Later on, towards the end of their lives, I thanked her. I said, "Mom, you were really tough." She said, "I wasn't tough! I always believed in you."

The more educated you get, the better shot you have to get it right, but if you're really trying something different, it's a challenge every time.

It's really hard to think of one kind of magic as a favorite. I've been really fortunate in that I've been able to perform such a diverse range of things.

I'm a magician, not a singer.

I wrote an op-ed piece in The New York Times about the amazing effect of shared wonder - how I have an audience filled with people who you'd think would hate each other, people from every religious category, all at the same show at the same time. And it's an amazing phenomenon to watch this shared sense of wonder, where these people who really don't like each other - for good and bad reasons, reasons that make sense and that don't make sense - are in the same room, experiencing this unification.

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

No self-respecting gay guy would have ever made some of the hair and clothing choices I am still trying to live down.