--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To create anything — whether a short…" description: "\"To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine profile or a film or a sitcom — is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tom-bissell-20404_believe_to-create-anything-whether-a-short-story_38686.png" --- # To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine… ![“To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine profile or a film or a sitcom — is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic. These essays are about that magic — which is sometimes perilous, sometimes infectious, sometimes fragile, sometimes failed, sometimes infuriating…” quote by Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tom-bissell-20404_believe_to-create-anything-whether-a-short-story_38686.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tom-bissell-20404_believe_to-create-anything-whether-a-short-story_38686.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/tom-bissell-20404_believe_to-create-anything-whether-a-short-story_38686.png) > “To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine profile or a film or a sitcom — is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic. These essays are about that magic — which is sometimes perilous, sometimes infectious, sometimes fragile, sometimes failed, sometimes infuriating, sometimes triumphant, and sometimes tragic. I went up there. I wrote. I tried to see.” [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating art is an act of believing in one's own capacity for wonder, despite its risks and rewards. **In simple terms:** Artistic creation as belief in personal magic. Key Takeaway Creativity is a risky, magical belief. Themes creativity risk wonder fragility triumph Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - writing a story - producing a film - developing a sitcom - crafting a magazine profile Key Concepts imagination self-efficacy Practical Applications - inspire creators - guide creative workshops Questions to Reflect On - What does believing in magic enable you to attempt? - How do you handle creative failure? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Sitcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitcom/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) [Triumphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumphant/) ## Related quotes > [To create anything… is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/to-create-anything-is-to-believe-if-only-momentarily-you-are-capable/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“Roger Bacon held that three classes of substance were capable of magic: the herbal, the mineral, and the verbal. With their leaves of fiber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-battles/roger-bacon-held-that-three-classes-of-substance-were-capable-of/) [Matthew Battles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-battles/) > [“Maybe words, like potions, were also capable of magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/maybe-words-like-potions-were-also-capable-of-magic/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“I still believe I can do anything. Somehow along the way I never lost what I see so many people losing, that hope never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-knott-gregson/i-still-believe-i-can-do-anything-somehow-along-the-way-i-never-lost/) [Tyler Knott Gregson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-knott-gregson/) > [It was his subconscious which told him this---that infuriating part of a person's brain which never responds to interrogation, merely gives little meaningful nudges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/it-was-his-subconscious-which-told-him-this-that-infuriating-part-of/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Still no pain as such, just that infuriating itch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/still-no-pain-as-such-just-that-infuriating-itch/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Kate's Speciality: Killing things, with much bloodshed. Talking trash, infuriating authority. Driving Beast Lord crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/kate-s-speciality-killing-things-with-much-bloodshed-talking-trash/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“There was nothing more infuriating than when a person like Dr. Madsen was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-meyer/there-was-nothing-more-infuriating-than-when-a-person-like-dr-madsen/) [Scott Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-meyer/) > [The man who was known as 'no drama Obama' during the campaign has given us nothing but depleting and infuriating drama since he arrived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/the-man-who-was-known-as-no-drama-obama-during-the-campaign-has-given/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [The BBC can be infuriating at times but I love it with a passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sweeney/the-bbc-can-be-infuriating-at-times-but-i-love-it-with-a-passion/) [John Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sweeney/) > [“You’re the most infuriating woman I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pippa-dacosta/you-re-the-most-infuriating-woman-i-ve-ever-had-the-misfortune-to-meet/) [Pippa DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pippa-dacosta/) > [For women the wage gap sets up an infuriating Catch-22 situation. They do the housework because they earn less, and they earn lessbecause they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/for-women-the-wage-gap-sets-up-an-infuriating-catch-22-situation-they/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [There's a lot of lies out there that we should catch and that have taken me a lot of time to sort of see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/there-s-a-lot-of-lies-out-there-that-we-should-catch-and-that-have/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I was depressed. I knew I was lost, but I had no idea how to find myself again. It was as though I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-was-depressed-i-knew-i-was-lost-but-i-had-no-idea-how-to-find/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [I'm not sure why we want each other," she grumbled. "Nor am I, but the fact remains that we do want each other." "Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/i-m-not-sure-why-we-want-each-other-she-grumbled-nor-am-i-but-the/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) ## More by Tom Bissell > [“Final Fantasy VII awoke American gaming to the possibilities of narrative dynamism and the importance of relatively developed characters—no small inspiration to take from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/final-fantasy-vii-awoke-american-gaming-to-the-possibilities-of/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“You have agency, yes, but what of it? It is just a game. But when a game does this well, you lose track of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/you-have-agency-yes-but-what-of-it-it-is-just-a-game-but-when-a-game/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“There are not many mediums whose Dantes and Homers one can ring up and talk to. With games, one can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/there-are-not-many-mediums-whose-dantes-and-homers-one-can-ring-up/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“The world, finally, is no longer large, and to ignore it likely requires more effort than to simply take notice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/the-world-finally-is-no-longer-large-and-to-ignore-it-likely-requires/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“This is one of the most suspect things about the game form: A game with an involving story and poor gameplay cannot be considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/this-is-one-of-the-most-suspect-things-about-the-game-form-a-game/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [We are no longer worried that children are missing school because of video games, though. We are worried that they are murdering their classmates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/we-are-no-longer-worried-that-children-are-missing-school-because-of/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [To create anything… is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/to-create-anything-is-to-believe-if-only-momentarily-you-are-capable/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [Charyn, like Nabokov, is that most fiendish sort of writer-so seductive as to beg imitation, so singular as to make imitation impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/charyn-like-nabokov-is-that-most-fiendish-sort-of-writer-so-seductive/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“Hocking was slender in the way that writers and musicians are sometimes slender: not out of any desire or design but rather because his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/hocking-was-slender-in-the-way-that-writers-and-musicians-are/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“Games such as Mass Effect allow the gamer a freedom of decision that can be evilly enlivening or nobly self-congratulating, but these games become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/games-such-as-mass-effect-allow-the-gamer-a-freedom-of-decision-that/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“And so, my beloved Kermit, my dear little Hussein, at the moment America changed forever, your father was wandering an ICBM-denuded watseland, nervously monitoring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/and-so-my-beloved-kermit-my-dear-little-hussein-at-the-moment-america/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [Girlfriends, indeed: the anti-video game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/girlfriends-indeed-the-anti-video-game/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“The impulse to explain is the Achilles’ heel of all genre work, and the most sophisticated artists within every genre know better than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/the-impulse-to-explain-is-the-achilles-heel-of-all-genre-work-and-the/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [Fun is not the same thing as fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/fun-is-not-the-same-thing-as-fulfillment/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) > [“What needs to be reinforced is the idea that good writing - solid, honest, entertaining, beautiful good writing - is simultaneously the reward, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bissell/what-needs-to-be-reinforced-is-the-idea-that-good-writing-solid/) [Tom Bissell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) [Explore all 31 Tom Bissell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bissell/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To create anything — whether a short story or a magazine profile or a film or a sitcom — is to believe, if only momentarily, you are capable of magic. These essays are about that magic — which is sometimes perilous, sometimes infectious, sometimes fragile, sometimes failed, sometimes infuriating, sometimes triumphant, and sometimes tragic. I went up there. I wrote. 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