Quotes About Illusion

But the exponents of the theory "art for art's sake" maintain that any reference to actualities beyond the work of art must irretrievably destroy its aesthetic illusion. That may be correct, and yet this aesthetic illusion is not all, to produce it is not the exclusive or the most important aim of the artistic endeavor.

science proceeds to build up a theory of nature by which the foundation itself is shattered. It saws off the branch on which it is supported. It kicks down the ladder by which it has climbed. It dissolves the thing perceived into a remote reality which is neither perceived nor perceivable. It turns the world of common sense into an illusion, and on this illusion it calmly rests its case.

the average American considers the beginning of "old age" to be six years after the average person dies. We avoid thinking realistically about the length of our lives and our time left, lulling us into the false belief that we have all the time in the world.

There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were deluded.

Mindfulness is a quality that's always there. It's an illusion that there's a meditation and post-meditation period, which I always find amusing, because you're either mindful or you're not.

I love a quick little magician gag.

I learned quickly at Columbia that the only eye that mattered was the one on the camera.

It's funny how people fantasise about your life sometimes. But it's so much quieter than they think.

The people who are absent are the ideal; those who are present seem to be quite commonplace.

A magician pulls a rabbit from a hat, and actors pull truth from fiction.

I was in the company of movie stars, important directors, and powerful business tycoons. I felt like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.

To me comedy is like being a magician, once they know the rabbit is coming out of the hat they won't care.

I'm not so radical about Twitter, but I think it's sometimes dangerous if you think that Twitter is real life.

The irony is that you can't use real rain to make movies.

Everyone thinks that Prince and I had a beautiful, romantic love affair, but we didn't. We just let people think that in order to promote 'Purple Rain.'

Bubbles have more colors than a rainbow.

It's really hard to think of one kind of magic as a favorite. I've been really fortunate in that I've been able to perform such a diverse range of things.

It's funny, people don't think of 'Cloverfield' as being restrained because it's a handycam movie, but the only reason it's a handycam movie is because that was supposed to be the reality of the situation.

Everyone wants to start a business in their garage - they think it's sexy - but when you actually sit as a 30-year-old in a garage, it's not so sexy.

I can easily lose myself emotionally in absolute Hollywood garbage.

There's something about the Houdini act that is not always made clear - about the escape act in general.

I don't like to watch myself on screen because in my mind there is a touch of George Clooney about me, but when I see it, there is more than a little Donkey from 'Shrek' about me.

If you take a lie and allow your desire for the truth, you'll end up with some truth - not fact, but something that gets you closer to the truth. That's what we want. When we go to a play, we need to be assured that the experience we're having.

Ghost has always been about make-believe.