--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the next hour and a half he tried all…" description: "\"“For the next hour and a half he tried all the magic he could think of. He cast spells of remembering, spells of finding, spells of awakening, spells t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/susanna-clarke-1559_every-day_for-the-next-hour-and-a-half-he-tried-al_428213.png" --- # For the next hour and a half he tried all the magic he… ![“For the next hour and a half he tried all the magic he could think of. He cast spells of remembering, spells of finding, spells of awakening, spells to concentrate the mind, spells to dispel nightmares and evil thoughts, spells to find patterns in chaos, spells to find a path when one was lost…” quote by Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/susanna-clarke-1559_every-day_for-the-next-hour-and-a-half-he-tried-al_428213.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/susanna-clarke-1559_every-day_for-the-next-hour-and-a-half-he-tried-al_428213.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/susanna-clarke-1559_every-day_for-the-next-hour-and-a-half-he-tried-al_428213.png) > ““For the next hour and a half he tried all the magic he could think of. He cast spells of remembering, spells of finding, spells of awakening, spells to concentrate the mind, spells to dispel nightmares and evil thoughts, spells to find patterns in chaos, spells to find a path when one was lost, spells of demystification, spells of discernment, spells to increase intelligence, spells to cure sickness and spells to repair a limb that is shattered. Some of the spells were long and complicated. Some were a single word. Some had to be said out loud. Some had only to be thought. Some had no words at all but consisted of a single gesture. Some were spells that Strange and Norrell had employed in some form or other every day for the last five years. Some had probably not been used for centuries. Some used a mirror; two used a tiny bead of blood from the magician’s finger; and one used a candle and a piece of ribbon. But they all had this in common: they had no effect upon the King whatsoever.”” [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) ## 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 shows a frantic, varied attempt at magical solutions that ultimately fail to influence a powerful figure. **In simple terms:** Many spells tried, none affect the king. Key Takeaway Even elaborate efforts can be powerless. Themes magic failure effort authority illusion Mood frustrated reflective Type literary cautionary When to use this quote - court intrigue - healing attempts - search for truth - combatting nightmares - strategic planning Key Concepts spellcraft limitations power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Why do some problems resist all solutions? - What does this say about reliance on rituals? A Different Perspective The king’s immunity suggests deeper forces beyond magic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Evil thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-thoughts/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Mind Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-spells-3781279/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Remembering Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering-spells-3781278/) [Single word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-word/) [Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spells/) [Spells Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spells-remembering-3781280/) [Thoughts Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-spells-3781281/) ## Related quotes > [The world's oldest wisdom: each evil thought infuses the mind, sooner or later, with an unholy fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/the-world-s-oldest-wisdom-each-evil-thought-infuses-the-mind-sooner/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Every temptation that is resisted, every evil thought that is curbed, every desire that is subdued, every bitter word that is withheld, every noble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/every-temptation-that-is-resisted-every-evil-thought-that-is-curbed/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) > [You must learn that if you are a Christian, you will without a doubt experience all kinds of opposition and evil inclinations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/you-must-learn-that-if-you-are-a-christian-you-will-without-a-doubt/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“By swallowing evil word unsaid noone has ever yet harmed his stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/by-swallowing-evil-word-unsaid-noone-has-ever-yet-harmed-his-stomach/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“Dear Pat, You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and you said, ‘Why don’t you make something for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/dear-pat-you-came-upon-me-carving-some-kind-of-little-figure-out-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“If you fail to sow good thoughts in your mind, the weeds of evil thoughts will take root there and eventually they will take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/if-you-fail-to-sow-good-thoughts-in-your-mind-the-weeds-of-evil/) [Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/) > [Music is one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God, to which Satan is a bitter enemy; for it removes from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/music-is-one-of-the-fairest-and-most-glorious-gifts-of-god-to-which/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Evil people must spread their evil everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/evil-people-must-spread-their-evil-everywhere/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“Envy: Instead of focusing on your own goals, your goal becomes throwing off the rails other people’s goals and at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/envy-instead-of-focusing-on-your-own-goals-your-goal-becomes-throwing/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [One reason why so many people are unhappy, not knowing why, is that they have burdened their minds with resentments. 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Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“Any refusal to recognize reality, for any reason whatever, has disastrous consequences. There are no evil thoughts except one: the refusal to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/any-refusal-to-recognize-reality-for-any-reason-whatever-has/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Any refusal to recognize reality, for any reason whatever, has disastrous consequences. There are no evil thoughts except one: the refusal to think. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/any-refusal-to-recognize-reality-for-any-reason-whatever-has-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Susanna Clarke > [you must learn to live as I do - in the face of constant criticism, opposition and censure. 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