c2p-cmd/Good-Quotes-Authors huggingface dataset:
In Demons of the Flesh, Zeena describes how Shiva and Shakti are actually ‘two sides of the same deity’. The goal of the initiate on the left-hand path is to become ‘this bisexual twin godhead’ and activate a state of perceptual sexual ecstasy within one's own consciousness. Zeena points out that a corresponding symbolism is found in the western hermeticism in the idea of ‘the inner androgyne.’--About Zeena Schreck by Malin Fitger 'Contemporary notions of Kundalini, its background and role within new Western religiosity,' University of Stockholm, 2004
— Zeena Schreck, Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left Hand Path Sex Magic
The creatures of human myth flourish in Ourea. Trees are this world's skyscrapers. Magic its currency. And while the rest of Earth forgot what it means to dream big, Ourea kept alive its wonder.
— S.M. Boyce, Treason
Zeena Schreck believes that the right-hand path and the left-hand path have traditionally had the same end goal; it is only the method that is different and the fact that adepts on the lefthandpath seek liberation in this life.--About Zeena Schreck by Malin Fitger 'Contemporary notions of Kundalini, its background and role within new Western religiosity,' University of Stockholm, 2004
— Zeena Schreck, Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left Hand Path Sex Magic
A certain amount of native skill and training can allow many individuals to be fairly successful magicians, achieving a surprisingly high ratio of positive results through sorcery.(...) These outer changes, no matter how dramatic, will not necessarily have a deep impact on the deepest levels of your psyche, which is where the process of initiation most meaningfully manifests.'--Zeena Schreck for “Contemporary notions of Kundalini, its backgroundand role within new Western religiosity,” University of Stockholm, Malin Fitger 2004
— Zeena Schreck, Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left Hand Path Sex Magic
Unbelievable,” Gavin said. “There’s a whole legion of magical beings living on Earth and only Aquarians know about them.”“We come in peace,” Ilauria said, surprised at her attempt at levity.A wide grin replaced his serious expression. “Lucky for us.
— Jasmine Angell, Luminous
May the magic rise in YOU!
— Gary Walbourne
Pick up a thing," [Wizard Kadmeion's]mother would say. "Touch, smell, and taste it. Listen to its nonsense. Then put the funny thing in its proper place.
— Lita Burke, Old Bony Blue Eyes
Others may sit around and wait for magic to happen… I like to get up early and work towards my goals and dreams. Every morning I plant the seeds of what the haters call ‘luck.’ Now, I love magic as much as the next guy, but I realized a long time ago that the magic that turns dreams into reality is YOU. When you are inspired by a dream, create a good plan. Creating that plan turns your dream into a goal. Then, take action! Live your life in a way that will bring that dream, that goal, to life. The magic is you.
— Steve Maraboli
I don’t know about black or white magic I just know one type and that is your magic.
— M.F. Moonzajer
Magic is difficult to describe, to understand and to come to terms with and many people don’t want to feel different or unusual.
— Mhairi Simon, Old Magic in Everyday Life
The idea of magic being something that is separate from everyday life – known to the magicians but not the ordinary people – still slows down our recognition that it is here, now, of the Earth and Universe, all around us, and perhaps most essentially, in us.
— Mhairi Simon, Old Magic in Everyday Life
If magic is energy, then using it is about guiding it's flow rather than possessing it and squirreling it away. Some people seem to me to approach magic as though adding spells and charms and even gurus to their museum – sometimes a secret museum. My worry is that this leaves you weighed down with exhibits too precious to use or to let go of when you need to move on.
— Mhairi Simon, Old Magic in Everyday Life
He is a dull observer whose experience has not taught him the reality and force of magic, as well as of chemistry.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson
As he hurtled through the air Simon saw the boiling emerald fire hit his protective spell and explode into sickly green sparks, inches from where Falamir was still crouched, oblivious to the chaos unfolding around him.
— Sam Whitehouse, The Prophecy of Three: The Keys of Time
Anyone without a sense of humor is too pretentious to be a good magician.
— Anton Szandor LaVey, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey
A major determining factor by which a superior human can be isolated from his average counterparts is his very isolation—the degree to which he naturally removes himself from mass-media input and stimuli. You cannot be an elitist, a Magician, and be plugged into the system.
— Anton Szandor LaVey, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey
Hasn't there always been a moon?""Bless you. Not in the slightest. I remember the day the moon came. We looked up in the sky--it was all dirty brown and sooty gray here then, not green and blue...
— Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
My path will weaveThe way you sayThere is no doubtYou'll create the way
— William  O'Brien, Peter: A Darkened Fairytale
Something that once had importance might be forgotten by most people but because millions of people once knew it, a force is present that can be harnessed. There might be so much significance attached to a song, for example, or a fact, that it can’t die but only lies dormant, like a vampire in his coffin, waiting to be called forth from the grave once again. There is more magic in the fact that the first mass worldwide photo of the Church of Satan was taken by Joe Rosenthal – the same man who took the most famous news photo in history – the flag-raising at Iwo Jima. There’s real occult significance to that – much more than in memorizing grimoires and witches’ alphabets. People ask me about what music to use in rituals – what is the best occult music. I’ve instructed people to go to the most uncrowded section of the music store and it’s a guarantee what you’ll find there will be occult music. That’s the power of long-lost trivia. I get irritated by people who turn up their noses and whine ‘Why would anyone want to know that?’ Because once upon a time, everyone in America knew it. Suppose there’s a repository of neglected energy, that’s been generated and forgotten. Maybe it’s like a pressure cooker all this time, just waiting for someone to trigger its release. ‘Here I am,’ it beckons, ‘I have all this energy stored up just waiting for you – all you have to do is unlock the door. Because of man’s stupidity, he’s neglected me to this state of somnambulism – dreaming the ancient dreams – even though I was once so important to him.’ Think about that. A song that was once on millions of lips now is only on your lips. Now what does that contain? Those vibrations of that particular tune, what do they evoke, call up? What do they unlock? The old gods lie dormant, waiting.
— Anton Szandor LaVey, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey
I? I am the wind,’ said Thowra. ‘I come, I pass, and I am gone.’ The strange feathers moved up and down, the strange voice said tartly: ‘And are your sons the same?’ ‘My son is the lightning that strikes through the black night. My grandson is light that pierces the dark sky at dawning.’ ‘Ah,’ said the first emu, ‘and we know your daughter is the snow that falls softly from above and clothes the world in white. You want but the rainbow — that is and was and never will be, and is yet the promise of life — and the glittering ice which is there and is gone: then you and your family will possess all magic.
— Elyne Mitchell, Silver Brumby Kingdom
Once you familiarize yourself with your tools, you should forget about them. It will only throw you off-balance. In all these ‘rolling shit into little balls’ types who spend hours of time and reams of paper saying nothing, literary masturbators, they concentrate on the vehicle more than what they want to produce. That impedes the end result and defeats the purpose. You must lose consciousness of the medium or mechanics to do the impossible. Like Nijinsky who explained how he gave the impression of hovering in mid-air – ‘I just pause when I get there.’ In a child-like way, real magicians innocently do the simplest thing. The objective is all they think about. I just want to make music the way I hear it. The ends justify the means, and the means become inconsequential.
— Anton Szandor LaVey, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey
Science gives man what he needs.But magic gives him what he wants.
— Tom Robbins
The archetype of the witch is long overdue for celebration. Daughters, mothers, queens, virgins, wives, et al. derive meaning from their relation to another person. Witches, on the other hand, have power on their own terms. They have agency. They create. They praise. They commune with nature/ Spirit/God/dess/Choose-your-own-semantics, freely, and free of any mediator. But most importantly: they make things happen. The best definition of magic I’ve been able to come up with is “symbolic action with intent" — “action" being the operative word. Witches are midwives to metamorphosis. They are magical women, and they, quite literally, change the world.
— Pamela J. Grossman
If the bird was made, it chose to be made. It's here because it chooses to be with you.
— Alethea Kontis, Enchanted
The greatest peril of life lies in the fact that human food consists entirely of souls. All the creatures that we to kill and eat, all those that we have to strike down and destroy to make clothes for ourselves, have souls, souls that do not perish with the body and which must therefore be pacified lest they revenge themselves on us for taking away their bodies
— Knud Rasmussen
Fox is a television character, and she isn’t dead yet. But she will be, soon. She’s a character on a television show called The Library. You’ve never seen the Library on TV, but I bet you wish you had.
— Kelly Link, Magic for Beginners
Lovers are the coolest their hearts beat the best & they kiss magic as hell
— Mark Leidner
Childhood is this time of magic and monsters; hoping for one and fearing the other... The worst part of being a kid is discovering which one exists... So, I chose to believe in magic.
— Thomm Quackenbush, We Shadows
Kindness is a kind of magic, in return we get love which is eternal.
— M.H. Rakib
Come closer, my dears, let me give you a warning,Of the fate that befalls those who stay out past morning,In the darkest hours before the dawn,When witches roam and demons spawn,And children die with spirit gone,Magicked away in the gloaming.
— Nenia Campbell, Wishing Stars: Space Opera Fairytales
To go home, you usually will use that door over there." I looked where Trom gestured and saw empty space."What door?" I asked."Oh, sorry. Until you go through your closet door for the first time there won't be a door there.""So then what do I use now?" I asked."You use that door." I looked and this time what he showed me was a door-only it looked like a pet door."Is that an oversized pet door?" I asked.
— Jennifer Priester, Mortal Realm Witch: Learning about Magic
Yeah, well, what are you going to teach me next...how to take over the world?” I asked sarcastically.“Good idea!” Sampson exclaimed a little too enthusiastically.“No, bad idea!” I stressed.“See? You are learning,” Sampson said.
— Jennifer Priester
I did exactly as Sampson said and I conjured up a creature with rabbit ears,a wolf face, a snake body, frog feet, a pig tail, and spikes running from the top of its head to the end of its tail.“Now,” Sampson said. “This is thekind of magic that you shouldn’t do.
— Jennifer Priester, Mortal Realm Witch: The Magic Continues
Subconsciously, every one believes in angels, fairies, magic and a happy ever after.
— Kaye P.
Fact is not truth, but a poet who willfully defies fact cannot achieve truth.
— Robert Graves, The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, Amended and Enlarged Edition
Magic has big sharp teeth. When it bites, it doesn't nibble. It takes big, bloody chunks. So be very, very careful.
— William Blystone
Make no mistake in denying it…magic is real. It happens when you touch her hand for the first time and your palms mysteriously sweat, it transpires within those sustained seconds just before your lips touches hers your heart miraculously races, and it occurs when you cross paths with someone you never met or knew, but have always waited for and instantly know.
— Carl Henegan, Darkness Left Undone
The witch knew who had killed her and she snatched pieces of time, here and there, from the business of dying, to make her revenge.
— Kelly Link, Magic for Beginners
From: The Crown of TelusShe opened her eyes, saw the crown sitting on her bedside table, and wished that it was all a dream. The crown of Trist was nothing special. It had no gemstones, no gold or silver filigree; instead it was simple, a metal circlet with four points and some inlay around a scratched and dented band. “It’s a working man’s crown,” she remembered her father holding the symbol of power out to her when she younger. “See the inlay? Three moons, one for each of our gods, over an oak which represents the mighty forests of the north, a shock of wheat for the Plainsmen to the south, a ship for the Gheltes to the west, and a hashap flower for the spice in the east. Nothing more. We don’t need anymore.”Tears welled in her eyes. A working man’s crown. Nothing fancy or bejeweled, a symbol of the power that guides the land and cares for its people. This was going to be the first day she wore it as queen.
— William Laws
I know essentially you're some kind of enchantress. Maybe you're still serving your apprenticeship, but you're an enchantress all right. Probably I'd get used to you in time. Right now, it's only my demonic will that's keeping me playing it mighty cool.
— Margaret Way, A Lesson in Loving
If you don't believe in yourself, who will?' ~Maybeck
— Ridley Pearson, Disney after Dark
I thought the assassin was moving kind of slow for an assassin. Maybe the magic had done something after all. Or maybe he felt sorry for me. That sort of thing happens among cutthroats more often than you'd expect.
— Cassandra Rose Clarke, The Assassin's Curse
Laughter is magic that dispenses clouds and creates sunshine in the soul.
— Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway
Crazy is such a misunderstood term. I like to think that I march to the beat of my own drummer.
— Eva Sloan, Better Off Dead
If you don't beleve in yourself, who will?' ~Maybeck
— Ridley Pearson, Disney after Dark
Blessed are the powers that grant me magic.I promise to use their gift well.To help mend my world.To help mend all worlds.And should I forget to mend,Should I refuse to mend,Still I will rememberTo do no harm.
— Janni Lee Simner, Faerie Winter
It's a bird of some sort. It's like a duck, only I never saw a duck have so many colors."The bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the Magic Isle, and as it drew nearer its gorgeously colored plumage astonished them. The feathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples, and it had a yellow head with a red plume, and pink, white and violet in its tail.
— L. Frank Baum, The Magic of Oz
All magic is unnatural, and for that reason is to be feared and avoided ~ The Scarecrow
— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz
The longer Ellen Cherry thought about it, the more convinced she became that the mission of the artist in an overtechnologized, overmasculinized society was to call the old magic back to life.Could it be done? Yeah, you pessimistic wimps, it could. Could she do it? Probably not, but she could give it a whirl.
— Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All
My dad liked to say that magic itself is never black; only the uses to which it is put, but mind magic is already tinted a deep, dark gray.
— Christine Amsden, Cassie Scot
...on a number of occasions this book has made reference to magic, and each time you've shaken your head, muttering such criticisms as "What does he mean by 'magic' anyhow? It's embarrassing to find a grown man talking about magic in such a manner. How can anybody take him seriously?" Or, as slightly more gracious readers have objected, "Doesn't the author realize that one can't write about magic? One can create it but not discuss it. It's much too gossamer for that. Magic can be neither described nor defined. Using words to describe magic is like using a screwdriver to slice roast beef."To which the author now replies, Sorry, freeloaders, you're clever but you're not quite correct. Magic isn't the fuzzy, fragile, abstract and ephemeral quality you think it is. In fact, magic is distinguished from mysticism by its very concreteness and practicality. Whereas mysticism is manifest only in spiritual essence, in the transcendental state, magic demands a steady naturalistic base. Mysticism reveals the ethereal in the tangible. Magic makes something permanent out of the transitory, coaxes drama from the colloquial.
— Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
We have to think of a question that we wouldn't otherwise want to answer.'He stood over the pot, looking down at the leaves. 'Something like, Who do you fancy?''That might work,' I said, even though it was the last question I wanted to answer. But it was impossible, suddenly, to tell a lie.Benjamin took a deep sniff over the steam and turned to me. 'All right,' he said. 'So who do you fancy?'I hesitated. 'Fancy means like, right?' I said stalling.'Of course.'I gritted my teeth against the answer coming out. but I couldn't stop myself. 'You,' I said helplessly.
— Maile Meloy, The Apothecary
I create other worlds, magical never-never lands where the camera is my weapon and the battles I fight are with the elements. i stretch the laws of the mind and displace people from their realities to capture a side of them they didn’t even know they had. Photography has the ability to freeze people in this time and space—no matter what happens after that moment, it cannot change—they are exactly how i want them to be.
— Tyler Shields
He wanted a faery. More than anything else in the world. He had already imagined exactly how it should happen. He would set up the invitation, and the next day there would be a petal-winged pisky clinging to the top of his bedpost. It would have a foolish grin on its face, and large ears, and it wouldn’t notice at all that Bartholomew was small and ugly and different from everyone else. But no. Mother had to ruin everything.
— Stefan Bachmann, The Peculiar
A figure stood at the far end, cloaked in black and beckoning him.
— Patrick W. Carr, A Cast of Stones
The Glass Cat is one of the most curious creatures in all Oz. It was made by a famous magician named Dr. Pipt before Ozma had forbidden her subjects to work magic. Dr. Pipt had made the Glass Cat to catch mice, but the Cat refused to catch mice and was considered more curious than useful.This astonishing cat was made all of glass and was so clear and transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a window. In the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked like jewels but were intended for brains. It had a heart made of a blood-red ruby. The eyes were two large emeralds. But, aside from these colors, all the rest of the animal was of clear glass, and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful.
— L. Frank Baum, The Magic of Oz
Look closely Jane. This is Majesty Park, the city of wonder. Here you are free to dream dreams and follow them wherever they may take you.
— Elle Alexander, Grimly Jane
Any fool would not be braveWho takes no heed of this verseNo heroic deed or action saveAny man from Finndragon’s curse
— Richie Earl, The Legend of Finndragon's Curse
My father once told me love is magic, sir.
— Victoria Alexander, Seduction of a Proper Gentleman
So why hadn’t he confronted me? Why hadn’t he torn through my lies and forced me to own up that I’d caught him in a Binding? It wasn’t like he could just brush this off. And that smile before he left, as if he’d been pulling my leg to see my reaction…I shook my head. Ryan was certainly providing his fair share of riddles. There was the tiny possibility he was still clueless and was just teasing me, but I doubted anyone could be that naïve. Even him. My mind began to tick over, desperate for an answer. Only one other thing stuck out in his behaviour. Maybe he was going for a fair exchange strategy. He wouldn’t question my secrets, in the hope I wouldn’t question his.Now that was naïve.
— Sam Dogra, The Binding
My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan’s shoulder. We were burrowed under the cloak and sleeping bag, and my hand rested on his cheek, about to swat the stray hair that had fallen over my face. This wouldn’t have been so bad, if not for one tiny detail.Ryan was awake.
— Sam Dogra, The Binding
Adam glanced at me. His grin was back. I’d forgotten how easily he could wind me up.“You know, Eliza,” he said, “maybe you’re missing something here.”“You’re going to be missing a few teeth if you don’t explain yourself,” I growled.
— Sam Dogra, The Binding
I remained silent, adrift in a torrent of mixed feelings. The Binding urged me to curl up in his embrace, to lose myself in his scent and surrender to his lips again; however, my own thoughts begged me to turn away. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t deny there was something between Ryan and me, but what? It was the curse!It had always been the curse…
— Sam Dogra, The Binding
Ryan, if you abandon me here, I will have no choice but to tell your father,” Navinka cut in. “You don’t want Aronzo and his men prowling after you again.” She gave a stretch. “I can inform Lord Glenford we are joining my father in Dragonvale. The East Pass is a safe route. He will not insist on sending a further escort.” She flashed a deadly smile. “I can make your life easier or more difficult. I leave the choice to you.
— Sam Dogra, The Binding
I’ve long believed that the gods give us the music we’re supposed to hear at the times we’re supposed to hear it, because all music, even lyrical and regardless of language performed in, is in and of itself an inherently magical language that can, at proper times, speak to the soul.
— Ruadhán J. McElroy
Well, you know it’s my magic essence. -Mark Khiop
— Akutra-Ramses Atenosis Cea, Spidersilk
I always believe in the magical things ...if you don't believe, you can't receive.
— Maximilian Brunsdon
Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Clause. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. If you don’t, who will?
— Jon Bon Jovi
The enchanted day is only enchanted if we ourselves believe that anything is possible.
— Mark  Donnelly
Sometimes, the smallest moments in your life have the greatest impact. They soar straight into a place deep inside you, and resonate with the very core of your heart, sinking deep into your memory, to remind you later, that life and love can bring you magic you didn’t know existed.
— Angela Richardson, Pieces of Truth
I decide that we could always indulge ourselves later. First, I had a soul-eating stone of power to poke with a stick.
— Lisa Shearin, Magic Lost, Trouble Found
I took a step back, shaking my head, wishing I could place a gnarly black hex on him. My daddy taught me better than that.
— Mary Buckham, Invisible Magic
We are touched by magic wands. For just a fraction of our day life is perfect, and we are absolutely happy and in harmony with the earth. The feeling passes much too quickly. But the memory – and the anticipation of other miracles – sustains us in the battle indefinitely.
— John     Nichols, A Fragile Beauty: John Nichols' Milagro Country: Text and Photographs from His Life and Work
All of us had problems, it seemed, whose sources were untraceable, crossing over one another like the trajectories of countless raindrops in a storm, blending to create a fog of delusion and counter-delusion. Powerful forces and connections were undoubtedly at play, yet they seemed to have no faces and no names, and it was anybody's guess what we - a crowd of deluded no-talents - could have possibly done to offend them. We had been caught up in a season of hideous magic from which nothing could offer us deliverance.("Gas Station Carnivals")
— Thomas Ligotti, The Nightmare Factory
Art is a deception that creates real emotions - a lie that creates a truth. And when you give yourself over to that deception, it becomes magic.
— Marco Tempest
Humans did not want to know about non-humans. Funny thing was most non-humans felt the same way, happy to hide their abilities and talents to avoid witch hunts and wholesale slaughter.
— Mary Buckham, Invisible Magic
Music did that to me, just like God was supposed to, because music seemed both magic and holy.
— Jennifer Niven, Velva Jean Learns to Drive
We stood in the wings together, side by side. Reed's mouth was still agape."It makes sense when you think about it," I mused. "You get two people together who have you-know-what, and sparks are going to fly." Reed's cue was about to start. He pointed at me and said, "Tonight. There's a party. And we're going to talk." "Yes""Because this is crazy." "Totally." "Okay. Well." He tugged a strand of my hair. "Good luck out there.""You're not supposed to say that.""Fine. How about..." He squinted at me. "Here's looking at you kid." The smile melted off my face. "What did you say?" "It's a line. From a movie." He shrugged and burst onto the stage with a hee-haw. It was a line. From Casablanca. The same line KARL had said to me when I was Elsa. The same like Karl didn't recognize when I said it to him as Floressa. Which meant... nothing. Right? Lots of people know that line. Just because Reed said it, and Reed was a sub, it didn't mean he was... he was... "You're on," the stage manager whispered. I stumbled onto the stage. The lights were too bright. The theater was packed. Reed gave me a quick, crooked smile, and I knew. My crush on Karl was less complicated than I thought, because it wasn't Karl I'd been with that day in the garden. Now my crush on Reed... ?THAT was a scandal all on its own.
— Lindsey Leavitt, The Royal Treatment
Why does there appear to be so little magic in the world these days? It is because people have stopped believing in it or lose touch with it as they grow up. It is because we have become so sophisticated and lost our ancient and natural roots. It is because religion, science and education have taught us that magic does not exist. That even supposing it does exist – which to many is far too big an 'if' – then it couldn't possibly work. Their self-fulfilling sophistry complete, they then turn round and say 'There you are you see, there is no magic in the world, just as we said.' And we and the world are all the poorer as a result of this. I mean, what are we left with? Santa, the Easter Bunny, Harry Potter and the Tooth Fairy.
— H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons
Sorcery rules the world. Of course, most don't call it sorcery; indeed, many would be horrified by such a notion.
— H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons
The role of a story was, in the broadest terms, to transpose a single problem into another form. ... It was like a piece of paper bearing the indecipherable text of a magic spell.
— Haruki Murakami, 1Q84
M.T. Stone was the poster boy for what an assassin should look like.
— Mary Buckham, Invisible Magic
Magic and miracle they are nothing but manipulation of sight and heart.
— M.F. Moonzajer
All those old myths and legends and fairytales didn't just appear out of nowhere for no good reason, you know. They came about because there really is such a thing as magic or that it once flourished in the world. Or at least there is something extraordinary that people commonly refer to, or dismiss, as magic.
— H.M. Forester, Game of Aeons
He didn’t want to admit that his daughter was something more now. I raised my hand guiding one of Nona’s lawn ornaments across the lawn. Making it dance.“Hope,” Dad warned from inside.I dropped it on the lawn. “Such a party pooper.
— Holly Hood, Black Moon
As if grabbed by strong arms that were not there, he felt himself being lifted. Raising skyward and spinning, he fought to regain orientation. The winds were holding him and carrying him higher. Spinning him sickeningly, senses askew, his focus was being lost.
— Stephen   Craig, The Tortured Clouds of Kh'all
Chapter 8 - The Rescue Team: "Timbroke Hall was completely dark. A creaking shutter opened and closed to the rhythm of a howling, north wind. It bore a cold reminder of the harsh winter coming quickly this year. The children crept up the rock stairs to the familiar wooden doors at the front of the building. Ariana led them around the porch to a side door according to her, was never locked. The broken handle dangled loosely and offered free entrance. The team cautiously crossed the threshold of the old hall into pitch blackness. An owl hooted and the sound of large wings flapping reverberated around them. Camilla startled, cried out a fearful yelp causing everyone to jump. Hannah reflexively covered Camilla’s mouth until she was certain nothing more would slip out. “Quiet,” whispered Jess in an angry tone directed at Hannah. “It wasn’t me,” whispered Hannah pointing down at Camilla. “Sorry,” whispered Camilla apologetically.
— M.K. McDaniel, Nina Beana and the Owenroake Treasure Hunters
Lorth spoke a word and came into focus, though he had learned from experience that his features, the ghost-pale skin of a Northman with the gold-green eyes of a wolf, were almost as unnerving to a Tarthian as the shadowy form of a cloaking spell.
— F.T. McKinstry, The Hunter's Rede
To create reality, focus beyond the outcome, as if it has already happened.
— Gregg Braden
It is most unlikely. But--here comes the big "but"--not impossible.
— Roald Dahl, The Witches
The stuffs you're good at and the stuffs you're bad at are just different parts of the same thing. Same goes for people you love and the people you don't. And the people who love you and the people who don't. The only thing that mattered was that you cared about a few people.
— Kami Garcia, Beautiful Chaos
Who knows, my friend? Maybe the sword does have some magic. Personally, I think it's the warrior who wields it.
— Brian Jacques, Redwall
The circus had been unlike anything I could ever imagine and I could not walk away. I wanted to be a part of the magic, create it and wield it with such skill that it looked effortless. I wanted to fly.
— Laura Lam, Pantomime
I'm writing a book on magic”, I explain, and I'm asked, “Real magic?” By real magic people mean miracles, thaumaturgical acts, and supernatural powers. “No”, I answer: “Conjuring tricks, not real magic”. Real magic, in other words, refers to the magic that is not real, while the magic that is real, that can actually be done, is not real magic.
— Lee Siegel, Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in India
Magic works best for me when it aligns with scientific principles.
— Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor's Soul
Let's sum up... a little house, white and green or to be made so... with trees, preferably birch and spruce... a window looking seaward... on a hill. That sounds very possible... but there is one other requirement. There must be magic about it, Jane... lashings of magic... and magic houses are scarce, even on the Island. Have you any idea at all what I mean, Jane?"Jane reflected."You want to feel that the house is yours before you buy it," she said."Jane," said dad, "you are too good to be true.
— L.M. Montgomery, Jane of Lantern Hill
Can you sacrifice people?' I asked. 'Take their magic that way?''Yes,' he said. 'But there's a catch.''What's the catch?''You get hunted down even unto the ends of the Earth and summarily executed.
— Ben Aaronovitch, Midnight Riot
It is not real," he whispered. "This place is only a thought that has grabbed hold of you. It cannot harm you. You are not of this place, and it has no power over you. You do not need it, nor do you owe it your allegiance." I nodded, listening only to his words and not to the rattling of the windows, which had begun as soon as we stepped inside.
— Rita Murphy, Bird
This magical universe is so faithful in waiting for us to get out of our own way. No matter how long you have gone astray, when you take action, the universe moves to support the act. Move in the direction of your goals and watch the magic flow.
— Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
Drugs have a long history of use in magic in various cultures, and usually in the context of either ecstatic communal rituals or in personal vision quests. However compared to people in simple pastoral tribal situations most people in developed countries now live in a perpetual state of mental hyperactivity with overactive imaginations anyway, so throwing drugs in on top of this usually just leads to confusion and a further loss of focus.Plus as the real Shamans say, if you really do succeed in opening a door with a drug it will thereafter open at will and most such substances give all they will ever give on the first attempt.
— Peter J. Carroll, The Octavo: A Sorcerer-Scientist's Grimoire
There's room for all sorts of magic and miracles in this world - that's what I think.
— Michael Morpurgo, Alone on a Wide Wide Sea
As Wendy watched them they burst into a chord of tinkling, girlish laughter. She felt a smile touch her own lips; not one of them could be under sixty.
— Stephen King, The Shining
[A] competent magician should have the ability to stand still at a bus stop with closed eyes and have the entire universe disappear apart from a single blazing visualised sigil or muttered spell.
— Peter J. Carroll, The Octavo: A Sorcerer-Scientist's Grimoire
There is magic in this wonderful life, but only if you choose to do more than just exist; the magic is found when we choose to live.
— Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
Oberon’s been kidnapped along with one of the werewolves, and that’s why we’re all so upset. We’ll talk more tomorrow, and I promise to answer all your questions if I survive the night,” I said. The widow’s eyebrows raised. “Ye’ve got all these nasty pooches to run around with and ye still might die?” “I’m going to go fight with a god, some demons, and a coven of witches who all want to kill me,” I said, “so it’s a distinct possibility.” “Are y’goin’ t’kill ’em back?” “I’d certainly like to.” “Attaboy,” the widow chuckled. “Off y’go, then. Kill every last one o’ the bastards and call me in the mornin’.
— Kevin Hearne, Hounded
The first handkerchief was tied to a second, yellow handkerchief. He fed both through the window and kept pulling. Attached to it was a red one. Then a green one. “Go away, you goddamn clown!” Jenny ordered. But Benny the Clown continued to pull out handkerchief after handkerchief. Five…ten…fifteen…then… That’s not a handkerchief.
— Blake Crouch, Draculas
Her voice, unfolding like a tiny bright memory in the darkest, furthest corner of my mind.
— Kami Garcia
I look at the others, simpering courtiers and visiting dignitaries, all unsuspecting of what is to come. A merciful man should spare them, but I had mercy cut out of me at a young age.
— A.F. Stewart, Ruined City
It’s not that any sufficiently advanced technology is magic, it’s that any technology taking place beyond the threshold of our senses is.
— Nick Harkaway
Sweet Jesus," he whispered, trailing kisses along the line of her jaw. "Our excavation must have freed some deep, dark ancient enchantment from the earth. How else to explain this magic?
— Cara Elliott, To Surrender To A Rogue
Linc was so amazed at what he saw and heard, “This is sooo cool. I love this place. This looks way better than a day spotting weird people at Walmart.
— S.W. Lothian, The Fallen Pharaoh
I learned that the day "The Viper's Drag" slipped from between my fingers. But whatever might be lost or broken or forgotten is nothing compared to the miraculous rebirth that occurs every time the needle hits the groove. Here is Fats Waller Himself, not dead but present, so present that he overwhelms the well-ordered precincts of the living room. The sound sprawls. What vibrates here has more life than any room.
— Geoffrey O'Brien, Sonata for Jukebox: An Autobiography of My Ears
Just one moment of madnessCan rescind a lifetime of moments.Lord Heikan
— Joseph Henry Gaines, Zachania Tome Two
For a split second, Harry thought how absurd it was for Tonks to expect the dummy to hear her talking that quietly through a sheet of glass, when there were buses rumbling along behind her and all the racket of street full of shoppers. Then he reminded himself that dummies could not hear anyway.
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This is beyond understanding." said the king. "You are the wisest man alive. You know what is preparing. Why do you not make a plan to save yourself?"And Merlin said quietly, "Because I am wise. In the combat between wisdom and feeling, wisdom never wins.
— John Steinbeck, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
Books" - Snell smiled - "are a kind of magic.
— Jasper Fforde, The Well of Lost Plots
Technically,' I said, "I'm not breaking any of the Laws of Magic. I'm not robbing you of your will, so I'm clear of the Fourth Law. And you didn't get loose, so I'm clear of the Seventh Law. The Council can bite me.'The bone ridges above Chauncy's eyes twitched. 'Surely, that is merely a colorful euphemism, rather than a statement of desire.''It is.
— Jim Butcher, Fool Moon
To resist and subdue Nature is to make for one's self a personal and imperishable life: it is to break free from the vicissitudes of Life and Death.
— Aleister Crowley
There are no miracles on Mondays.
— Amy Neftzger, The Orphanage of Miracles
...Moonlight possesses no alchemy to transmute good motives to base, but it does excite love magic...
— John Geddes, A Familiar Rain
...There is a tale, as old as the Ancient Ones themselves, that one would arise who has that gift: to sing all the chantments, the high notes and the low, the swift rhythms and the slow. And this person would be more powerful than even the Ancient Ones were, as powerful as the gods themselves.
— Kate Constable, The Singer of All Songs
...loving a fairy lady with a magic song will leave you desolate on a cold hillside ... but from there you can see the stars...
— John Geddes, A Familiar Rain
As long as we don't cut off our hearts, the inner workings of the universe illuminate before us.
— Rivera Sun, Steam Drills, Treadmills and Shooting Stars - a story of our times -
We learned the seven traditional ways to make words unclear.""Seven? That many? Which was the most effective?""Poor grammar skills.
— Lita Burke, Ephraim's Curious Device
I have no cause to love Mr. Norrell- far from it. But I know this about him: he is a magician first and everything else second- and Jonathan is the same. Books and magic are all either of them really care about.
— Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
At home I walked through a haze of belongings that knew, at least vaguely, who they belonged to. Grampar’s chair resented anyone else sitting on it as much as he did himself. Gramma’s shirts and jumpers adjusted themselves to hide her missing breast. My mother’s shoes positively vibrated with consciousness. Our toys looked out for us. There was a potato knife in the kitchen that Gramma couldn’t use. It was an ordinary enough brown-handled thing, but she’d cut herself with it once, and ever after it wanted more of her blood. If I rummaged through the kitchen drawer, I could feel it brooding. After she died, that faded. Then there were the coffee spoons, rarely used, tiny, a wedding present. They were made of silver, and they knew themselves superior to everything else and special.None of these things did anything. The coffee spoons didn’t stir the coffee without being held or anything. They didn’t have conversations with the sugar tongs about who was the most cherished. I suppose what they really did was physiological. They confirmed the past, they connected everything, they were threads in a tapestry.
— Jo Walton, Among Others
The world was all magic, and he had a special bottle of it in his right hand.
— William Steig, Gorky Rises
The true magic of novels dwells within us individually. Each reader will interpret every single character, scene, and metaphor in a slightly different way
— Carl Henegan, Darkness Left Undone
People who go to Disney who have magic in themselves experience magic there, just as people who go to the grocery store who have magic in themselves experience magic at the grocery store. The principle is simple: fun, joy, and happiness, are something we bring to life, not something life, circumstance, or situation bring to us. There are truly no magic kingdoms, only magic people.	Fun, joy and happiness are choices, orientations, approaches, attitudes, a way of living in the world, not the world itself...
— David W. Jones, Moses and Mickey Mouse: How to Find Holy Ground in the Magic Kingdom and Other Unusual Places
Is my world turning into Harry Potter's?!
— Jada Berglund, The Mysteries of My Life
You know what happens at any magic show? When the magician says ‘look here, look here,’ the audience looks only there and nowhere else. And that’s exactly what happened at the earnings conference today.
— Ali Sheikh, Closure of the Helpdesk — A Geek Tragedy
Cordelia was thinking how human beings can invent words, how they can line up their invented words side by side on paper. It was magic.
— Leonie Swann, Three Bags Full
...the magic of love runs at cross purposes with the rhythm of living...
— John Geddes, A Familiar Rain
Her eyes were like the sea before a storm on the Carolina coast.
— Kami Garcia
Every little thing she does is magic.
— The Police
These last few months Vida had started believing in all kinds of strange things she'd have laughed at when we lived back in Avalon. She'd tried every spell she could find in the dusty old books she brought home from thrift shops and garage sales; none of them ever worked, and it was awful watching her try.
— Judith Clarke, Starry Nights
...yes I understand your spells—your sex magic—at least, I know this: all lights dim when you walk in...
— John Geddes, A Familiar Rain
Magic is magic as long as humans can explain it logically!
— Asse Sauga
Magic will find those with pure hearts, even when all seems lost.
— Morgan Rhodes, Falling Kingdoms
She told me that if magic gives people what they want, then not using magic can give them what they need.
— Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites
The King had advertised the old magic tea set, but for some reason, no one wanted sugar teeth that could gouge their eyes out.
— Heather Dixon
Be kind and generous to your fellows, but hard and relentless with yourself.
— Franz Bardon
Mystical insight and enlightenment occur when the veil between the worlds is lifted, the worlds are bridged, the gap closes, and we cross over.
— Tom Cowan, Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit
Then sudden Felagund there swayingSang in answer a song of staying,Resisting, battling against power,Of secrets kept, strength like a tower,And trust unbroken, freedom, escape;Of changing and of shifting shape,Of snares eluded, broken traps,The prison opening, the chain that snaps.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
...for a country whose people ceased to believe in magic soon lost much of their ability to imagine and dream, and before long, they ceased to believe--or hope-- for anything.
— Mercedes Lackey, The Fairy Godmother
(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.
— Daniel McHugh, The Mirror and the Maelstrom
A man without equals is a dangerous man indeed. He must exercise the most difficult of attributes, restraint.
— Daniel McHugh, The Mirror and the Maelstrom
At its most elemental, a spell is no more than a recipe for change.
— Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Something soft turn to stone within her. She had no choice. She had to fight. She had to win. She would learn. And then she'd free them.Or join them.
— Amber Argyle, Witch Song
At least he possessed enough sense to recognize how little sense he possessed.
— Daniel McHugh, The Mirror and the Maelstrom
He wanted to write someone and demand a refund on his dark side which clearly ought to have irresistible magical power but had turned out to be defective.
— Eliezer Yudkowsky, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
A man walked across the moors from Razorback to Lancre town without seeing a single marshlight, head-less dog, strolling tree, ghostly coach or comet, and had to be taken in by a tavern and given a drink to unsteady his nerves.
— Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters
I think it simply comes down to fantasy being the language I speak. While I cannot get into epic sword and sorcery, I see the world as having the potential to be slightly off-kilter. I have run into people who do not quite seem human – though of course they are – and have been privy to coincidences that almost make me believe in magic. Fantasy is sometimes just asking yourself, “Well, what if you are wrong? What if the world doesn’t work the way you think? What would that mean?
— Thomm Quackenbush
Where are we?" Ni asked."This is my work place and the center ofUniverse as well." Simone said."Do you mean the tower is in the center of Universe?" Ni asked“I mean that we are both in space and inside the tower at the same time.""Why is it so dark here?" Ni asked."At the beginning, it is always dark." Simone replied, "Then everything comes into existence little by little.Even Light is born out of Darkness.
— Leora Cika Waldman, Nirupa and the Book of Shadows
Why all this death?You might as easily ask ‘Why all this life?’.
— Daniel McHugh, The Mirror and the Maelstrom
Those of strong character and training are chosen by fate. They cannot help but rise to the forefront when their nations are troubled.
— Daniel McHugh, The Mirror and the Maelstrom
Now that the barn has burned down, I can see the moon. - Persian proverb
— Samantha Combs
This time Simone did not smile at all."I cannot tell that to you, child. This is asecret I am not allowed to talk about. I only hope that you willknow how to follow the true and right path. And now, farewell!" Sheturned around and walked away between the bookshelves, disappearingfrom their sight.Nirupa looked at the book she held in herhand. On its thick front cover she read:"Atlantis."Deep shudders shook her body. She turned herhead and looked at Miss Bell, who also looked numb with fear."Now that we have started the adventure, memust carry it through to the end," Ni whispered to Miss Bell,opening the book. She did not have time to see what was writteninside because, once the first page was open, a whirl of warm airsucked Ni and Miss. Bell inside, In the twinkle of an eye theyfound themselves standing up on the main street of a magnificentbazaar.
— Leora Cika Waldman, Nirupa and the Book of Shadows
Change & transformation. That kind of magic.
— Julia Green, Breathing Underwater
It won’t be the same. Just because we have the choice of having anything we want without having to lift a finger, we don’t have to take the shortcut. As you’ve seen, we enjoy doing most of the things by ourselves. Food cooked or a house built by hand is more precious.
— Liz Grace Davis, Tangi's Teardrops: A Single Tear Will Change Everything...
No matter what danger you might face," the wizard resumed, "within this book is a magical solution."I did as Ebenzum bade, opening to a page titled "EZ Wizard's Index." I scanned quickly down the righthand column:Demons, who are about to eat you, 206, 211Demons, who are about to tear you limb from limb, 207Demons, who are about thrash you soundly, 206-7Demons, who have already begun to eat you, 208"As you can see," my master continued, "quick reference to this index can prepare you for virtually any eventuality.
— Craig Shaw Gardner, A Difficulty with Dwarves
People are always looking for magic, when the natural world holds true miracles
— Avery Williams, The Alchemy of Forever
Fuck me, I thought. I can do magic.
— Ben Aaronovitch, Midnight Riot