I am not an irretrievable skeptic. I am not hopelessly prejudiced. I am perfectly willing to believe, and my mind is wide open; but I have, as yet, to be convinced. I am perfectly willing, but the evidence must be sane and conclusive.

The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method of procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers.

The pickpocket is usually very well dressed and of prepossessing appearance.

My chief task has been to conquer fear. The public sees only the thrill of the accomplished trick; they have no conception of the tortuous preliminary self-training that was necessary to conquer fear.

Fire has always been and, seemingly, will always remain, the most terrible of the elements.

No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.

The secret of showmanship consists not of what you really do, but what the mystery-loving public thinks you do.