“Enjoy failure and learn from it. You never learn from success.”— James Dyson, quoted in The Mind and Magic of David Berglas Failure has a bad reputation. Most of us try to avoid it at all costs, fearing embarrassment or disappointment. But as James Dyson—an inventor known for his relentlessRead More
Author: rickdzmagic
“No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.”— Harry Houdini Harry Houdini was a master escape artist, an illusionist who defied logic and pushed the limits of human endurance. But beneath his daredevil persona was a deep understanding of preparation, skill,Read More
“The generation of atmosphere, the aura of the uncanny, is one of the most important secrets of magic. It contributes to the willing suspension of disbelief, the feeling that, within the circle, or in the presence of the magical shrine, anything may happen.”— Doreen Valiente, An ABC of Witchcraft MagicRead More
“Mysteries are not necessarily miracles.”— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Mystery and miracle—two words often used interchangeably, but as Goethe points out, they are not the same. As a magician, I work with mystery every day. My job isn’t to perform miracles; it’s to create the feeling of one. And whileRead More
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”— Walter Bagehot There’s something thrilling about proving people wrong—not out of spite, but out of sheer determination. As a magician, I get to experience this all the time. Whether it’s making an object vanish, reading someone’s mind,Read More
“If you can truly believe what you are pretending to do is really happening, then your audience will believe it, too.”— Richard Osterlind, Making Magic Real Magic is often seen as an art of deception, but as Richard Osterlind explains, it’s so much more than that. At its core, magicRead More
“In other words, the magic show takes place primarily in the spectator’s head…. Nevertheless, the wizard may exert a certain degree of control: he determines what the audience shall not pay attention to (a process known in conjuring as misdirection), and he restricts so far as he can the waysRead More
“Wonder is a very subtle, precious emotion, often lost in the gross hustle and bustle of modern life. When we feel wonder, we are immediately reminded of the purity and innocence of our childhood. Then everything was magical and mysterious. Magic should help us relive that wonder.”— Doug Henning InRead More
“All magic is about transformation… the performance magician is telling you that you are the magician in your own life. You are the agent of transformation, your own transformation.”— Eugene Burger Magic is often seen as a performance art, something meant to entertain. But as Eugene Burger reminds us, magicRead More
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”— Albert Einstein As a magician, I live in the realm of mystery. Every trick, every illusion is designed to spark that sense of awe and wonder Einstein spoke about. ButRead More