--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A surprising fact about the magician…" description: "\"“A surprising fact about the magician Bernard Kornblum, Joe remembered, was that he believed in magic. Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagram..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/michael-chabon-627_magic_a-surprising-fact-about-the-magician-ber_829364.png" --- # A surprising fact about the magician Bernard Kornblum, Joe… ![“A surprising fact about the magician Bernard Kornblum, Joe remembered, was that he believed in magic. Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagrams, and bat wings. Not in the kitchen enchantments of Slavic grandmothers with their herbiaries and parings from the little toe of a blind virgin…” quote by Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/michael-chabon-627_magic_a-surprising-fact-about-the-magician-ber_829364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/michael-chabon-627_magic_a-surprising-fact-about-the-magician-ber_829364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/michael-chabon-627_magic_a-surprising-fact-about-the-magician-ber_829364.png) > ““A surprising fact about the magician Bernard Kornblum, Joe remembered, was that he believed in magic. Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagrams, and bat wings. Not in the kitchen enchantments of Slavic grandmothers with their herbiaries and parings from the little toe of a blind virgin tied up in a goatskin bag. Not in astrology, theosophy, chiromancy, dowsing rods, séances, weeping statues, werewolves, wonders, or miracles. What bewitched Bernard Kornblum, on the contrary, was the impersonal magic of life, when he read in a magazine about a fish that could disguise itself as any one of seven different varieties of sea bottom, or when he learned from a newsreel that scientists had discovered a dying star that emitted radiation on a wavelength whose value in megacycles approximated π. In the realm of human affairs, this type of enchantment was often, though not always, a sadder business—sometimes beautiful, sometimes cruel. Here its stock-in-trade was ironies, coincidences, and the only true portents: those that revealed themselves, unmistakable and impossible to ignore, in retrospect.”” [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage contrasts superficial magic with the deeper wonder of scientific discovery, suggesting true enchantment lies in understanding the universe’s mysteries. **In simple terms:** Science is the real magic that amazes us. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge that reveals hidden wonders. Themes science wonder curiosity Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - research - personal growth - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What everyday phenomena feel magical to you? - How does scientific knowledge change your perception of magic? A Different Perspective It may romanticize science, overlooking its uncertainties and limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-magic-544225/) [Bernard Kornblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bernard-kornblum-544227/) [Called Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-magic-544228/) [Impersonal Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonal-magic-544226/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Magician Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magician-bernard-544229/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/) ## Related quotes > [“Having lost his mother, father, brother, an grandfather, the friends and foes of his youth, his beloved teacher Bernard Kornblum, his city, his history—his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/having-lost-his-mother-father-brother-an-grandfather-the-friends-and/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Your Ancestors Called it Magic, but You Call it Science. I Come From a Land Where They Are One and the Same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-odinson/your-ancestors-called-it-magic-but-you-call-it-science-i-come-from-a/) [Thor Odinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-odinson/) > [“Alchemy, Dex called it, which was something to do with magic if you were French.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/alchemy-dex-called-it-which-was-something-to-do-with-magic-if-you/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [Disneyland is often called a magic kingdom because it combines fantasy and history, adventure and learning, together with every variety of recreation and fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/disneyland-is-often-called-a-magic-kingdom-because-it-combines/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I didn't give that name, the Rubik's Cube, and I called it Magic Cube because it's magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erno-rubik/i-didn-t-give-that-name-the-rubik-s-cube-and-i-called-it-magic-cube/) [Erno Rubik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erno-rubik/) > [Your ancestors called it magic... -Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor/your-ancestors-called-it-magic-thor/) [Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor/) > [Gina always believed there was magic in the world. "But it doesn't work in the way it does in fairy tales," she told me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/gina-always-believed-there-was-magic-in-the-world-but-it-doesn-t-work/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [“Although I had never believed in magic before, on that particular morning the world of magic became alive rather real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-matta/although-i-had-never-believed-in-magic-before-on-that-particular/) [Ramona Matta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-matta/) > [“I was always the kind of girl who believed in magic...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-granger/i-was-always-the-kind-of-girl-who-believed-in-magic/) [Shauna Granger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-granger/) > [The Pope doesn't believe in God; Did you ever see a conjurer who believed in Magic ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coluche/the-pope-doesn-t-believe-in-god-did-you-ever-see-a-conjurer-who/) [Coluche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coluche/) > [“Her beauty was ethereal, knocking on the door of the part of his psyche that still believed in magic and miracles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-henneman/her-beauty-was-ethereal-knocking-on-the-door-of-the-part-of-his/) [D.A. 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It moves invisibly through the air, dissolving the usual ways of seeing, allowing new ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-taylor-lisle/even-without-being-believed-magic-can-change-things-it-moves/) [Janet Taylor Lisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-taylor-lisle/) > [You asked me if I believed in magic, and I said yes, and that's how. You just step out, start pulling your life out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-barkley/you-asked-me-if-i-believed-in-magic-and-i-said-yes-and-that-s-how-you/) [Brad Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-barkley/) ## More by Michael Chabon > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [There were so many Pittsburgh poets in my hallway that if, at that instant, a meteorite had come smashing through my roof, there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/there-were-so-many-pittsburgh-poets-in-my-hallway-that-if-at-that/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Badass.'" My grandfather sampled the flavor of the word. It did not seem to revolt him, but it was nothing he needed ever to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/badass-my-grandfather-sampled-the-flavor-of-the-word-it-did-not-seem/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [See you in the funny papers," he said. Jaunty, he reminded himself; always jaunty. In my panache is their hope for salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-he-said-jaunty-he-reminded-himself-always/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“I didn't want to be left alone with Timothy, not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid that somebody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-didn-t-want-to-be-left-alone-with-timothy-not-because-i-was-afraid/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“We figure he must have let him out. The perpetrator, I mean. He's blind and we figure he just wandered off and maybe got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/we-figure-he-must-have-let-him-out-the-perpetrator-i-mean-he-s-blind/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Then I reminded myself that I was always willing to listen to arguments in favor of avoiding an unpleasant chore, and I shook my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/then-i-reminded-myself-that-i-was-always-willing-to-listen-to/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Love great first lines and paragraphs. 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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": "“A surprising fact about the magician Bernard Kornblum, Joe remembered, was that he believed in magic. Not in the so-called magic of candles, pentagrams, and bat wings. Not in the kitchen enchantments of Slavic grandmothers with their herbiaries and parings from the little toe of a blind virgin tied up in a goatskin bag. Not in astrology, theosophy, chiromancy, dowsing rods, séances, weeping statues, werewolves, wonders, or miracles. What bewitched Bernard Kornblum, on the contrary, was the impersonal magic of life, when he read in a magazine about a fish that could disguise itself as any one of seven different varieties of sea bottom, or when he learned from a newsreel that scientists had discovered a dying star that emitted radiation on a wavelength whose value in megacycles approximated π. In the realm of human affairs, this type of enchantment was often, though not always, a sadder business—sometimes beautiful, sometimes cruel. 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