I made a wish on this tree years ago," Marco says. "What did you wish for?" Bailey asks. Marco leans forward and whispers in Bailey's ear. "I wished for her.
Erin MorgensternRead
There is so much that glows in the circus, from flames to lanterns to stars. I have heard the expression “trick of the light” applied to sights within Le Cirque des Reves so frequently that I sometimes suspect the entirety of the circus is itself a complex illusion of illumination” .
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the enchanting and illusory nature of experiences, particularly in the context of a circus setting.
In this quote, Erin Morgenstern describes the circus as a place filled with captivating lights and illusions, suggesting that beauty and wonder often stem from our perception of reality. It highlights how experiences can be both magical and deceptive, evoking a sense of awe while leaving us questioning the authenticity of what we see and feel.
Themes
CircusIllusionLightMagicPerceptionWonder
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a discussion about art and illusion at a gallery opening.
More from Erin Morgenstern
All quotes →I worry hope will crush me, the way love has so many times before. Are they so different, hope and love? O & E in the same place, half of the other in each word. Both swimming in unknowns. I’ve been through the big changes. These ones should seem easier in comparison, I should be more prepared, but they don’t and I’m not. Sometimes I feel like a broken-wing butterfly, clinging to a window screen. Afraid to let go. Afraid to stay. Wondering how much wing is enough to fly.
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Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon . . . is not the dragon the hero of his own story?
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Trapped in silence, Marco traces apologies and adorations across Celia's body with his tongue. Mutely expressing all the things he cannot speak aloud. He finds other ways to tell her, his fingers leaving faint trails of ink in their wake. He savors every sound he elicits from her. The entire room trembles as they come together. And though there are a great many fragile objects contained within it, nothing breaks.
Erin MorgensternRead
It is perhaps both a blessing and a curse that fictional worlds spring into my mind nearly fully formed and it takes quite a while to sift through everything to find the story.
Erin MorgensternRead
Widge can see the past." Poppet says suddenly. "That's why his stories are so good." "The past is easier," Widget says. "It's already there." "In the stars?" Bailey asks. "No." Widget says. "On people. The past stays on you the way powdered sugar stays on fingers. Some people can get rid of it but it's still there, the events and t hings that pushed you to where you are now.
Erin MorgensternRead
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