--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They want to believe that magic is…" description: "\"“They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existenc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png" --- # They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever… ![“They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.” quote by Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png) > ““They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.”” [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People deny magic to avoid confronting unsettling truths about reality and their own mortality. **In simple terms:** Denial of magic eases existential fear. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty rather than hide behind deception. Themes existential illusion fear reality Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical debate Key Concepts magical realism psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does denying the unknown protect you? - What comforts you about believing in the magical? A Different Perspective Magic may also inspire wonder, not just fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-magic/) [Clever Deception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever-deception-3415358/) [Deception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deception/) [Deception Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deception-think-1480980/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Night Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-afraid-989211/) ## Related quotes > [“Look around you, he says, waving a hand at the surrounding tables. Not a one of them even has an inkling of the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/look-around-you-he-says-waving-a-hand-at-the-surrounding-tables-not-a/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Magic. This is not Magic. 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"This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/is-magic-not-enough-to-live-for-widget-asks-magic-the-man-in-the-grey/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/those-who-don-t-believe-in-magic-will-never-find-it/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Never ever doubt in magic. The purest honest thoughts come from children, ask any child if they believe in magic and they will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-dixon/never-ever-doubt-in-magic-the-purest-honest-thoughts-come-from/) [Scott Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-dixon/) > [I totally believe in magic. Because my life, I think, has been very magic, and magical things have come true for me time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-totally-believe-in-magic-because-my-life-i-think-has-been-very/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) ## More by Erin Morgenstern > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“The Burgess sisters arrive together. Tara and Lainie do a little bit of everything. Sometimes dancers, sometimes actresses. Once they were librarians, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/the-burgess-sisters-arrive-together-tara-and-lainie-do-a-little-bit/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Bedtime stories Eventide Rhapsodies Anthologies of Memory Please enter cautiously and feel free to open what is closed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/bedtime-stories-eventide-rhapsodies-anthologies-of-memory-please/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“When all of this is over, no matter which one of us wins, I will not let you go so easily. Agreed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/when-all-of-this-is-over-no-matter-which-one-of-us-wins-i-will-not/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Even the ground beneath his feet feels unsatisfying to his boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/even-the-ground-beneath-his-feet-feels-unsatisfying-to-his-boots/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Why haven’t you asked me how I do my tricks?” Celia asks, once they have reached the point where she is certain he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/why-haven-t-you-asked-me-how-i-do-my-tricks-celia-asks-once-they-have/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [And there are really never endings, happy or otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/and-there-are-really-never-endings-happy-or-otherwise/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I binge write. I think it's because I started seriously writing by participating in National Novel Writing Month, an online-based challenge to write 50,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-binge-write-i-think-it-s-because-i-started-seriously-writing-by/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I have absurdly vivid dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-have-absurdly-vivid-dreams/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I made a wish on this tree years ago," Marco says. "What did you wish for?" Bailey asks. Marco leans forward and whispers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-made-a-wish-on-this-tree-years-ago-marco-says-what-did-you-wish-for/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“He reads histories and mythologies and fairy tales, wondering why it seems that only girls are ever swept away from their mundane lives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-reads-histories-and-mythologies-and-fairy-tales-wondering-why-it/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Behind him, the sheep, left to their own devices, decide to wander through the open gate into the field beyond.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/behind-him-the-sheep-left-to-their-own-devices-decide-to-wander/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [Marco moves to close the distance between them, kissing away her tears before catching her lip with his own. As he kisses her, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/marco-moves-to-close-the-distance-between-them-kissing-away-her-tears/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“«Importa más ser que parecer.»”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/importa-m-s-ser-que-parecer/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [And before he can tell her to tell Widget goodbye for him if need be, she leans forward and kisses him, not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/and-before-he-can-tell-her-to-tell-widget-goodbye-for-him-if-need-be/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) [Explore all 339 Erin Morgenstern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) ## More Deception quotes > [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/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“And so back to Cassie: who was she? Part of the deception; just a friend or something else…perhaps it was time to find out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-cusick-jones/and-so-back-to-cassie-who-was-she-part-of-the-deception-just-a-friend/) [Melanie Cusick-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-cusick-jones/) > [“Satan wants you to believe that you don't have a choice in the matter. You can't be happy until things go the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-rietzsch/satan-wants-you-to-believe-that-you-don-t-have-a-choice-in-the-matter/) [Lindsey Rietzsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-rietzsch/) > [No-deal Brexit could be Boris Johnson's biggest deception yet - worse than the Boris bus or the lies that had him sacked as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/no-deal-brexit-could-be-boris-johnson-s-biggest-deception-yet-worse/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [The public should begin to understand that there's nothing that comes out of this campaign, or this Obama White House, that they can believe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/the-public-should-begin-to-understand-that-there-s-nothing-that-comes/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [The history of institutions is often a history of deception and illusions; for their virtue depends on the ideas that produce and on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/the-history-of-institutions-is-often-a-history-of-deception-and/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [Speaking of trust, ever since I wrote this book, 'Liespotting,' no one wants to meet me in person anymore - no, no, no, no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/speaking-of-trust-ever-since-i-wrote-this-book-liespotting-no-one/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [Jack and Jill ran up the hill, both for a little fun. Jack's plan was deception while Jill sought affection. And Jack wouldn't quit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-faria-stolarz/jack-and-jill-ran-up-the-hill-both-for-a-little-fun-jack-s-plan-was/) [Laurie Faria Stolarz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-faria-stolarz/) > [People with psychopathy are very good at reading the minds of their victims. That's probably most clearly seen in deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/people-with-psychopathy-are-very-good-at-reading-the-minds-of-their/) [Simon Baron-Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baron-cohen/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) > [Knowledge of God's Word is a bulwark against deception, temptation, accusation, even persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/knowledge-of-god-s-word-is-a-bulwark-against-deception-temptation/) [Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/) > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [“To keep myself from harming or calling N and to stave off the rage and despair, I focus on my extraordinary son, drink midrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/to-keep-myself-from-harming-or-calling-n-and-to-stave-off-the-rage/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [“For me, it´s sloth," I say. "Hedonistic sloth and escapism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/for-me-it-s-sloth-i-say-hedonistic-sloth-and-escapism/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) [Browse all 1,232 Deception quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deception/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erin Morgenstern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothing-but-clever-deception/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deception" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothing-but-clever-deception/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/erin-morgenstern-806_deception_they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothi_375384.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it is real would keep them…” — Erin Morgenstern", "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": "Erin Morgenstern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They want to believe that magic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothing-but-clever-deception/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-want-to-believe-that-magic-is-nothing-but-clever-deception/#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 } } ] } ```