--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cordelia loved his explanations. She…" description: "\"“Cordelia loved his explanations. She loved knowing words that belonged to things she'd never seen, even to things you couldn't see at all. She remembe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fc/leonie-swann-30401_magic_cordelia-loved-his-explanations-she-love_2875536.jpg" --- # Cordelia loved his explanations. She loved knowing words… ![“Cordelia loved his explanations. She loved knowing words that belonged to things she'd never seen, even to things you couldn't see at all. She remembered those words carefully. "Magic," George had said, "is something unnatural, something that doesn't really exist. If I snap my fingers and Othello…” quote by Leonie Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fc/leonie-swann-30401_magic_cordelia-loved-his-explanations-she-love_2875536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fc/leonie-swann-30401_magic_cordelia-loved-his-explanations-she-love_2875536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fc/leonie-swann-30401_magic_cordelia-loved-his-explanations-she-love_2875536.jpg) > ““Cordelia loved his explanations. She loved knowing words that belonged to things she'd never seen, even to things you couldn't see at all. She remembered those words carefully. "Magic," George had said, "is something unnatural, something that doesn't really exist. If I snap my fingers and Othello suddenly turns white, that's magic. If I fetch a bucket of paint and paint him white, it isn't." He laughed, and for a moment it looked as if he felt like snapping his fingers or fetching that bucket. Then he went on, "Everything that looks like magic is really a trick. There's no such thing as magic." Cordelia grazed with relish. "Magic" was her favorite word - for something that didn't exist at all.”” [Leonie Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonie-swann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cordelia admires the concept of magic as a word for the unseen, while a character argues magic is just illusion and non‑existent. **In simple terms:** She loves the idea of magic, but it’s described as a trick. Key Takeaway Question the reality of concepts we label as magical. Themes imagination language reality illusion knowledge Mood curious reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading fiction - discussing metaphors - exploring belief systems Key Concepts philosophy semantics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do we differentiate useful fictions from harmful delusions? - What role does language play in shaping what we consider possible? A Different Perspective Magic may be a useful metaphor even if not literally real. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Like Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-magic/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Magic Cordelia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-cordelia-3956708/) [Magic Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-really-335550/) [Thing Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-magic-480784/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [“Nothing but magic is really like magic, when it comes right down to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-nesbet/nothing-but-magic-is-really-like-magic-when-it-comes-right-down-to-it/) [Anne Nesbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-nesbet/) > [You know, class is like magic. 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Or at least, not much dimmer than dim sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonie-swann/maple-thought-optimistically-that-human-beings-on-their-good-days/) [Leonie Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonie-swann/) > [“The group was led by a very thin man whom the sheep didn't know. They looked hard at him. The leader of the flock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonie-swann/the-group-was-led-by-a-very-thin-man-whom-the-sheep-didn-t-know-they/) [Leonie Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonie-swann/) > [“You shouldn't believe what you don't understand. You should understand what you believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonie-swann/you-shouldn-t-believe-what-you-don-t-understand-you-should-understand/) [Leonie Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonie-swann/) [Explore all 13 Leonie Swann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonie-swann/) ## More Magic quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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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": "“Cordelia loved his explanations. She loved knowing words that belonged to things she'd never seen, even to things you couldn't see at all. She remembered those words carefully. \"Magic,\" George had said, \"is something unnatural, something that doesn't really exist. If I snap my fingers and Othello suddenly turns white, that's magic. If I fetch a bucket of paint and paint him white, it isn't.\" He laughed, and for a moment it looked as if he felt like snapping his fingers or fetching that bucket. Then he went on, \"Everything that looks like magic is really a trick. 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