--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A magical portal opened inside my mind…" description: "\"A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me into an astonishing world. [...] Before this moment I had divined but had never known with such..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_astonishing_a-magical-portal-opened-inside-my-mind-a_2506787.jpg" --- # A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me… ![“A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me into an astonishing world. [...] Before this moment I had divined but had never known with such positiveness that the world is extremely large and that suffering and toil are the companions and fellow warriors not only of Cretan, but of every…” quote by Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_astonishing_a-magical-portal-opened-inside-my-mind-a_2506787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_astonishing_a-magical-portal-opened-inside-my-mind-a_2506787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/nikos-kazantzakis-1116_astonishing_a-magical-portal-opened-inside-my-mind-a_2506787.jpg) > “A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me into an astonishing world. \[...\] Before this moment I had divined but had never known with such positiveness that the world is extremely large and that suffering and toil are the companions and fellow warriors not only of Cretan, but of every man. \[...\] That by means of poetry all this suffering and effort could be transformed into dream; no matter how much of the ephemeral existed, poetry could immortalize it by turning it into song.” [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry can transform suffering and toil into timeless art, allowing the fleeting to become immortal through song and imagination. **In simple terms:** Poetry turns pain into lasting beauty. Key Takeaway Use poetry to give meaning to hardship. Themes art suffering transcendence immortality imagination Mood inspirational melancholic uplifting Type literary spiritual When to use this quote - writing - healing - storytelling - meditation - creative practice Key Concepts poetic alchemy creative resilience spiritual insight Questions to Reflect On - How does art change your perception of pain? - What personal hardships could you transform through creative expression? A Different Perspective Poetry may not fully alleviate suffering; it merely reframes it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) [Ephemeral Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral-existed-1117493/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Existed Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed-poetry-1117492/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moment Divined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-divined-1117496/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Immortalize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-immortalize-1117494/) [Poetry Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-suffering-1117495/) [Portal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portal/) [Positiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positiveness/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Toil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toil/) [Transformed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformed/) [Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warrior/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“By means of poetry all this suffering and effort could be transformed into dream; no matter how much of the ephemeral existed, poetry could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/by-means-of-poetry-all-this-suffering-and-effort-could-be-transformed/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [I think most good poetry is about suffering; I think that's what underlies the love in these landays pieces - suffering and longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/i-think-most-good-poetry-is-about-suffering-i-think-that-s-what/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [“Seeing the mud around a lotus is pessimism, seeing a lotus in the mud is optimism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/seeing-the-mud-around-a-lotus-is-pessimism-seeing-a-lotus-in-the-mud/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Every one of his opinions appears to himself to be written with sunbeams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/every-one-of-his-opinions-appears-to-himself-to-be-written-with/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Positiveness of soul is favorably gained through the love nature, rather than through mental prowess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positiveness-of-soul-is-favorably-gained-through-the-love-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is always a storm before a calm. 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Positive energy brings a certain glow, so think positive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mya/best-beauty-tip-work-yourself-from-the-inside-out-eat-right-drink/) [Mya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mya/) > [It's funny how nice you could be, or cheerful for that matter, but the people around you still count you as someone negative. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/it-s-funny-how-nice-you-could-be-or-cheerful-for-that-matter-but-the/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [Positiveness is a good quality for preachers and speakers because, whoever shares his thoughts with the public will convince them as he himself appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/positiveness-is-a-good-quality-for-preachers-and-speakers-because/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [What you think you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/what-you-think-you-become/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I am happy that I am back and with a great project like 'Vicky Donor.' I have had a hard time in the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/i-am-happy-that-i-am-back-and-with-a-great-project-like-vicky-donor-i/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [“Vulnerability + Action + Positive Thinking = Courage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/vulnerability-action-positive-thinking-courage/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“A positive attitude is most easily arrived at through a deliberate and rational analysis of what’s required to manifest unwavering positive thought patterns. First,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-e-davey/a-positive-attitude-is-most-easily-arrived-at-through-a-deliberate/) [H.E. Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-e-davey/) ## More by Nikos Kazantzakis > [“We gaze with perplexity at the highest part of the spiral of force that governs the Universe. And we call it God. We could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/we-gaze-with-perplexity-at-the-highest-part-of-the-spiral-of-force/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Everything in this world has a hidden meaning, I thought. 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Help me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-possess-no-weapon-but-love-with-that-i-have-come-to-do-battle-help/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Today, any action anywhere on earth has an immediate repercussion on all five continents. News of a victory of the Eastern armies in Morocco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/today-any-action-anywhere-on-earth-has-an-immediate-repercussion-on/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“The Lord preserve us from sainthood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/the-lord-preserve-us-from-sainthood/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else - he never dares cut the rope and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/you-have-everything-but-one-thing-madness-a-man-needs-a-little/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/a-man-needs-a-little-madness-or-else-he-never-dares-cut-the-rope-and/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [There's a devil inside me which cries, "You're not the son of the Carpenter, you're the son of King David! You are not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/there-s-a-devil-inside-me-which-cries-you-re-not-the-son-of-the/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Lions and Lambs, love and force, light and fire, good and evil: all things climb the same mountain, the mountain of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/lions-and-lambs-love-and-force-light-and-fire-good-and-evil-all/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [I say one thing, you write another, and those who read you understand still something else! I say: cross, death, kingdom of heaven, God...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-say-one-thing-you-write-another-and-those-who-read-you-understand/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“No, you're not free," he said. "The string you're tied to is perhaps no longer than other people's. That's all. You're on a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/no-you-re-not-free-he-said-the-string-you-re-tied-to-is-perhaps-no/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [The masses do not see the Sirens. They do not hear songs in the air. Blind, deaf, stooping, they pull at their oars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/the-masses-do-not-see-the-sirens-they-do-not-hear-songs-in-the-air/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) [Explore all 275 Nikos Kazantzakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) ## More Astonishing quotes > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) [Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The astonishing thing for me is that I had a career before politics and I never thought about my colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/the-astonishing-thing-for-me-is-that-i-had-a-career-before-politics/) [Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/) > [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It's Twitter's combination of simplicity and complexity that is astonishing in the same way that minimalist sculpture was inspiring and enlightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/it-s-twitter-s-combination-of-simplicity-and-complexity-that-is/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) > [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“No one ever said aloud any of the kinds of things he was so constantly thinking, because no one in the parish, not Alice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/no-one-ever-said-aloud-any-of-the-kinds-of-things-he-was-so/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) [Browse all 410 Astonishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me into an astonishing world. [...] Before this moment I had divined but had never known with such positiveness that the world is extremely large and that suffering and toil are the companions and fellow warriors not only of Cretan, but of every man. 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