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Ricky Jay

Ricky Jay Quotes

Magician

Ricky Jay, born in 1948, is a renowned magician known for his innovative and creative performances. His magic blends exceptional skill with unique ideas, earning him a reputation as a revolutionary in the magic community. Jay is celebrated for his deep understanding and exquisite performance techniques, with his magical works not only astonishing but also meaningful.

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Famous Ricky Jay Quotes

“The book says we may be through with the past but the past ain't through with us.”

Author:Ricky Jay

“I wouldn't want to try to make a living as an actor. I think actors... I give them a lot of credit for what they go through, but putting myself on the line like that would make me crazy.”

Thinking Giving Trying Crazy

Author:Ricky Jay

“I'm pretty fortunate that I'm in the films I'm in largely because the directors have asked me to be in them. I'd love to do more of them, but the writing and historical stuff I'll probably always do.”

Writing Film Historical

Author:Ricky Jay

“There are people who try to figure things out. Often, magic is presented in a way that sets up a challenge that I actually find kind of appalling. You know, "I'm clever, I can do something, and you don't know what it is." And that instills in the audience the idea that, "Yes, I do. You're not that clever."”

People Trying Kind Challenges Audience Magic Clever

Author:Ricky Jay

“One of the reasons I don't like to use the word "tricks" , I do think of them as theatrical pieces, and as pretentious as that might sound, there's a real reason for it. It's not the idea of tricking you; it's the idea of taking you along on this particular journey the way you would in any other theatrical situation. But, hopefully, you're going to be fooled at the end.”

Thinking Real Reason Situation Journey Hopefully Theatrical Fooled Pretentious

Author:Ricky Jay

“I like being fooled. When I watch someone who does sleight-of-hand and fools me, it's a great feeling.”

Feelings Fool Fooled Fool Me

Author:Ricky Jay

“It probably is harder to fool people when they know they're going to be fooled.”

People Fool Fooled

Author:Ricky Jay

“Once you get into the era of the printed book, it gets a little easier. After years and years, you make a serious survey of that literature, and then you make it more specific depending on what kind of case appears. I never set out to collect material on cheating at bowling, but I found out that after 20 years, I had a lot of material on cheating at bowling.”

Kind Book Literature Serious Cheating Printed Bowling

Author:Ricky Jay

“Sitting with a deck of cards in your hand all day is an obsession. Visiting print shops and bookstores and libraries is an obsession. And writing about this is an obsession. I think, in general, most collectors are obsessed. I think the only form of a rationalized greed is when you're collecting something you are supposedly serious about.”

Thinking Writing Serious Library Greed Obsession Obsessed Print Deck

Author:Ricky Jay

“Maybe the the luxury of not having acting be my only profession is that I can be more selective about what I choose to be in. I've been really lucky in terms of film projects with people, terrific actors and also writers and directors that I really respect.”

People Film Term Acting Lucky Profession

Author:Ricky Jay

“If it sounds too good to be true, it always is.”

Ifs Reality Truth Sound Being True Too Good To Be True

Author:Ricky Jay

“I grew up like Athena — covered with playing cards instead of armor — and, at the age of seven, materialized on a TV show, doing magic.”

Shows Age Magic Tvs Grew Grew Up Seven Cards Covered Tv Shows Armor Athena Playing Cards

Author:Ricky Jay

“The pain is bad magicians ripping off good ones, doing magic badly, and making a mockery of the art.”

Art Pain Magic Magician Mockery

Author:Ricky Jay

“Magic is a powerful art that can support a weak performer.”

Art Powerful Support Magic Weak Performers

Author:Ricky Jay

“I love amazing people. I love dazzling them. That's why I think performing magic is one of the greatest things a person can do.”

People Thinking Persons Can Do Magic Performing Dazzling Amazing People

Author:Ricky Jay

“I always read what I write out loud, and I did that long before any radio thing. My editor finds that unusual.”

Writing Long Radio Loud Editors Unusual

Author:Ricky Jay

“For me, the most exciting thing is to create good magic that's entertaining for an audience, and it would be lovely if a magician was fooled as well.”

Ifs Wells Would Be Audience Magic Exciting Lovely Entertaining Magician Fooled Exciting Things

Author:Ricky Jay

“I know absolutely nothing about the 20th Century.”

Knows Century 20th Century Absolutely Nothing

Author:Ricky Jay

“I started doing radio pieces with no clear, preconceived idea, except that I have a tendency to be theatrical.”

Ideas Clear Pieces Radio Tendencies Theatrical Preconceived Ideas

Author:Ricky Jay

“I think a lot of people just assumed I came to L.A. to do more television and get into show business.”

People Thinking Shows Television Show Business

Author:Ricky Jay

“Unlike other Jewish families, we didn't go out for Chinese food on Sundays, but we spent our time in a world of baking powder biscuits and the best shrimp cocktails that ever were.”

World Chinese Our Time Sunday Baking Cocktails Powder Biscuits Shrimp Chinese Food Jewish Family

Author:Ricky Jay

“I'm probably the only kid in history whose parents made him stop taking music lessons. They made me stop studying the accordion.”

Made Kids Parent Study Lessons Accordions Music Lessons

Author:Ricky Jay

“That's one of the ways language evolved, by some very obscure form becoming common usage. And I must say that I'm very intrigued by use of language and slang, and criminal underground terms.”

Way Use Form Language Term Common Becoming Criminals Obscure Intrigued Usage Slang Use Of Language

Author:Ricky Jay

“Theft annoys me more than anything else. The purloining of effects from another magician. Some people think it's massive to steal the secrets of nuclear reactors, but to steal a card move is trivial. They're wrong.”

People Thinking Moving Secret Effects Nuclear Stealing Cards Massive Annoying Magician Theft Nuclear Reactors

Author:Ricky Jay

“Dai Vernon, the greatest sleight of hand figure in the history of the art, rarely performed. But he invented magic and had an enormous influence on the whole range of sleight of hand. And so often the magic he was doing was to fool other magicians.”

Art Whole Hands Magic Influence Figures Fool Enormous Range Magician Sleight Of Hand

Author:Ricky Jay

“Every acting gig isn't the same, every writing job isn't the same, every live performance isn't the same - the challenge is the level of difficulty or ease, and that may vary.”

Writing May Jobs Challenges Levels Acting Performances Difficulty Ease Gigs Vary Live Performance

Author:Ricky Jay

“Not only do I lie, I take real pleasure in lying, in the transmission of magic effects.”

Real Lying Pleasure Magic Effects Transmission

Author:Ricky Jay

“Writing is the only thing in my life that doesn't get easier. It just doesn't.”

Author:Ricky Jay

“My father was the Formica King of Long Island, and my mother was the daughter of a Bengal Lancer in India.”

Long Mother Father Kings Daughter India Islands Long Island

Author:Ricky Jay

“I certainly was performing before my writing was published, because I was performing when I was very young. And the thing is I'm very comfortable on stage, so a large portion of my act did come from ad-libs.”

Writing Young Stage Comfortable Performing Ads Portions

Author:Ricky Jay

“I suppose that if I could only do one thing, a solid card effect would be pretty high on the list. That's the root of it all, sleight-of-hand. It's certainly the thing I feel most comfortable with.”

Ifs Feels Hands Would Be One Thing Effects Comfortable Roots Lists Cards If I Could Sleight Of Hand

Author:Ricky Jay

“I think the toughest thing about being an actor in a film is to be with a director who doesn't know what they want. And that can be really, really frustrating.”

Thinking Knows Want Film Actors Directors Frustrating

Author:Ricky Jay

“In the winters, I enrolled in the hotel management program at Cornell University. I naively thought that I knew something about sleight-of-hand, entertainment and food, and that would be all I needed.”

Hands Would Be Needed Program Management Winter University Entertainment Hotel Sleight Of Hand

Author:Ricky Jay

“I never talk much about my family, but my grandfather was friendly with these guys, with magicians and ventriloquists on the highest levels, and I was just interested.”

Guy Levels Highest My Family Friendly Grandfather Magician My Grandfather

Author:Ricky Jay

About the Author

Born: 1948
Known for: Magician
Quotes: 34

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