QuoteProject
There is so much that glows in the circus, from flames to lanterns to stars. I have heard the expression “trick of the light” applied to sights within Le Cirque des Reves so frequently that I sometimes suspect the entirety of the circus is itself a complex illusion of illumination” .
Erin Morgenstern
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the enchanting and illusory nature of experiences, particularly in the context of a circus setting.

In this quote, Erin Morgenstern describes the circus as a place filled with captivating lights and illusions, suggesting that beauty and wonder often stem from our perception of reality. It highlights how experiences can be both magical and deceptive, evoking a sense of awe while leaving us questioning the authenticity of what we see and feel.

Themes

CircusIllusionLightMagicPerceptionWonder

In practice

Example use cases

Sharing this quote during a discussion about art and illusion at a gallery opening.

More from Erin Morgenstern

I made a wish on this tree years ago," Marco says. "What did you wish for?" Bailey asks. Marco leans forward and whispers in Bailey's ear. "I wished for her.
Erin MorgensternRead
I worry hope will crush me, the way love has so many times before. Are they so different, hope and love? O & E in the same place, half of the other in each word. Both swimming in unknowns. I’ve been through the big changes. These ones should seem easier in comparison, I should be more prepared, but they don’t and I’m not. Sometimes I feel like a broken-wing butterfly, clinging to a window screen. Afraid to let go. Afraid to stay. Wondering how much wing is enough to fly.
Erin MorgensternRead
Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon . . . is not the dragon the hero of his own story?
Erin MorgensternRead
Trapped in silence, Marco traces apologies and adorations across Celia's body with his tongue. Mutely expressing all the things he cannot speak aloud. He finds other ways to tell her, his fingers leaving faint trails of ink in their wake. He savors every sound he elicits from her. The entire room trembles as they come together. And though there are a great many fragile objects contained within it, nothing breaks.
Erin MorgensternRead
It is perhaps both a blessing and a curse that fictional worlds spring into my mind nearly fully formed and it takes quite a while to sift through everything to find the story.
Erin MorgensternRead
Widge can see the past." Poppet says suddenly. "That's why his stories are so good." "The past is easier," Widget says. "It's already there." "In the stars?" Bailey asks. "No." Widget says. "On people. The past stays on you the way powdered sugar stays on fingers. Some people can get rid of it but it's still there, the events and t hings that pushed you to where you are now.
Erin MorgensternRead

Similar quotes

All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
E. B. WhiteRead
I'm the kind of person who would love to play whenever I felt like, with a band, and it might as well be the Holiday Inn in Nebraska - somewhere where no one knows you, and you're in a band situation just playing music.
George HarrisonRead
Today, writers want to impress other writers.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does.
David CarsonRead
When you write a play, you work out like a musician on a piece of music. You find all the rhythms and the melody and the harmonies and take them as they come.
Sam ShepardRead
If you write fiction, you have to love your characters. It's like your family. You don't have to like them, but you have to love them.
Douglas CouplandRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.