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David Copperfield

David Copperfield Quotes

Magician

David Copperfield, born on September 16, 1956, is a world-renowned magician from the United States. His magical performances blend modern technology with traditional magic tricks, bringing a new level of visual impact and shock to the audience. Copperfield has won the love of audiences worldwide with his amazing magical skills and stage charm.

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All Magic People Shows Years Magician Said Audience Kind Thinking Illusion

Famous David Copperfield Quotes

“I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously.”

Believe Has Beens Night Born Records Cry Strikes Clock Twelve Friday

Book:The Works of Charles Dickens

Source: The Works of Charles Dickens

“Magicians are the people who began to use film as an illusion on stage.”

People Use Film Stage Illusion Magician

Author:David Copperfield

“Normally, I do magic on the stage. But I can make magic credible and resonate through a TV screen.”

I Can Magic Stage Tvs Screens Credible

Author:David Copperfield

“Magic is used in espionage, all the time, for clandestine things. I've got a whole library from a gentleman who was hired by the CIA to create magic technology for the use of anti-terrorism.”

Whole Use Used Technology Magic Library Terrorism Gentleman Cia Espionage Clandestine Anti Terrorism

Author:David Copperfield

“To make magic credible on screen is always very difficult. The story is the most important thing. That is what should win. If sacrifices or compromises are made, it's usually for story. Story in magic is very, very important to me. That's what I've really championed through my career.”

Ifs Should Made Important Stories Winning Difficult Careers Magic Sacrifice Important Things Screens Compromise Made It Credible

Author:David Copperfield

“Magic is the only profession where it's easy to lie about your talent. If you do a trick and you can learn it very quickly, you can fool somebody into thinking you're a great magician.”

Ifs Thinking Lying Easy Magic Talent Fool Profession Tricks Magician

Author:David Copperfield

“From the very beginning, I studied acting, directing, lighting, dance and movement. I didn't rely on just the magic to take place. It's a shame that a lot of magicians just rely on the trick itself and they have no other abilities. They get away with the wonder factor, and I don't think that's enough. It's great, but it's not enough.”

Thinking Enough Ability Acting Wonder Magic Movement Shame Tricks Factors Rely Get Away Magician Lighting

Author:David Copperfield

“In movies, storytelling and every single art form, we're creating wonder. You're starting with a blank page and creating something that doesn't exist.”

Art Form Wonder Creating Pages Starting Storytelling Blank Creating Something Blank Pages

Author:David Copperfield

“All the lawyers and the business stuff is work, but actually creating stuff isn't work. It's good effort. It's hard work. But, it's not work. It doesn't feel like work because the result is very rewarding.”

Feels Hard Stuff Results Effort Hard Work Creating Lawyer Working It

Author:David Copperfield

“My job is to make people dream. Of course, there's a lot of technical stuff behind the scenes and a lot of hard work behind it, but I get to watch people see the result of that hard work and feel that wonder and feel that discovery, all the time.”

People Feels Hard Dream Jobs Courses Stuff Results Behinds Wonder Watches Hard Work Scene Discovery Behind The Scenes

Author:David Copperfield

“When I was a kid, people wanted to be an astronaut. Today, kids want to be famous, and that's totally the wrong approach. You have to have authenticity in what you're doing. You have to really care about the core message of what you're saying, and then everything else will fall into place.”

People Want Care Kids Today Wanted Fall Approach Messages Core Authenticity Astronaut Doing You Fall Into Place

Author:David Copperfield

“Magic has been something I've been really good at since I was really young. The ability has always come easy to me, I'm not sure why.”

Has Beens Young Easy Ability Magic Not Sure

Author:David Copperfield

“My uncle's house burned down when I was 6 years old. We got out safely. But ever since, I've had a nightmare of dying in a fire.”

Years House Fire Dying Nightmare Burned Uncles

Author:David Copperfield

“Never stop listening to your audience.”

Audience Listening

Author:David Copperfield

“I was a captive and a slave. I loved Dora Spenlow to distraction! She was more than human to me. She was a Fairy, a Sylph, I dont know what she was--anything that no one ever saw, and everything that everybody ever wanted.”

Knows Humans Wanted Saws Slave Fairy Distraction Captives

Book:The Works of Charles Dickens

Source: The Works of Charles Dickens

“Marriage is like a formality for me.”

Author:David Copperfield

“Physical rehab is often very, very hard work.”

Hard Hard Work Rehab

Author:David Copperfield

“The audience likes to be taken on new journeys.”

Audience Taken Journey Likes New Journey

Author:David Copperfield

“The audiences are what keep me enthusiastic.”

Audience Enthusiastic

Author:David Copperfield

“The key is for the audience never to know, so I have a plan B for every illusion.”

Knows Audience Plans Keys Illusion Plan B

Author:David Copperfield

“No, I think marriage is a great thing.”

Thinking Great Things

Author:David Copperfield

“What I've tried to do in my stage magic is to take a trick and give it an emotional hook.”

Giving Magic Stage Emotional Tricks Hook

Author:David Copperfield

“You can feel better about yourself in a very short period of time depending on the kind of magic that you are doing.”

Feels Kind Magic Periods About Yourself Feel Better

Author:David Copperfield

“You have to learn certain skills to present magic.”

Certain Magic Skills

Author:David Copperfield

“The first trick I bought at Macy's was a little wooden board where a quarter would appear and disappear.”

Firsts Littles Disappear Tricks Boards Quarters Macy's

Author:David Copperfield

“Stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will'.”

Author:David Copperfield

“Performing my show is something I constantly think about.”

Thinking Shows Performing

Author:David Copperfield

“When I am on the road and heading to my next venue, I think about my audience.”

Thinking Next Audience Headings Venues

Author:David Copperfield

“Science and technology were often used by [the magician of old], even before they came into the marketplace on a mass basis. For example, prior to the moving picture going into theatre, magicians were using the technique of images in motion as illusions in their shows. At that time the process was so new, an audience perceived it as magic. Also in the early stages of holograms magicians would use these images to baffle and mystify their fans. Hence, you always need to stay one step ahead of the technology game to "WOW" the audience.”

“I have always looked to movies and theatre for inspiration.”

Inspiration Theatre

Author:David Copperfield

“I discovered that magic tricks got me more attention from the girls in my class when I was nine - so a magician was born!”

Girl Born Attention Class Magic Nine Tricks Magician Magic Tricks

Author:David Copperfield

“The inspiration for my illusions comes from many places. Most often they come from my dreams, or an everyday occurrence in life.”

Dream Inspiration Illusion Everyday

Author:David Copperfield

“Never take "NO" for an answer.”

Author:David Copperfield

“I'm the luckiest man in the world - performing 500 shows a year and loving what I do - illusion IS my day to day life.”

Men World Years Shows Illusion Performing Day To Day Day Life Day To Day Life

Author:David Copperfield

“I started as a ventriloquist, a very bad ventriloquist. And people saw my lips moving and it was ridiculous, so finally I decided I'd better change my occupation.”

People Moving Saws Decided Lips Ridiculous Occupation

Author:David Copperfield

“I love what I'm doing, I love creating new things.”

Creating New Things Creating New Things

Author:David Copperfield

“I love creating new things. It's kind of my job, it's what I do, and I really have fun with it.”

Kind Jobs Fun Creating Having Fun New Things Creating New Things

Author:David Copperfield

“Watching people react, watching people be inspired, be taken on a journey, forgetting their problems, looking ahead in their own lives to doing impossible things. That's kind of what drives me, gives me a sense of focus.”

People Giving Kind Problem Forget Taken Focus Impossible Journey Give Me Inspired Be Inspired Impossible Things Looking Ahead

Author:David Copperfield

“Usually, about two years of work go into each illusion, whether it's big or small. Two years of work on each five-minute piece.”

Years Two Bigs Five Pieces Minutes Illusion Two Years Five Minutes

Author:David Copperfield

“When you see me do a five-minute thing, there's been about two years of preparation behind that. You know, I find that's what it takes to really make it the level of quality I prefer.”

Knows Years Two Levels Behinds Quality Five Minutes Preparation Two Years Five Minutes

Author:David Copperfield

“Everyone understands cards and relates to it. They have them in their homes and in their hands, so it makes them very accessible.”

Home Hands Cards Relate

Author:David Copperfield

“What you think is impossible in life actually is possible.”

Thinking Impossible

Author:David Copperfield

“All my TV shows are done live in front of audiences, and all the material I take on the road and travel with them test them for hundreds and hundreds of shows before I shoot them for TV.”

Done Shows Audience Fronts Materials Tvs Tests Tv Shows

Author:David Copperfield

“I'm a horrible karaoke singer.”

Singers Horrible Karaoke

Author:David Copperfield

“I'm a magician, not a singer.”

Singers Magician

Author:David Copperfield

“I'm fascinated by the similarities and differences between comedians and magicians.”

Differences Comedian Fascinated Magician Similarity

Author:David Copperfield

“I've always taken a lot of cues from comedy minds. The guy that discovered me in the very beginning was Joseph Cates. Joe and Gil Cates were the Cates brothers. Gil produced the Oscars for many years. Joe produced a lot of comedy specials, Steve Martin specials, and he discovered me, this 18-year-old kid.”

Years Mind Kids Guy Taken Comedy Brother Oscars

Author:David Copperfield

“[ Gil Cates] said, "You've got a point of view with your magic. There's this comedy to it, there's drama. You're telling stories with magic."”

Said Stories Views Comedy Magic Drama Point Of View Telling Stories

Author:David Copperfield

“Later, when I was at Caesar's Palace, and [Joe and Gil Cates] were trying to get me to have opening acts for the show, they gave me a list of people, and Rosie O'Donnell was one of them. I said, "I don't really need any opening acts. I have funny stuff in the show, and I do a lot of comedy and stuff."”

People Needs Trying Said Shows Stuff Comedy Lists Opening Having Fun Palaces Rosie Funny Stuff Rosie O Donnell

Author:David Copperfield

“There was another guy suggested. He was a tall and dark-haired and Jewy, and I said, "No, he's too close to me." It ended up being Jerry Seinfeld.”

Said Guy Dark Tall Other Guys Jerry

Author:David Copperfield

About the Author

Born: September 16, 1956
Known for: Magician
Quotes: 141

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Magic People Shows Years Magician Said Audience Kind Thinking Illusion

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