Faith Quote by Adrian Tchaikovsky
““Ah, but it is an interesting thing, that these things can so seldom be proved. If I were to perform some piece of, hrmf, magic for you, here in this room, you would claim a thousand ways it could have been done. Indeed, those ways might be exceedingly unlikely, but you would cling to them rather than accept the, mmn, the chance that magic, the eternal inexplicable, might be the true agent, and if you were strong enough in yourself, unafraid, unthreatened, here in your own chambers, well perhaps there would be no magic worked at all. It is a subjective force, you see, whereas the physical laws of the artificers are objective. A gear-train will turn without faith, but magic may not. And so, when your people demand, mmn, proof, there is none, but when you have forgotten and dismissed it, then magic creeps back into the gaps where you do not look for it.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Children of Time, 2015
The passage contrasts the elusive nature of magic with the certainty of physical laws, suggesting that belief and imagination fill gaps where proof is absent.
In simple terms: Magic exists where we accept uncertainty; science is proof‑based.
Key Takeaway
Embrace wonder while respecting evidence.
Themes
imagination
belief
science
uncertainty
subjectivity
Mood
curious
reflective
inquisitive
Type
literary
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- storytelling
- scientific inquiry
- personal growth
- creative problem solving
Key Concepts
philosophy of mind
epistemology
magical realism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance wonder and rationality?
- When is faith more useful than proof?
A Different Perspective
Magic may be dismissed as irrational.
![“I have taken on many Understandings in my life [...]. I have listened to another Messenger's incomprehensible signals in the night. The thing you call God is not even alone in the sky. It is a thing of metal that demands we make more things of metal - and I have seen it, how small it is.” quote by Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/80a/adrian-tchaikovsky-21498_alone_i-have-taken-on-many-understandings-in-m_1347667.jpg)
