The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listening to these murmurs that one hears the truth.
—Gaston Bachelard, 1960Quotes
Everything that deceives does so by casting a spell.
—Plato, c. 375 BCThe believer in magic and miracles reflects on how to impose a law on nature—and, in brief, the religious cult is the outcome of this reflection.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, 1878Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.
—Tom Robbins, 1976The fact is certain because it is impossible.
—Tertullian, c. 200God is alive. Magic is afoot.
—Leonard Cohen, 1966The fear of the Lord is true wisdom, and he who hath it not can in no way penetrate the true secrets of magic.
—Abraham the Jew, c. 1400Any serious attempt to do anything worthwhile is ritualistic.
—Derek Walcott, 1986Nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind.
—Woody Allen, 1979I shall curse you with book and bell and candle.
—Thomas Malory, c. 1470Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
—Saint Augustine, c. 400The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science.
—Albert Einstein, 1930There is not so contemptible a plant or animal that does not confound the most enlarged understanding.
—John Locke, 1689