---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You still secretly believe that there is…"
description: "\"“You still secretly believe that there is an element of magic to this world? It's all just soulless molecules bouncing against each other randomly.”\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg"
---

#  You still secretly believe that there is an element of…

![“You still secretly believe that there is an element of magic to this world? It's all just soulless molecules bouncing against each other randomly.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg)

> ““You still secretly believe that there is an element of magic to this world? It's all just soulless molecules bouncing against each other randomly.””

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

Belief in magic contrasts with a view of the world as random molecules.

**In simple terms:** Magic vs. random molecular reality.

Key Takeaway

Embrace wonder while acknowledging science.

Themes

wonder science skepticism

Mood

inquisitive reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- philosophy
- education
- personal belief

Key Concepts

magic molecular physics

Questions to Reflect On

- What role does wonder play in your life?
- How do you reconcile belief and evidence?

A Different Perspective

Science can coexist with awe.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/)

## Related quotes

> [“You think volcanoes are awesome? Tell that to the ten thousand screaming corpses at Pompeii. You still secretly believe that there is an element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-think-volcanoes-are-awesome-tell-that-to-the-ten-thousand/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Lucky is the man who does not secretly believe that every possibility is open to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/lucky-is-the-man-who-does-not-secretly-believe-that-every-possibility/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

> [Every experience has its element of magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/every-experience-has-its-element-of-magic/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [We secretly believe that if only we achieve some elusive goal - fitting into a pair of skinny jeans, or redoing our kitchen or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-secretly-believe-that-if-only-we-achieve-some-elusive-goal-fitting/)

[Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/)

> [“It was so easy to sell anything to the common people, if one could add an element of magic and some religion into it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-neelakantan/it-was-so-easy-to-sell-anything-to-the-common-people-if-one-could-add/)

[Anand Neelakantan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-neelakantan/)

> [I still secretly believe that afternoons are the time for the test card and you shouldn't watch television when the sun is out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/i-still-secretly-believe-that-afternoons-are-the-time-for-the-test/)

[A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/)

> [It would be a colorless world if each individual did not secretly believe himself superior to almost everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/it-would-be-a-colorless-world-if-each-individual-did-not-secretly/)

[Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/)

> [I think there is an element of magic in photography - light, chemistry, precious metals - a certain alchemy. You can wield a camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-think-there-is-an-element-of-magic-in-photography-light-chemistry/)

[Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/)

> [“closest things to magic in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wilson/closest-things-to-magic-in-this-world/)

[Benjamin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wilson/)

> [Of course there must be lots of Magic in the world," he said wisely one day, "but people don't know what it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/of-course-there-must-be-lots-of-magic-in-the-world-he-said-wisely-one/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [There is a curtain, thin as gossamer, clear as glass, strong as iron, that hangs forever between the world of magic and the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-a-curtain-thin-as-gossamer-clear-as-glass-strong-as-iron/)

[E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/)

> [“The biggest magic of the world is DEATH.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shilpa-dasgupta/the-biggest-magic-of-the-world-is-death/)

Shilpa Dasgupta

> [“There are many forms of magic in this world, High Lord. Some come in large packages, some in small. Some work with fire and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/there-are-many-forms-of-magic-in-this-world-high-lord-some-come-in/)

[Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/)

> [The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-real-secret-of-magic-is-that-the-world-is-made-of-words-and-that/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [“There is magic in this world, magic that you cannot even begin to imagine, magic that is dark and dangerous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-cross/there-is-magic-in-this-world-magic-that-you-cannot-even-begin-to/)

Shari Cross

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More Magic quotes

> [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/)

> [I have a lot of secret uses for sour cream, which is the magic ingredient in my mac and cheese. It's an old-timey, Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-deen/i-have-a-lot-of-secret-uses-for-sour-cream-which-is-the-magic/)

[Paula Deen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-deen/)

> [“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/)

> [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/)

[Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/)

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/)

[Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/)

> [Great liars are also great magicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/great-liars-are-also-great-magicians/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [If I could wave a magic wand, I'd break up the banking system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-griffin/if-i-could-wave-a-magic-wand-i-d-break-up-the-banking-system/)

[Kenneth C. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-griffin/)

> [“His hand came out and captured her by the chin. She froze, finding it hard to breathe as he gently raised her face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/his-hand-came-out-and-captured-her-by-the-chin-she-froze-finding-it/)

[Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/)

> [“Your faith is admirable, Pelleas. But I know nothing of sorcery. As it is, I have not been able to discover how the spell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-lawhead/your-faith-is-admirable-pelleas-but-i-know-nothing-of-sorcery-as-it/)

[Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/)

> [Most magicians consider the palm an easy move to make. They are inclined to believe that they are 'getting away with it,' when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dai-vernon/most-magicians-consider-the-palm-an-easy-move-to-make-they-are/)

[Dai Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dai-vernon/)

> [Maybe Park had paralyzed her with his ninja magic, his Vulcan handhold, and now he was going to eat her. That would be awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/maybe-park-had-paralyzed-her-with-his-ninja-magic-his-vulcan-handhold/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

[Browse all 6,577 Magic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“You still secretly believe that there is an element of magic to this world? It's all just soulless molecules bouncing against each other randomly.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is-an-element-of-magic-to-this/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Magic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is-an-element-of-magic-to-this/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/john-green-12_quote_you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is_1281177.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You still secretly believe that there is an element of magic to this world? It's all just soulless molecules…” — John Green",
                "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": "John Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“You still secretly believe that there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is-an-element-of-magic-to-this/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-still-secretly-believe-that-there-is-an-element-of-magic-to-this/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
