But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy.

Adventure is not outside man; it is within.

There is no despair so absolute as that which comes with the first moments of our first great sorrow, when we have not yet known what it is to have suffered and be healed, to have despaired and have recovered hope.

I desire no future that will break the ties with the past.

The Invitation' is a meditation on grief and loss carried within a suspense drama. At its core, it's about a dinner party gone horribly wrong and about the consequences of denying our pain.

The bottom line is, don't be a lifer. Get in, get a business, get five years of what you can, and get out. What happens is they start listening to the promoters, 'You'll get the next main event.' And then, all of a sudden, you become a lifer. That's the kiss of death there. Get in shape, go in, get the money, get out, and have a wonderful life.

The tricks of magic follow the archetypes of narrative fiction - there are tales of creation and loss, death and resurrection, and obstacles that must be overcome.

I was this kid, and I was scared to death of all these pros around me... My head would shake, and my hands would shake, and I discovered if I kept my head down and looked up, my head would not shake, so I started to do that when I could, when it was appropriate in a scene.