--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cannot explain how it begins, or why it…" description: "\"“I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what strange alchemy puts such things in motion.”\" — Megan Chance" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png" --- # I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what… ![“I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what strange alchemy puts such things in motion.” quote by Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png) > ““I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what strange alchemy puts such things in motion.”” [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the mysterious start and cause of a phenomenon, likened to alchemy. **In simple terms:** Mystery of how things start. Key Takeaway Explore underlying causes. Themes mystery alchemy origins process Mood curious thoughtful Type philosophical descriptive When to use this quote - scientific research - creative process - personal insight Key Concepts cause‑and‑effect transformation Questions to Reflect On - What initiates this change? - How does alchemy metaphor help? 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Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [ Everybody can close their eyes, picture a dream house or a perfect place \[where\] they'd like to have a picnic. But actually creating it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/everybody-can-close-their-eyes-picture-a-dream-house-or-a-perfect/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [“Introspection does not need to be a still life. It can be an active alchemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-does-not-need-to-be-a-still-life-it-can-be-an-active/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Every human being has gone through a tragedy of sorts. And the idea is that you have two paths you can take, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-michaels/every-human-being-has-gone-through-a-tragedy-of-sorts-and-the-idea-is/) [Jillian Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-michaels/) > [“You must learn to bend to open windows, my friend. That is why artists and dancers are closest to God. They clench their chests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/you-must-learn-to-bend-to-open-windows-my-friend-that-is-why-artists/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Art is Alchemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-nicolai/art-is-alchemy/) [ELLE NICOLAI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-nicolai/) > [“...the world is only the visible aspect of God. And that what alchemy does is to bring spiritual perfection into contact with the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-is-only-the-visible-aspect-of-god-and-that-what-alchemy/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/as-in-the-instances-of-alchemy-astrology-witchcraft-and-other-such/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More by Megan Chance > [“The two of you made something so beautiful it changed the way I saw it. I’ll never think of those places the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/the-two-of-you-made-something-so-beautiful-it-changed-the-way-i-saw/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [Sight is one of the most easily deceived senses. I could make a coin disappear and your eyes would believe it gone, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/sight-is-one-of-the-most-easily-deceived-senses-i-could-make-a-coin/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [ \[I am more than happy to invite my five favorite fictional characters.\]Roland Deschain from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. There's a whole world about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-am-more-than-happy-to-invite-my-five-favorite-fictional-characters/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [ I simply couldn't walk away from \[ The Nightingale\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-simply-couldn-t-walk-away-from-the-nightingale/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [Logic only tells us what's there; it can't really address what isn't. Even the most devoted empiricist must admit that we have no hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/logic-only-tells-us-what-s-there-it-can-t-really-address-what-isn-t/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [ I love women being the heroes of the piece. There is just something so dramatic and important about this story \[The Nightingale \]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-love-women-being-the-heroes-of-the-piece-there-is-just-something-so/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [ I know I'm not normal in this, but \[ Severus \] Snape is absolutely my favorite character in the Harry Potter books. He is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-know-i-m-not-normal-in-this-but-severus-snape-is-absolutely-my/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [I love the idea of ordinary women making extraordinary sacrifices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-love-the-idea-of-ordinary-women-making-extraordinary-sacrifices/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [“Some memories fade to tender nostalgia, and some fade altogether,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/some-memories-fade-to-tender-nostalgia-and-some-fade-altogether/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [“There are no white knights, Soph. Not like in your stories. You have to see people for what they are, not what you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/there-are-no-white-knights-soph-not-like-in-your-stories-you-have-to/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [Trying to justify a world we don't hold all the answers to is what bedevils the best of us. Sometimes it's better just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/trying-to-justify-a-world-we-don-t-hold-all-the-answers-to-is-what/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [“Few men ever wonder such things. They are the center of the world, after all. But women are not so different in what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/few-men-ever-wonder-such-things-they-are-the-center-of-the-world/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [ The women of the French Resistance astounded me. Isabelle and Vianne \[from The Nightingale\] are my homage to those brave and forgotten women. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/the-women-of-the-french-resistance-astounded-me-isabelle-and-vianne/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [I'd extend an invitation to Lisbeth Salander. She would definitely shake the party up and get it started. I think she is hands down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-d-extend-an-invitation-to-lisbeth-salander-she-would-definitely/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [There were others, women with stories that were told in a quieter voice: women who hid Jewish children in their homes, putting themselves directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/there-were-others-women-with-stories-that-were-told-in-a-quieter/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) [Explore all 76 Megan Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) ## More Alchemy quotes > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/as-in-the-instances-of-alchemy-astrology-witchcraft-and-other-such/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“...the world is only the visible aspect of God. And that what alchemy does is to bring spiritual perfection into contact with the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-is-only-the-visible-aspect-of-god-and-that-what-alchemy/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Art is Alchemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-nicolai/art-is-alchemy/) [ELLE NICOLAI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-nicolai/) > [“You must learn to bend to open windows, my friend. That is why artists and dancers are closest to God. They clench their chests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/you-must-learn-to-bend-to-open-windows-my-friend-that-is-why-artists/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Every human being has gone through a tragedy of sorts. And the idea is that you have two paths you can take, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-michaels/every-human-being-has-gone-through-a-tragedy-of-sorts-and-the-idea-is/) [Jillian Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-michaels/) > [“Introspection does not need to be a still life. It can be an active alchemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-does-not-need-to-be-a-still-life-it-can-be-an-active/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [ Everybody can close their eyes, picture a dream house or a perfect place \[where\] they'd like to have a picnic. But actually creating it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/everybody-can-close-their-eyes-picture-a-dream-house-or-a-perfect/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [“She pushed the book towards them, and Harry and Ron read: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/she-pushed-the-book-towards-them-and-harry-and-ron-read-the-ancient/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [For I am every dead thing In whom love wrought new alchemy For his art did express A quintessence even from nothingness, From dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/for-i-am-every-dead-thing-in-whom-love-wrought-new-alchemy-for-his/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [Arya Maloney updates the basis and practice of transpersonal psychology by using the spiritual principles of India's masters and the transformational alchemy inherent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-mindell/arya-maloney-updates-the-basis-and-practice-of-transpersonal/) [Arnold Mindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-mindell/) > [“To follow our bliss and dive deeply into the mysteries of fragrance, color, and taste; blend with the magnificent diversity of mother nature; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prana-gogia/to-follow-our-bliss-and-dive-deeply-into-the-mysteries-of-fragrance/) [Prana Gogia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prana-gogia/) > [ I want to explain the new alchemy \[in the "From Earth, Air, Fire, and Water to a New Vision of Mind and Time"\], which… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-alan-wolf/i-want-to-explain-the-new-alchemy-in-the-from-earth-air-fire-and/) [Fred Alan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-alan-wolf/) > [We swung over the hills and over the town and back again, and I saw how a man can be master of a craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/we-swung-over-the-hills-and-over-the-town-and-back-again-and-i-saw/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [We find that alchemy has to do with magicians or magic and may even have roots in the Chaldean people who lived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-alan-wolf/we-find-that-alchemy-has-to-do-with-magicians-or-magic-and-may-even/) [Fred Alan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-alan-wolf/) [Browse all 349 Alchemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alchemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what strange alchemy puts such things in motion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Megan Chance" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it-happens-what-strange-alchemy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alchemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it-happens-what-strange-alchemy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/megan-chance-8853_alchemy_i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it_1419707.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I cannot explain how it begins, or why it happens, what strange alchemy puts such things in motion.” — Megan Chance", "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": "Megan Chance", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I cannot explain how it begins,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it-happens-what-strange-alchemy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/i-cannot-explain-how-it-begins-or-why-it-happens-what-strange-alchemy/#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 } } ] } ```