---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true magic of this broken world lay…"
description: "\"The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so thoroughly lost, that they might never have e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png"
---

#  The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of…

![“The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so thoroughly lost, that they might never have existed in the first place.” quote by Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png)

> “The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so thoroughly lost, that they might never have existed in the first place.”

[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 world’s wonder lies in things disappearing so completely they seem never to have existed.

**In simple terms:** Wonder comes from things that vanish completely.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate the fleeting, mysterious aspects of life.

Themes

mystery impermanence wonder

Mood

melancholic curious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- art appreciation
- memory studies
- philosophical reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism literary fiction

Questions to Reflect On

- What vanished that shaped you?
- How do you find meaning in loss?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on loss can cause sadness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Broken world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-world/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The magician seemed to promise that something torn to bits might be mended without a seam, that what had vanished might reappear, that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-magician-seemed-to-promise-that-something-torn-to-bits-might-be/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/adoption-is-a-redemptive-response-to-tragedy-that-happens-in-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“We’ve all been at least a little broken by the world. But the world only notices when we try to hurt it back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/we-ve-all-been-at-least-a-little-broken-by-the-world-but-the-world/)

[Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/)

> [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“A broken world promises a broken heart; we choose whether it's the result of selfishness or sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coe/a-broken-world-promises-a-broken-heart-we-choose-whether-it-s-the/)

[Mike Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coe/)

> [We live in this irreparably broken world, and I don't wish to deny reality, but the amazing thing to me is not that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-live-in-this-irreparably-broken-world-and-i-don-t-wish-to-deny/)

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

> [Delicate, gracious, and eloquent, John Brandi's poems reveal that he remains an extraordinary profound poet of prayer and praise. His is the most honorable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-st-john/delicate-gracious-and-eloquent-john-brandi-s-poems-reveal-that-he/)

[David St. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-st-john/)

> [“Like all of us, I was born for joy. This broken world, however, breaks most of us, grinding relentlessly on its metaled tracks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/like-all-of-us-i-was-born-for-joy-this-broken-world-however-breaks/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [it is a serious thing // just to be alive / on this fresh morning / in this broken world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/it-is-a-serious-thing-just-to-be-alive-on-this-fresh-morning-in-this/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [“Pain is a lifelong fixture in a broken world, girl. All of us need strength from God to face hurts from inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-d-basham/pain-is-a-lifelong-fixture-in-a-broken-world-girl-all-of-us-need/)

Pepper D. Basham

> [“Let us then try what love can do to mend a broken world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/let-us-then-try-what-love-can-do-to-mend-a-broken-world/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [“Then, with a stately leap, the sun bounded into the sky, and the whole, messy, beautiful, broken world was stained with fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-constable/then-with-a-stately-leap-the-sun-bounded-into-the-sky-and-the-whole/)

[Kate Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-constable/)

> [“I had never been so close to death before. For a long time, as I lay there trying to clear my mind, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-brink/i-had-never-been-so-close-to-death-before-for-a-long-time-as-i-lay/)

[Andre Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-brink/)

> [“That was when I realized we weren’t born to be slaves. It was ignorant for any man to think he could be the master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-grewal/that-was-when-i-realized-we-weren-t-born-to-be-slaves-it-was-ignorant/)

[Jay Grewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-grewal/)

> [“we elevate what we deem beautiful, endeavor to create spheres of pristine beauty, and perhaps rightly so, for “whatever is good, pure, lovely, think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/we-elevate-what-we-deem-beautiful-endeavor-to-create-spheres-of/)

[Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/)

## 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. From The Yiddish Policemen's Union: Nine months Landsman's been flopping at the Hotel Zamenhof without any of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/love-great-first-lines-and-paragraphs-from-the-yiddish-policemen-s/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“Life blew in gusts from the hole in the side of the elephant with a rank smell and a comic flatulence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/life-blew-in-gusts-from-the-hole-in-the-side-of-the-elephant-with-a/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Not only would I never want to belong to any club that would have me for a member--if elected I would wear street shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/not-only-would-i-never-want-to-belong-to-any-club-that-would-have-me/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [That's the best thing about writing, when you're in that zone, you're porous, ready to absorb the solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/that-s-the-best-thing-about-writing-when-you-re-in-that-zone-you-re/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Most science fiction seemed to be written for people who already liked science fiction; I wanted to write stories for anyone, anywhere, living at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/most-science-fiction-seemed-to-be-written-for-people-who-already/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [ “For as long as I could remember, I'd been making vague and confident assurances that any day I would finish the thing \[my book\].… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/for-as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-d-been-making-vague-and-confident/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

[Explore all 436 Michael Chabon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so thoroughly lost, that they might never have existed in the first place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Chabon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay-in-the-ability-of-the-things/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay-in-the-ability-of-the-things/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-chabon-627_ability_the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay_2466975.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become so…” — Michael Chabon",
                "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": "Michael Chabon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The true magic of this broken...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay-in-the-ability-of-the-things/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-true-magic-of-this-broken-world-lay-in-the-ability-of-the-things/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
