10 Quotes about magic from your favourite authors

After reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, I wanted to see what other writers had to say about the magic of writing. I was surprised to find quite a few quotes that link the two (not including the quotes from J.K. Rowling – they weren’t that surprising). Without further ado, here are the top 10 quotes about magic from some of your favourite authors.

Take some magic with you

This is one of my favourite quotes because it’s so true. You can always take some magic with you, even if you have to sit on your suitcase to get it shut. The quote is from Stephen King’s book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s on my to-be-read list, as it looks like the kind of book that should be on every writer’s nightstand.

Read a good book

What would a list about magic and books be without a quote from J.K. Rowling? A pretty bad list, right? J.K. Rowling is one of my favourite authors and if you don’t like Harry Potter, we can’t be friends. Kidding! But Siriusly, what’s Ron with you?

Recapture the magic of that first read

How magical is the first read of a good book? The first time you’re shocked by the plot twist that you didn’t see coming or when the character’s point of view is completely different from yours and you are forced to consider a different perspective.

Create something from nothing

I had to Google who Alan Moore is (comic book fans everywhere gasp in horror). For the (very few) others who don’t know who he is, Alan Moore is a fiction writer and is best known for his comic books, Watchmen and V for Vendetta. Moore seems to share Elizabeth Gilbert’s idea that art is magical.

Find the magic in everything

The author of The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett, believes there is magic in everything, not just art.

Sharpen your senses to discover something magical

Seems like W.B. Yeats and Frances Hodgson Burnett had the same idea about magic. It’s not surprising, seeing as they both lived in roughly the same period. They believed in magic but not in our ability to understand or grasp it.

Believe in magic

Ever the optimist Roald Dahl believes that we’ll be able to find the magic around us, if we believe in it and look for it.

Find the magic moment in each day

In order to be happy, Paulo Coelho reminds us to find the magic moment in each day.

Find the power inside yourself to transform our world

Another inspiring quote from the magical J.K. Rowling. And it also links to Paulo Coelho’s quote that we have the power inside us to change ourselves, to be happy (depending on our serotonin levels) and to change the world.

Turn ideas into magic

William Bernbach was an influential figure in the history of modern advertising. He was an English copywriter who pioneered the idea that copywriters and art directors should work together as a team. I like that the quote links back to Elizabeth Gilbert’s theory that ideas have a life of their own and that they can turn out dazzling or dull depending on who decides to pursue them. I would also argue that the amount of effort a person is willing to put in determines whether an idea turns into dust or Big Magic.