--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think like that at school,\"…" description: "\"“I used to think like that at school,\" Sabriel answered. \"Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be --\" \"Rescue..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/garth-nix-2783_sabriel_i-used-to-think-like-that-at-school-sabr_1485997.png" --- # I used to think like that at school," Sabriel answered… ![“I used to think like that at school," Sabriel answered. "Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be --" "Rescued?” quote by Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/garth-nix-2783_sabriel_i-used-to-think-like-that-at-school-sabr_1485997.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/garth-nix-2783_sabriel_i-used-to-think-like-that-at-school-sabr_1485997.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/garth-nix-2783_sabriel_i-used-to-think-like-that-at-school-sabr_1485997.png) > ““I used to think like that at school," Sabriel answered. "Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be --" "Rescued?”” [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reflects on school fantasies versus the harsh realities of magic and duty in a mythic world. **In simple terms:** School dreams clash with real magical responsibilities. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between imagination and duty. Themes imagination responsibility magic growth Mood reflective melancholic Type literary character When to use this quote - creative writing - role‑playing games - fantasy literature - personal reflection Key Concepts Worldbuilding character development Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile youthful dreams with adult obligations? - What responsibilities arise when power is real? A Different Perspective Idealism often meets complex moral choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answered Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-dreaming-5426538/) [Dreaming Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming-old-2707783/) [Old Kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-kingdom-4684469/) [Sabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabriel-162018/) [Sabriel Answered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabriel-answered-5426539/) [School Sabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-sabriel-5426540/) [Touchstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touchstone/) ## Related quotes > [Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/death-and-what-came-after-death-was-no-great-mystery-to-sabriel-she/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Your father is angry with me because he thinks I almost got myself killed,' said Sabriel, with a slight grin. 'I don't understand it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/your-father-is-angry-with-me-because-he-thinks-i-almost-got-myself/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-love-you-he-whispered-i-hope-you-don-t-mind/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [A hundred hundred heartbeats..." whispered Sabriel, tears falling down her face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/a-hundred-hundred-heartbeats-whispered-sabriel-tears-falling-down-her/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [I am Abhorsen..." He looked at the baby again and added, almost with a note of surprise, "Father of Sabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-am-abhorsen-he-looked-at-the-baby-again-and-added-almost-with-a/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Touchstone watched, suddenly conscious that he probably only had five seconds left to be alone with Sabriel, to say something, to say anything. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/touchstone-watched-suddenly-conscious-that-he-probably-only-had-five/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Everything moved rapidly after the tea was drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/everything-moved-rapidly-after-the-tea-was-drunk/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“The Dog was a different matter. She was new, or so old that any book that told of her was long since dust. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/the-dog-was-a-different-matter-she-was-new-or-so-old-that-any-book/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Were we just two more rootless jungle-dwelling erotomaniacs creamining in their pre-faded jeans over Historical New England, dreaming the old agrarian dream in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/were-we-just-two-more-rootless-jungle-dwelling-erotomaniacs/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“He thought, as the locked truck slid and hit: Too much time staring at the pretty girl, Cherrik. Too much dreaming. Too old, Cherrik.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/he-thought-as-the-locked-truck-slid-and-hit-too-much-time-staring-at/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“With the consolidation under Menes it was already an institution of great age, and over four centuries of development which then followed, had at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-henry-breasted/with-the-consolidation-under-menes-it-was-already-an-institution-of/) [James Henry Breasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-henry-breasted/) > [“Another great change which differentiates the Middle Kingdom (XIth-XIIIth Dynasties) from the Old Kingdom was caused by Egypt's coming into contact with other outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/another-great-change-which-differentiates-the-middle-kingdom-xith/) [Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/) ## More by Garth Nix > [Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/death-and-what-came-after-death-was-no-great-mystery-to-sabriel-she/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Choosers will be beggars if the begging's not their choosing," said the Dog "What does that mean?" "I have no idea," said the Dog”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/choosers-will-be-beggars-if-the-begging-s-not-their-choosing-said-the/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Time plays tricks between here and home," said Mogget sepulchrally, frightening the life out of the telephone operator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/time-plays-tricks-between-here-and-home-said-mogget-sepulchrally/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [ “Mmmmmm, said Ardent \[the Royal Dog\]. He liked cooked food. Also raw food and semicooked food, and things that might be food and so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/mmmmmm-said-ardent-the-royal-dog-he-liked-cooked-food-also-raw-food/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [I enjoyed the army reserve, and I learned a lot from it, but I also... it helped me work out that I didn't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-enjoyed-the-army-reserve-and-i-learned-a-lot-from-it-but-i-also-it/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“If I'm not back by nightfall, come and take a very careful look, said Anya. But I don't expect to need rescuing. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/if-i-m-not-back-by-nightfall-come-and-take-a-very-careful-look-said/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Come, said Tanitha. Come to the Great Hall, and we will lie down with the puppies, and I will tell you a story. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/come-said-tanitha-come-to-the-great-hall-and-we-will-lie-down-with/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [So I'll do that, and I'll do my best and if my best isn't good enough, at least I will have done everything I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/so-i-ll-do-that-and-i-ll-do-my-best-and-if-my-best-isn-t-good-enough/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [He was obviously a very arrogant ragamuffin, and younger than she was, to boot. And he was wearing a necromancer's bells! Apart from that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/he-was-obviously-a-very-arrogant-ragamuffin-and-younger-than-she-was/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“she still felt she was a librarian and always would be, no matter what else she had become as well. “We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/she-still-felt-she-was-a-librarian-and-always-would-be-no-matter-what/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“I don't want to be that kind of sorcerer, said Anya swiftly. Besides, you wouldn't...you wouldn't love me then, would you? We will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-don-t-want-to-be-that-kind-of-sorcerer-said-anya-swiftly-besides/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Fear and realisation of ignorance, strong medicines against stupid pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/fear-and-realisation-of-ignorance-strong-medicines-against-stupid/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“I didn't know why he became a tree. I don't really know anything about why druids become trees- Peace and quiet, said Elisandria matter-of-factly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-didn-t-know-why-he-became-a-tree-i-don-t-really-know-anything-about/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Our parts now -- which perforce we must play -- are not father and daughter, but one old Abhorsen, making way for the new.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/our-parts-now-which-perforce-we-must-play-are-not-father-and-daughter/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [We've had enough of your pretending to be God. We'll take our chances getting out of the city. Things have to be better in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/we-ve-had-enough-of-your-pretending-to-be-god-we-ll-take-our-chances/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) [Explore all 147 Garth Nix quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) ## More Sabriel quotes > [Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/death-and-what-came-after-death-was-no-great-mystery-to-sabriel-she/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“Everything moved rapidly after the tea was drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/everything-moved-rapidly-after-the-tea-was-drunk/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Touchstone watched, suddenly conscious that he probably only had five seconds left to be alone with Sabriel, to say something, to say anything. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/touchstone-watched-suddenly-conscious-that-he-probably-only-had-five/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [I am Abhorsen..." He looked at the baby again and added, almost with a note of surprise, "Father of Sabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-am-abhorsen-he-looked-at-the-baby-again-and-added-almost-with-a/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [A hundred hundred heartbeats..." whispered Sabriel, tears falling down her face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/a-hundred-hundred-heartbeats-whispered-sabriel-tears-falling-down-her/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/i-love-you-he-whispered-i-hope-you-don-t-mind/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [Your father is angry with me because he thinks I almost got myself killed,' said Sabriel, with a slight grin. 'I don't understand it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/your-father-is-angry-with-me-because-he-thinks-i-almost-got-myself/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [“The Dog was a different matter. She was new, or so old that any book that told of her was long since dust. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/the-dog-was-a-different-matter-she-was-new-or-so-old-that-any-book/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) [Browse all 9 Sabriel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabriel-162018/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I used to think like that at school,\" Sabriel answered. \"Dreaming about the Old Kingdom. Proper Charter Magic. Dead to bind. 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