--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t be fooled by clever hands, sir” the…" description: "\"“Don’t be fooled by clever hands, sir” the Sunlight Man said. He’d be lying with the back of his head on his hands, as he always lay. “Entertainment’s ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c8/john-gardner-3092_fat-man_don-t-be-fooled-by-clever-hands-sir-the_2541302.jpg" --- # Don’t be fooled by clever hands, sir” the Sunlight Man… ![“Don’t be fooled by clever hands, sir” the Sunlight Man said. He’d be lying with the back of his head on his hands, as he always lay. “Entertainment’s all very well, but the world is serious. It’s exceedingly amusing, when you think about it: nothing in life is as startling or shocking or…” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c8/john-gardner-3092_fat-man_don-t-be-fooled-by-clever-hands-sir-the_2541302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c8/john-gardner-3092_fat-man_don-t-be-fooled-by-clever-hands-sir-the_2541302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c8/john-gardner-3092_fat-man_don-t-be-fooled-by-clever-hands-sir-the_2541302.jpg) > ““Don’t be fooled by clever hands, sir” the Sunlight Man said. He’d be lying with the back of his head on his hands, as he always lay. “Entertainment’s all very well, but the world is serious. It’s exceedingly amusing, when you think about it: nothing in life is as startling or shocking or mysterious as a good magician’s trick. That’s what makes stagecraft deadly. Listen closely, friend. You see great marvels performed on the stage - the lady sawed in half, the fat man supported by empty air, the Hindu vanishing with the folding of a cloth - and the subtlest of poisons drifts into your brain: you think the earth dead because the sky is full of spirits, you think the hall drab because the stage is adazzle with dimestore gilt. So King Lear rages, and the audience grows meek, and tomorrow, in the gray of old groceries, the housewife will weep for Cordelia and despair for herself. They weren’t fools, those old sages who called all art the Devil’s work. It eats the soul.”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art can be deceptive, making us see wonder where there is illusion, and it can consume us. **In simple terms:** Art tricks and can consume. Key Takeaway Question what you accept as reality. Themes illusion perception art danger Mood cautious analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - theatre - media consumption - critical thinking - personal belief Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate truth from illusion? - What role does art play in your life? A Different Perspective Art’s influence can be manipulative and harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Magician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magician/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [“Heidegger’s parlamblings on ‘Nothing’ and ‘Not’ and ‘the Nothing that Nothings’ were the last supposedly respectable gasp of classical philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/heidegger-s-parlamblings-on-nothing-and-not-and-the-nothing-that/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“After moving his family from Yakima to Paradise, California, in 1958, he enrolled at Chico State College. 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You see great marvels performed on the stage - the lady sawed in half, the fat man supported by empty air, the Hindu vanishing with the folding of a cloth - and the subtlest of poisons drifts into your brain: you think the earth dead because the sky is full of spirits, you think the hall drab because the stage is adazzle with dimestore gilt. So King Lear rages, and the audience grows meek, and tomorrow, in the gray of old groceries, the housewife will weep for Cordelia and despair for herself. They weren’t fools, those old sages who called all art the Devil’s work. 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