David Copperfield

I think the negative reinforcement really helped me in my very beginnings.

— David Copperfield

Usually, about two years of work go into each illusion, whether it's big or small. Two years of work on each five-minute…

— David Copperfield

The inspiration for my illusions comes from many places. Most often they come from my dreams, or an everyday occurrence in life.

— David Copperfield

The key is for the audience never to know, so I have a plan B for every illusion.

— David Copperfield

Dreams are illusions, and we can't let go of them because we would be dead.

— David Copperfield

I used to fly around the stage without strings or camera tricks. That took seven years to create.

— David Copperfield

I am fortunate to have the resources to have many methods to do each of my illusions.

— David Copperfield

When you're a guy and meet a girl the first time, you do whatever it takes.

— David Copperfield

When you see me do a five-minute thing, there's been about two years of preparation behind that. You know, I find that's…

— David Copperfield

Magic came very easy for me when I was a kid. When I was 8 years old I started doing it, and…

— David Copperfield

For me, it's about risk taking, taking things in new directions. Because every single time, no matter how much you learn, you…

— David Copperfield

Magic is used in espionage, all the time, for clandestine things. I've got a whole library from a gentleman who was hired…

— David Copperfield

Pippin had an opening number called "Magic to Do," and Jules Fisher, the brilliant lighting designer lit it. Tony Walton did all…

— David Copperfield

When the time came to say, "Mom, I want to do this as a job," it was brutal. She was really against…

— David Copperfield

I'm really trying hard not to do anything that has been done before. So knowing everything I can about the legacy of…

— David Copperfield

It wasn't just about doing tricks. It's about taking an audience to another place, a special place, so they can really suspend…

— David Copperfield

You'd go in the magic shop [as an 8-year-old ], and you'd walk up to the magicians doing stuff, and they'd turn…

— David Copperfield

To make [parents] happy, I went to Fordham University for three weeks, while at the same time running ads in Variety, "magician-actor…

— David Copperfield

I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It…

— David Copperfield

It's really hard to think of one kind of magic as a favorite. I've been really fortunate in that I've been able…

— David Copperfield

Watching people react, watching people be inspired, be taken on a journey, forgetting their problems, looking ahead in their own lives to…

— David Copperfield

Everything that you'd see on The Ed Sullivan Show was at the Tannen's Magic. You'd think that if you could afford a…

— David Copperfield

My job is to make people dream. Of course, there's a lot of technical stuff behind the scenes and a lot of…

— David Copperfield

Later on, towards the end of their lives, I thanked her. I said, "Mom, you were really tough." She said, "I wasn't…

— David Copperfield