--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were not for underestimating magic - a…" description: "\"We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor like the sap between the tree-stem and the bark. We know that it keeps dullness out of religio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg" --- # We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor… ![“We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor like the sap between the tree-stem and the bark. We know that it keeps dullness out of religion and poetry. It is probable that without it we might die.” quote by Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg) > “We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor like the sap between the tree-stem and the bark. We know that it keeps dullness out of religion and poetry. It is probable that without it we might die.” [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She argues that magic, like a vital conduit between nature’s parts, prevents dullness in religion and poetry, and may be essential for life. **In simple terms:** Magic connects nature and inspires creativity, possibly essential for existence. Key Takeaway Value imagination and wonder in daily life. Themes creativity spirituality nature literature Mood inspired thoughtful curious Type literary philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - writing - artistic practice - spiritual reflection Key Concepts interconnectedness inspiration existential necessity Questions to Reflect On - What role does imagination play in your spiritual life? - How can we balance wonder with reason? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on magic can ignore rational explanations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conductor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conductor/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [Our minds must relax: they will rise better and keener after rest. Just as you must not force fertile farmland, as uninterrupted productivity will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/our-minds-must-relax-they-will-rise-better-and-keener-after-rest-just/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The camel carries on his dreary circular task with his usual slow and pompous step and head poised superciliously, as if it were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-camel-carries-on-his-dreary-circular-task-with-his-usual-slow-and/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [I learned early on the magic of life is having a vision, having faith, and then going for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/i-learned-early-on-the-magic-of-life-is-having-a-vision-having-faith/) [Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/) > [We have buried so much of the delicate magic of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-buried-so-much-of-the-delicate-magic-of-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The do's and don'ts of life shouldn't stop us from living it the way we want. Yes there are lessons to be learned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/the-do-s-and-don-ts-of-life-shouldn-t-stop-us-from-living-it-the-way/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [Magic has lived an extraordinary life as a champion athlete, passionate activist, and highly successful entrepreneur. The impact of Magic's life on the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-famuyiwa/magic-has-lived-an-extraordinary-life-as-a-champion-athlete/) [Rick Famuyiwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-famuyiwa/) > [“The World will always need "magic". Without it, Life is nothing but cheap tricks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/the-world-will-always-need-magic-without-it-life-is-nothing-but-cheap/) [Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/) > [“Sometimes the magic of life is beyond thought. It's the sparkle of intuition, of bringing your own personal energy into your music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ryan/sometimes-the-magic-of-life-is-beyond-thought-it-s-the-sparkle-of/) [Jennifer Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ryan/) > [I think magic is very related to happiness. So it is not there all the time, but there are beautiful moments of magic in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-magic-is-very-related-to-happiness-so-it-is-not-there-all-the/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [Life is so much easier than you think it is, and as you come to understand the way life works, and the power you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/life-is-so-much-easier-than-you-think-it-is-and-as-you-come-to/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [The only difference between people who live in this way... is that the people who love in the magic of life have habituated ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/the-only-difference-between-people-who-live-in-this-way-is-that-the/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [The only magic without tricks is the magic of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/the-only-magic-without-tricks-is-the-magic-of-life/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [I did magic all my life from the time I was 12, and I like to tap into the magic from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-tempest/i-did-magic-all-my-life-from-the-time-i-was-12-and-i-like-to-tap-into/) [Marco Tempest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-tempest/) > [“There is magic in all life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-scrieva/there-is-magic-in-all-life/) [Nadia Scrieva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-scrieva/) > [I totally believe in magic. Because my life, I think, has been very magic, and magical things have come true for me time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-totally-believe-in-magic-because-my-life-i-think-has-been-very/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) ## More by Freya Stark > [I do think we should be provided with a new body about the age of thirty or so when we have learnt to attend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/i-do-think-we-should-be-provided-with-a-new-body-about-the-age-of/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [The world has become too full of many things, an over furnished room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-world-has-become-too-full-of-many-things-an-over-furnished-room/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [From love one can only escape at the price of life itself; and no lessening of sorrow is worth exile from that stream of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/from-love-one-can-only-escape-at-the-price-of-life-itself-and-no/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [The unexpectedness of life, waiting round every corner, catches even wise women unawares (...) To avoid corners altogether is, after all, to refuse to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-unexpectedness-of-life-waiting-round-every-corner-catches-even/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Words are the only arteries of thought our poor human body possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/words-are-the-only-arteries-of-thought-our-poor-human-body-possesses/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [The past is our treasure. Its works, whether we know them or not, flourish in our lives with whatever strength they had. From it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-past-is-our-treasure-its-works-whether-we-know-them-or-not/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [On the other hand, there is a certain advantage in traveling with someone who has a reputation for shooting rather than being shot: as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/on-the-other-hand-there-is-a-certain-advantage-in-traveling-with/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [If one were given a single window from which to look upon the changing Eastern world, it should face, I think, the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/if-one-were-given-a-single-window-from-which-to-look-upon-the/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [advertisement ... has brought our disregard for truth into the open without even a figleaf to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/advertisement-has-brought-our-disregard-for-truth-into-the-open/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Who dares to be intellectual in the presence of death?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/who-dares-to-be-intellectual-in-the-presence-of-death/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [The Persian's mind, like his illuminated manuscripts, does not deal in perspective: two thousand years, if he happens to know anything about them, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-persian-s-mind-like-his-illuminated-manuscripts-does-not-deal-in/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Curiosity is the one thing invincible in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/curiosity-is-the-one-thing-invincible-in-nature/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [There are, I sometimes think, only two sorts of people in this world - the settled and the nomad - and there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/there-are-i-sometimes-think-only-two-sorts-of-people-in-this-world/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Nearly all trouble comes from mis-timing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/nearly-all-trouble-comes-from-mis-timing/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [“I have no reason to go, except that I have never been, and knowledge is better than ignorance. What better reason could there be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/i-have-no-reason-to-go-except-that-i-have-never-been-and-knowledge-is/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) [Explore all 131 Freya Stark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) ## More Bark quotes > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [If the watchdog doesn't bark, how do you know there's a burglar in the basement? And the press is supposed to be a watchdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/if-the-watchdog-doesn-t-bark-how-do-you-know-there-s-a-burglar-in-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [Guests are people who come to your home to see you whine at the table, bark loudly, jump on women wearing pantyhose, and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/guests-are-people-who-come-to-your-home-to-see-you-whine-at-the-table/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [We must guard against becoming so engrossed in the specific nature of the roots and bark of the trees of knowledge as to miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/we-must-guard-against-becoming-so-engrossed-in-the-specific-nature-of/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [A tortoise is, I suppose, a Jewish pet. It knows its place. Out on the lawn. It doesn't bark. It doesn't tear the Dralon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/a-tortoise-is-i-suppose-a-jewish-pet-it-knows-its-place-out-on-the/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) V. R. Krishna Iyer > [It is no use painting the foot of the tree white, the strength of the bark cries out from beneath the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aime-cesaire/it-is-no-use-painting-the-foot-of-the-tree-white-the-strength-of-the/) [Aime Cesaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aime-cesaire/) > [Dogs, also, bark at what they do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/dogs-also-bark-at-what-they-do-not-know/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-needham/the-dogs-may-bark-but-the-caravan-moves-on/) [Joseph Needham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-needham/) > [Dogs that bark dont bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/german-proverb/dogs-that-bark-dont-bite/) German Proverb > [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Ah, to that far distant strand Bridge there was not to convey, Not a bark was near at hand, Yet true love soon found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/ah-to-that-far-distant-strand-bridge-there-was-not-to-convey-not-a/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Don't bother about people who judge you without knowing you... Remember, dogs bark if they don't know the person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-bother-about-people-who-judge-you-without-knowing-you-remember/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to talk with the dogs, you must learn to bark, and bark like an old dog because he doesnt bark without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-want-to-talk-with-the-dogs-you-must-learn-to-bark-and-bark/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) Browse all 383 Bark quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor like the sap between the tree-stem and the bark. We know that it keeps dullness out of religion and poetry. It is probable that without it we might die.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Freya Stark" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a-life-conductor-like-the-sap/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bark" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a-life-conductor-like-the-sap/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fa/freya-stark-3403_bark_we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a_2581845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were not for underestimating magic - a life-conductor like the sap between the tree-stem and the bark. We…” — Freya Stark", "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": "Freya Stark", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We were not for underestimating magic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a-life-conductor-like-the-sap/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/we-were-not-for-underestimating-magic-a-life-conductor-like-the-sap/#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 } } ] } ```