--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I promised your father I wouldn't teach…" description: "\"“I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic. Particularly after what happened with your mother. And I also promised some other people that I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/scarlett-thomas-8232_five-years_i-promised-your-father-i-wouldn-t-teach_1211205.jpg" --- # I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic… ![“I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic. Particularly after what happened with your mother. And I also promised some other people that I would not do any magic for five years... and indeed I have not done any magic for five years. Although...' He looked at his watch. 'The five years…” quote by Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/scarlett-thomas-8232_five-years_i-promised-your-father-i-wouldn-t-teach_1211205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/scarlett-thomas-8232_five-years_i-promised-your-father-i-wouldn-t-teach_1211205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df3/scarlett-thomas-8232_five-years_i-promised-your-father-i-wouldn-t-teach_1211205.jpg) > ““I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic. Particularly after what happened with your mother. And I also promised some other people that I would not do any magic for five years... and indeed I have not done any magic for five years. Although...' He looked at his watch. 'The five years is due to run out next Tuesday. Things should get more interesting then.”” [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He vows not to use magic for five years, but the deadline is approaching, hinting at future conflict. **In simple terms:** He promised to avoid magic until a set date, which is near. Key Takeaway Prepare for change when the restriction ends. Themes magic promise deadline conflict Mood tension anticipation Type narrative foreshadowing When to use this quote - family dynamics - magical abilities - time‑bound vows Key Concepts ethical restraint anticipation Questions to Reflect On - Will he keep his word? - What will happen when the deadline passes? A Different Perspective The promise may be broken under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“I’ll talk to my mother,” she promised. “If I’m sufficiently annoying, I’m sure I can get the engagement period cut in half.” “It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/i-ll-talk-to-my-mother-she-promised-if-i-m-sufficiently-annoying-i-m/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“She was promised to Father at five. They married at sixteen, earlier than expected. Everyone’s future changed upon learning the name H Chí Minh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thanhha-lai/she-was-promised-to-father-at-five-they-married-at-sixteen-earlier/) [Thanhha Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thanhha-lai/) > [I have been performing in the street for more than 50 years: magic for basically 60 years, and the high wire 45 years. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-have-been-performing-in-the-street-for-more-than-50-years-magic-for/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [“night. “Will you ever teach us magic, Grandma?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/night-will-you-ever-teach-us-magic-grandma/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. Hagrid seized his pink umbrella and whirled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-am-not-paying-for-some-crackpot-old-fool-to-teach-him-magic-tricks-2/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Sometimes I wonder what makes you keep running back to me, but when I take you back, you keep hurting me. You have promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-wonder-what-makes-you-keep-running-back-to-me-but-when-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God promised to make you free. He never promised to make you independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/god-promised-to-make-you-free-he-never-promised-to-make-you/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have a bad history with resolutions! I don't think I have kept up even one of them so far. Once, I promised to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nivin-pauly/i-have-a-bad-history-with-resolutions-i-don-t-think-i-have-kept-up/) [Nivin Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nivin-pauly/) > [“All of the things that you promised me that you'd be, now your hands are tired. 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"He was foolish to promise such things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-wylie/he-promised-he-d-never-leave-me-that-we-d-be-friends-forever-he-was/) [Jen Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-wylie/) > [“She promised me I wasn’t the product of my yesterdays, and knew I was destined for amazing tomorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittainy-c-cherry/she-promised-me-i-wasn-t-the-product-of-my-yesterdays-and-knew-i-was/) [Brittainy C. Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittainy-c-cherry/) > [“What He has chosen not to reveal to me is inconsequential when compared to what He has promised me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-smith/what-he-has-chosen-not-to-reveal-to-me-is-inconsequential-when/) [Angie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-smith/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) ## More by Scarlett Thomas > [“Someone who has the delusion Glass, is made of, does not literally believe herself to be made of glass but rather feels fragile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/someone-who-has-the-delusion-glass-is-made-of-does-not-literally/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Child, all books are magic. Just think,' he said, 'about what books make people do. People go to war on the basis of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/child-all-books-are-magic-just-think-he-said-about-what-books-make/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Living for ever would be like marrying yourself, with no possibility of a divorce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/living-for-ever-would-be-like-marrying-yourself-with-no-possibility/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [But I quite like the way you can talk about science without necessarily using mathematics, but using metaphors instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/but-i-quite-like-the-way-you-can-talk-about-science-without/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“My mind now has a celebration party and a funeral going on in the same room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/my-mind-now-has-a-celebration-party-and-a-funeral-going-on-in-the/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [You can't do science in a novel, but you can do philosophy. Or, if you're really lucky, you can manage to pose a question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/you-can-t-do-science-in-a-novel-but-you-can-do-philosophy-or-if-you/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Even if you did drop into someone's consciousness, you'd have all their memories and desires and hang-ups right there in front of you. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/even-if-you-did-drop-into-someone-s-consciousness-you-d-have-all/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I erased the thought from my mind, but I couldn't undo the fact that I'd had the thought in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-erased-the-thought-from-my-mind-but-i-couldn-t-undo-the-fact-that-i/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“They really do have nothing in common on paper, these people and him. 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You tell them that nothing irrational exists in this world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/you-tell-them-what-a-happy-ending-consists-of-which-is-always/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I hate stereotypes and I hate cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-hate-stereotypes-and-i-hate-cliche/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Not all events are stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/not-all-events-are-stories/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) [Explore all 81 Scarlett Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) ## More Five years quotes > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind > [“A clear look back on the Cold War's battlegrounds, along with a sense of relief that the world survived forty-five years of confrontation, evokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-clear-look-back-on-the-cold-war-s-battlegrounds-along-with-a-sense/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Something had been confirmed: I was worth giving a shit about; I was getting to be a successful sick person. Sick is when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/something-had-been-confirmed-i-was-worth-giving-a-shit-about-i-was/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [“His Army Ranger unit had always been ready for an ambush. Five years in special ops had made him suspicious of most. On that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-perini/his-army-ranger-unit-had-always-been-ready-for-an-ambush-five-years/) [Robin Perini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-perini/) > [“I looked at him, tipping down the coarse wine like a man who expects to put up with worse. I felt I was looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-renault/i-looked-at-him-tipping-down-the-coarse-wine-like-a-man-who-expects/) [Mary Renault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-renault/) > [I was sober for five years a long time ago and was just bored out of my tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-was-sober-for-five-years-a-long-time-ago-and-was-just-bored-out-of/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [“Whatand why were never questions for me. How was the only question. When I look back now, I realize that I never thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/whatand-why-were-never-questions-for-me-how-was-the-only-question/) [Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“most professionals progress until they reach an “acceptable” level, and then they plateau. Software engineers, for instance, usually stop progressing somewhere around five years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-grenny/most-professionals-progress-until-they-reach-an-acceptable-level-and/) [Joseph Grenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-grenny/) > [In five years of my previous tenure, the treasury was never shut for one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amarinder-singh/in-five-years-of-my-previous-tenure-the-treasury-was-never-shut-for/) [Amarinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amarinder-singh/) > [We have been playing every summer on clay since I was five years old, so it is an easy surface for us in Belgium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-goffin/we-have-been-playing-every-summer-on-clay-since-i-was-five-years-old/) [David Goffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-goffin/) > [I'm an immigrant, a legal immigrant to the United States. I only became a citizen five years ago. Every day, for seven months, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/i-m-an-immigrant-a-legal-immigrant-to-the-united-states-i-only-became/) [Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Wrestling introduced me to the idea that my body has a purpose besides trying to look five years younger for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-gilpin/wrestling-introduced-me-to-the-idea-that-my-body-has-a-purpose/) [Betty Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-gilpin/) > [“I have entered the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest almost weekly virtually since it began and have never even been a finalist. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mankoff/i-have-entered-the-new-yorker-s-cartoon-caption-contest-almost-weekly/) Bob Mankoff Browse all 2,724 Five years quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic. Particularly after what happened with your mother. And I also promised some other people that I would not do any magic for five years... and indeed I have not done any magic for five years. Although...' He looked at his watch. 'The five years is due to run out next Tuesday. 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