-wind-if/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [“You only walk this path once. Make sure you take time to stop and enjoy the nice things. You can't smell last years roses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jury-nel/you-only-walk-this-path-once-make-sure-you-take-time-to-stop-and/) [Jury Nel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jury-nel/) > [The trees must breathe so I can breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-trees-must-breathe-so-i-can-breathe/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“The trees breathe all the time and no one really notices. They take in the air we choke on. They live and die in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-roskos/the-trees-breathe-all-the-time-and-no-one-really-notices-they-take-in/) [Evan Roskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-roskos/) > [I grew up in the East Village with a lot of old people in my building, and I'm not sure if they lost their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hyland/i-grew-up-in-the-east-village-with-a-lot-of-old-people-in-my-building/) [Sarah Hyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hyland/) ## More by Frances O'Roark Dowell > [“Tobin, my man, you are going to learn about chickens. And when you to learn about chickens, you will learn about life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/tobin-my-man-you-are-going-to-learn-about-chickens-and-when-you-to/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“When I think about everything that's happened since school started, well, I don't think the word 'normal' applies to any of it. Verbena is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/when-i-think-about-everything-that-s-happened-since-school-started/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“I have to say, it felt good to be wanted, son. Felt real good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/i-have-to-say-it-felt-good-to-be-wanted-son-felt-real-good/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“What filled the rooms of Grete's cottage so decidedly were woven baskets and wooden boxes and clay pots glazed in red and blue, each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/what-filled-the-rooms-of-grete-s-cottage-so-decidedly-were-woven/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“That was a funny thing about friends, Marylin thought. You could know a person practically your whole life and she could still surprise you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/that-was-a-funny-thing-about-friends-marylin-thought-you-could-know-a/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“Dream girl? Ain't such a thing. You walk, you talk, you got mammary glands, well, that's gonna do it right there for most guys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/dream-girl-ain-t-such-a-thing-you-walk-you-talk-you-got-mammary/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“Granny sat down on the step and stared off into the trees. "That girl right there, she was my only child. I have lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/granny-sat-down-on-the-step-and-stared-off-into-the-trees-that-girl/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [A friend is someone whose face you can see in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/a-friend-is-someone-whose-face-you-can-see-in-the-dark/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“Perhaps you'll apprentice to a healer when you're older," Grete suggested. "I'd say you have the gift for it." Hen reddened, then seemed suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/perhaps-you-ll-apprentice-to-a-healer-when-you-re-older-grete/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“My dad, who my mom always refers to as DH for Darling Husband, was protrayed as a 'let's look on the bright side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/my-dad-who-my-mom-always-refers-to-as-dh-for-darling-husband-was/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“I'm not done arguing with you, Mrs.Fletcher. I'm going to convince you yet." "Well I reckon I got ten or twenty more years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/i-m-not-done-arguing-with-you-mrs-fletcher-i-m-going-to-convince-you/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“You gonna stand in my backyard and ignore me to my face?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/you-gonna-stand-in-my-backyard-and-ignore-me-to-my-face/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“4. If you do not give your chickens enough space, light, air, and walking-around room, they will eat one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/4-if-you-do-not-give-your-chickens-enough-space-light-air-and-walking/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“You can't expect a person to love an animal they might see decapitated at any minute. It ain't realistic," I told Miss Blue, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/you-can-t-expect-a-person-to-love-an-animal-they-might-see/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) > [“Everybody's broken, sweetie. God helps us get put back together. ~Rev. Mayes The Kind of Friends We Used to Be ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/everybody-s-broken-sweetie-god-helps-us-get-put-back-together-rev/) [Frances O'Roark Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) [Explore all 19 Frances O'Roark Dowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So when you cut a tree open, you smell a hundred years' worth of light. Ancient starlight that took millions of years to reach earth. That's why trees smell so beautiful and old.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frances O'Roark Dowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-after-year-and-it-goes-deep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-after-year-and-it-goes-deep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/frances-o-roark-dowell-28597_ancient_stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-af_1655606.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So when you cut a tree…” — Frances O'Roark Dowell", "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": "Frances O'Roark Dowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-o-roark-dowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-after-year-and-it-goes-deep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-o-roark-dowell/stars-trees-breathe-in-starlight-year-after-year-and-it-goes-deep/#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 } } ] } ```