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roughly07/31/20255 repliesview on HN

Someone once described the secret to making magic as putting in far more effort than any reasonable person would, such that no reasonable person would think you'd done it the hard way.


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wcarss07/31/2025

It's also (approximately) Lawrence of Arabia; at least the same principle.

Lawrence puts out a match with his fingers as a showy trick. Someone else tries it, and cries out that it hurts, then asks what the trick is. He replies, "the _trick_, William Potter, is not _minding_ that it hurts."

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ploxiln07/31/2025

Teller, from Penn and Teller, I think https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Penn_%26_Teller

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justbees07/31/2025

That reminds me of the Ricky Jay article in the New Yorker. What an amazing guy! https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/04/05/ricky-jay-magi... It so worth the read and there's no paywall.

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yard201007/31/2025

I would cut my own finger if it's not from prestige.

:)

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genter07/31/2025

Penn & Teller, although someone else might've said that before them.

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