---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Magic is not inherently anything. It is…"
description: "\"Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.\" — Derren Brown"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg"
---

#  Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.

![“Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.” quote by Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg)

> “Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.”

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Magic's power comes from perception and belief, not from any intrinsic quality.

**In simple terms:** Magic works because of belief.

Key Takeaway

Focus on perception, not the object.

Themes

perception belief performance

Mood

intriguing analytical

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- stage shows
- advertising
- personal branding
- sales pitches

Key Concepts

Psychology illusion marketing

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you shape others' perceptions?
- What role does belief play in value creation?

A Different Perspective

If the audience is skeptical, the effect fails.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inherently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherently/) [Inherently Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherently-sell-4231098/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Magic Inherently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-inherently-1560901/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/)

## Related quotes

> [Magic has been around forever, and it's also been in trouble forever. I'm not suggesting that there was ever a time when the practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-liss/magic-has-been-around-forever-and-it-s-also-been-in-trouble-forever-i/)

[David Liss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-liss/)

> [“It wasn’t that the dark side was stronger, but that everything was the dark side. All magic was inherently wrong, and it was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/it-wasn-t-that-the-dark-side-was-stronger-but-that-everything-was-the/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [If you sell your soul to the devil, you get more grain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/if-you-sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-you-get-more-grain/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [Sell yourself before you try to sell your company or your product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/sell-yourself-before-you-try-to-sell-your-company-or-your-product/)

[Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/)

> [I will never ever sell Neverland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-will-never-ever-sell-neverland/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

> [My uncle was the first brown person to have a market stall on Petticoat Lane in the 1960s. He worked his way up from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/my-uncle-was-the-first-brown-person-to-have-a-market-stall-on/)

[M.I.A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-a/)

> [Sell your presence and purchase bewilderment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/sell-your-presence-and-purchase-bewilderment/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [The only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-only-thing-i-wouldn-t-do-is-sell-my-arse/)

[Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/)

> [That's the reality of what they're going to sell them to the Treasury for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/that-s-the-reality-of-what-they-re-going-to-sell-them-to-the-treasury/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [My real life helped me sell a lot of records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/my-real-life-helped-me-sell-a-lot-of-records/)

[The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/)

> [A lot of drive is innate, self-perpetuated, reinforced energy. As a kid, I could always sell anything I could get my hands on -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/a-lot-of-drive-is-innate-self-perpetuated-reinforced-energy-as-a-kid/)

[Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/)

> [The saddest day of your life is when you decide to sell out, and nobody wants to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/the-saddest-day-of-your-life-is-when-you-decide-to-sell-out-and/)

[Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/)

> [Do you guys have to sell everything? I'd like to buy the Earth's core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-guys-have-to-sell-everything-i-d-like-to-buy-the-earth-s-core/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [Controversy sells, politics sell, all that type of stuff sells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/controversy-sells-politics-sell-all-that-type-of-stuff-sells/)

[Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/)

> [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## More by Derren Brown

> [The single most valuable human trait, the one quality every schoolchild and adult should be taught to nurture, is, quite simply, kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/the-single-most-valuable-human-trait-the-one-quality-every/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [I think you can be sceptical, and still do things that are in a joyful way, and ultimately you are on stage entertaining. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/i-think-you-can-be-sceptical-and-still-do-things-that-are-in-a-joyful/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [When you're with your partner, I think, does everyone else sing and do the stupid voices and all that stuff that I do and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/when-you-re-with-your-partner-i-think-does-everyone-else-sing-and-do/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [People often think that you get the most of everything from having your face on the screen but its really, like musicians, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/people-often-think-that-you-get-the-most-of-everything-from-having/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [Mentalist is the technical term for what I do and it covers everything from psychic medium through Uri Geller, through to magicians doing tricks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/mentalist-is-the-technical-term-for-what-i-do-and-it-covers/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [“I'd rather cut off my own balls with blunt bacon scissors than host a dinner party.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/i-d-rather-cut-off-my-own-balls-with-blunt-bacon-scissors-than-host-a/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [There's something a bit embarrassing about saying you're a magician. It immediately suggests all these horrendous cliches, let alone that you're a grown-up doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/there-s-something-a-bit-embarrassing-about-saying-you-re-a-magician/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [Our fascination with weather: its caprices and changes as an antidote to the eternal repetition of daily life; a helpful illusion of novelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/our-fascination-with-weather-its-caprices-and-changes-as-an-antidote/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [I have got friends that I have got to know and found out that, the first few times I was with them, they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/i-have-got-friends-that-i-have-got-to-know-and-found-out-that-the/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [Magic is a performance, and a performance should have an honesty, a relevance and a resonance if it is to be offered to spectators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/magic-is-a-performance-and-a-performance-should-have-an-honesty-a/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [I'm probably more persuasive than the next person if I want to be, but do I want to be? In my head, I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/i-m-probably-more-persuasive-than-the-next-person-if-i-want-to-be-but/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [I was part of a very uncool group. It was a group that liked classical music. They were known as the Music School Gang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/i-was-part-of-a-very-uncool-group-it-was-a-group-that-liked-classical/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [Guilt's too strong a word, but there is this niggling worry that I'm a grown-up doing a childish job and it would be nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/guilt-s-too-strong-a-word-but-there-is-this-niggling-worry-that-i-m-a/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [If someone does not have a specific charity they would like to donate to, that's OK. An undesignated donation would be split up evenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/if-someone-does-not-have-a-specific-charity-they-would-like-to-donate/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [If people have very big personalities, I find myself feeling I have nothing to offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/if-people-have-very-big-personalities-i-find-myself-feeling-i-have/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

[Explore all 139 Derren Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

## More Funny quotes

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers &amp; think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [Congratulations to Facebook on going public with all my private information...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-facebook-on-going-public-with-all-my-private/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

> [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/)

[Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/)

> [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/)

[Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/)

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

[Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/)

> [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/)

[Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

[Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/)

[Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Derren Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-what-you-sell-it-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Funny"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-what-you-sell-it-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/derren-brown-3112_funny_magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-w_2106325.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Magic is not inherently anything. It is what you sell it as.” — Derren Brown",
                "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": "Derren Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Magic is not inherently anything. It...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-what-you-sell-it-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/magic-is-not-inherently-anything-it-is-what-you-sell-it-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
