There is no substitute for skill. It is the priceless possession of every great artist in every field of endeavor. It is instinctly felt by an audience and is reflected in the superiority of his work

The illusion of magic is an idealistic fantasy; it exists only in the imagination of the spectator.

If people like you, they will like your magic. If you are an artist at what you do, they will sing your praises and applaud your artistry.

The only way to improve a trick is to find a simpler and more direct way of doing it.

Always eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or bed- no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters in your skull.

In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy democratic equality.

Presidents make history but are also a product of it. And there are two kinds: transforming and transactional. Reagan was a transforming president. He made history.

The high-water mark, so to speak, of Socialist literature is W.H. Auden, a sort of gutless Kipling.

Inspire the Vocal Brass, Inspire; The World is past its Infant Age: Arms and Honour, Arms and Honour, Set the Martial Mind on Fire, And kindle Manly Rage.

I have other tastes besides comedy. I love comedy. I adore it, but I love dramatic movies just as much.

I am not inspired by helping you find Chinese food at 2am in Dallas, or swipe right to get laid. I want to use tech and data to make the world a better place.

People don't care to read what they already think or what any people think - they know all that well enough. They want to know what they ought to think.

It is a very poor consolation to be told that the man who has given one a bad dinner, or poor wine, is irreproachable in private life. Even the cardinal virtues cannot atone for half-cold entrees.