You never see animals going through the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but now, as yet, intelligent enough.

Summary

This quote suggests that animals do not engage in the irrational practices of magic and religion, unlike humans. It posits that this behavior is a consequence of human intelligence not being fully developed, leading people to partake in unnecessary and often foolish rituals. The quote implies that human intelligence can be a double-edged sword, as it enables our capacity for reasoning but also leads us to engage in irrational and sometimes harmful behaviors.