Children see magic because they look for it.

The line contrasts a child’s stance toward the world with the more guarded perception common in adulthood. “Magic” here is less about the supernatural than about wonder: children approach experience expecting surprise, meaning, and delight, so they notice patterns, possibilities, and small marvels that others filter out. The quote implies that perception is partly an act of will—what we “look for” shapes what we find. As a result, the loss of magic is framed not as the world becoming dull, but as attention becoming narrower. It invites readers to recover wonder by practicing curiosity and openness rather than cynicism.