The 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, 1930Quotes
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, 1878A miracle entails a degree of irrationality—not because it shocks reason, but because it makes no appeal to it.
—Emmanuel Lévinas, 1952The Mughal’s nature is such that they demand miracles, but if a miracle were to be performed by some upright follower of our religion, they would say that it had been brought about by magic and sorcery. They would strike him down with spears or would stone him to death.
—Fr. Antonio Monserrate, 1590Man is always a wizard to man, and the social world is at first magical.
—Jean-Paul Sartre, 1939There is not so contemptible a plant or animal that does not confound the most enlarged understanding.
—John Locke, 1689The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.
—Italo Calvino, 1967Once something becomes discernible, or understandable, we no longer need to repeat it. We can destroy it.
—Robert Wilson, 1991In the past, men created witches; now they create mental patients.
—Thomas Szasz, 1970Appearances often are deceiving.
—Aesop, c. 550 BCThe 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. 1400Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision.
—Robertson Davies, 1985