» On magic

…eleven interesting quotations

Interesting to see the relative dearth of quotations about magic before the last century. Was it thought to be something less needing special discussion?

Art is magic delivered from the lie of being truth.

Theodore Adorno . 1903-1969 . German sociologist, philosopher and musicologist . Minima moralia

Creativity is magic. Don’t examine it too closely.

Edward Albee . 1928- . American playwright . quoted, The New York times

Many secrets of art and nature are thought by the unlearned to be magical.

Roger Bacon . c1214-1294 . English theologian, philosopher . quoted in The encyclopedia of science fiction (Nicholls, 1979)

Magic means nothing. It has the potential to connect us to something wonderful, as does any performance, but it is not wonderful in itself, for it is inseparable from the particular performance in which it is experienced.

Derren Brown . 1971- . English illusionist and sceptic . Confessions of a conjuror

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Arthur C Clarke . 1917-2008 . English author and futurist . Clarke’s third law, Profiles of the future

Books are a uniquely portable magic.

Stephen King . 1947- . American author . On writing

The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

Eden Phillpotts . 1862-1960 . English author, poet and dramatist . A shadow passes

Ninety per cent of most magic merely consists of knowing one extra fact.

Terry Pratchett . 1948-2015 . English author of fantasy novels . Night watch

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.

William Shakespeare . 1564-1616 . English poet and playwright . The tempest, III ii

Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.

Thomas Szasz . 1920-2012 . Hungarian-American professor—and critic—of psychiatry . The second sin

I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don’t tell truths. I tell what ought to be truth.

Tennessee Williams . 1911-1983 . American playwright . A streetcar named Desire [spoken by Blanche]

On magic