--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In magic, it takes two or three years for…" description: "\"In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a 5-minute illusion for me to get it to the level I want.\" — David Copperfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png" --- # In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a… ![“In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a 5-minute illusion for me to get it to the level I want.” quote by David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png) > “In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a 5-minute illusion for me to get it to the level I want.” [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating a convincing illusion demands years of practice, refinement, and patience before it meets the creator’s standards. **In simple terms:** Illusions require long practice to perfect. Key Takeaway Invest time and iterate. Themes patience craftsmanship creativity Mood dedicated reflective Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - stage shows - magic workshops - personal projects - teaching magic Key Concepts skill development iteration performance art Questions to Reflect On - How many revisions does a perfect illusion need? - What does patience teach beyond magic? A Different Perspective Even after years, audience expectations can outpace the illusion’s impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a big fan of the Pixar movies, and Ed Catmull, who wrote a book about his experiences producing them, talks about how it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-m-a-big-fan-of-the-pixar-movies-and-ed-catmull-who-wrote-a-book/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [It takes six years to make a golfer: three to learn the game, then another three to unlearn all you have learned in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-hagen/it-takes-six-years-to-make-a-golfer-three-to-learn-the-game-then/) [Walter Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-hagen/) > [It takes three years to be an overnight success, sometimes more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-takes-three-years-to-be-an-overnight-success-sometimes-more/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I'm the luckiest man in the world - performing 500 shows a year and loving what I do - illusion IS my day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-m-the-luckiest-man-in-the-world-performing-500-shows-a-year-and/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I am fortunate to have the resources to have many methods to do each of my illusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-am-fortunate-to-have-the-resources-to-have-many-methods-to-do-each/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [Magicians are the people who began to use film as an illusion on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/magicians-are-the-people-who-began-to-use-film-as-an-illusion-on-stage/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [“When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a damn for anything. 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To heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hqlinestumblr/something-which-hurt-us-within-seconds-takes-years-to-get-over-to-heal/) HQLinesTumblr > [A reputation takes years to build, but only a moment to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-reputation-takes-years-to-build-but-only-a-moment-to-destroy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Someone told me once that Lucinda Williams takes six years between albums, and that's what stuck to me; it's like, you really are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/someone-told-me-once-that-lucinda-williams-takes-six-years-between/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) ## More by David Copperfield > [There is a safe spot within every tornado. My job is to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/there-is-a-safe-spot-within-every-tornado-my-job-is-to-find-it/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I'm inventing new principles. The audience has a point of view that no one can predict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-m-inventing-new-principles-the-audience-has-a-point-of-view-that-no/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I love creating new things. It's kind of my job, it's what I do, and I really have fun with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-love-creating-new-things-it-s-kind-of-my-job-it-s-what-i-do-and-i/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I was teaching magic at NYU when I was 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-was-teaching-magic-at-nyu-when-i-was-16/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [The real secret of magic lies in the performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/the-real-secret-of-magic-lies-in-the-performance/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [Everyone was talking about having airplanes disappear. And I said, "Wait, wait, wait. That's what you like? 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I didn't rely on just the magic to take place. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/from-the-very-beginning-i-studied-acting-directing-lighting-dance-and/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) [Explore all 144 David Copperfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) ## More Illusion quotes > [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/) [Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/) > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Without illusions. 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The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [Things aren't always as they appear. I've been believing things to be a certain way because I want them to be that way. 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Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Browse all 3,604 Illusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a 5-minute illusion for me to get it to the level I want.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Copperfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for-me-to-create-a-5-minute/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Illusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for-me-to-create-a-5-minute/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/david-copperfield-2966_illusion_in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for_747866.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In magic, it takes two or three years for me to create a 5-minute illusion for me to get it to the level I…” — David Copperfield", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Copperfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In magic, it takes two or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for-me-to-create-a-5-minute/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/in-magic-it-takes-two-or-three-years-for-me-to-create-a-5-minute/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```