Spell or High Water (Magic 2.0, #2)

by Scott Meyer

Gilbert was aghast. “Are you suggesting that we would advertise ourselves as magicians, then get up on stage and do magic?” “I was just asking,” Martin said. “We would never dream of such a thing,” Gilbert sputtered. “Why not?” “It would be dishonest, that’s why, or does that not matter to you?” Martin said, “You’re telling your audience that you’re going to do magic. Why would it be dishonest to go ahead and do magic?”

Sid said, “Because, mate, the audience expects us to fool them. They don’t think a magician can really do magic. They come to be entertained by a lie. We can’t get up there and show them something that’s not a lie. We’d have lured them in under false pretenses. Can’t you understand that?”