# Quote — Derren Brown, Confessions of a Conjuror

> It seems silly and churlish to attack others for their private beliefs, unless one is entirely convinced of the greater view that harm is caused by the persistence of that belief in society; but when pressed into engaging on the matter, I recall the question I asked myself many times until I found my own faith breaking down: Bearing in mind we can all utterly convince ourselves of things that are not true – and that therefore important truths about the universe must surely always be based on more solid foundations than what my easily fooled, fickle feelings tell me – what is it that supports this belief other than my own already-existing conviction?

- Author: [Derren Brown](https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown.md)
- Book: [Confessions of a Conjuror](https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown/confessions-of-a-conjuror.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Derren_Brown#Confessions_of_a_Conjuror_(2010)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown/confessions-of-a-conjuror/it-seems-silly

## More from this book

> The single most valuable human trait, the one quality every schoolchild and adult should be taught to nurture, is, quite simply, kindness.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown/confessions-of-a-conjuror/the-single-most.md)

> There is a common response from people when they hear that in the absence of evidence to convince me otherwise I don’t have any particular belief in ghosts, psychic powers or an afterlife. It normally runs something along the lines of ‘So you think we just live, die and that’s it? Come on...’ There’s a clear implication there that this earthly life – the wonder of being human – is somehow worthless. That it’s cheap and disappointing enough to warrant that ‘just’ and the accompanying incredulous tone, which are usually reserved for sentences like ‘After all that it was just a little spider? Come on...’ I live, I am sure, in a fairly narrow band of life, and make an embarrassingly pitiful attempt to explore the world I find myself upon. I ache with guilt and conflict when I hear of people living as adventurers, abandoning mainstream lives and living each day with abandon. But I really hope I have a brighter vision for this life and a greater curiosity for its richness than one who can say, and mean, ‘You think we just live, die and that’s it?’

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown/confessions-of-a-conjuror/there-is-a-common.md)

> The most cursory look at cold-reading and suggestion tells us that Tarot cards are not evil; psychics do not ‘usher in’ the Devil or his minions; and even the creepy old Ouija board can be shown to operate via quite everyday, natural, physical forces.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/derren-brown/confessions-of-a-conjuror/the-most-cursory.md)