Douglas Brinkley

What makes 'American Pie' so unusual is that it isn't a relic from the counterculture but a talisman, which, like a sacred river, keeps bringing joy to listeners everywhere. When 'American Pie' suddenly is played on a jukebox or radio, it's almost impossible not to sing along.

American Author

Nikolai Gogol

For a man, the soul of a woman is a preserving talisman, guarding him from moral infections; it is a power holding him to the straight path, a guide leading him back from the crooked to the straight. On the other hand, the soul of a woman can be his evil and ruin him forever.

Russian Writer

Ta-Nehisi Coates

To Trump, whiteness is neither notional nor symbolic but the very core of his power. In this, Trump is not singular. But whereas his forebears carried whiteness like an ancestral talisman, Trump cracked the glowing amulet open, releasing its eldritch energies.

American Journalist

Christian Eriksen

Bale is an exceptional player; he's shown that for years. He's Wales' talisman, and he's been that for years and will be for years. He's technically very gifted, very direct, has a wonderful kick and a lot of pace and a good finisher.

Danish Athlete

Dorothea Brande

All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right about face which turns us from failure to success.

American Writer

Alex Gibney

Oscar always opens up doors, especially the night of the Oscars. On that night, you hold that gold man, and it's like having Gandalf's staff. You can go anywhere and do anything. It's a talisman of such power.

American Director

Ben Dolnick

Writing is a sufficiently lonely and mysterious pastime that I don't begrudge myself a talisman or two, so long as they don't become ways of distracting myself from the glum inescapability of actual work.

Steven Johnson

Every childhood has its talismans, the sacred objects that look innocuous enough to the outside world, but that trigger an onslaught of vivid memories when the grown child confronts them.

M. J. Rose

I might have created the phrase 'memory tools', but people have always found talismans to help them meditate into a state of hypnosis where they can access their past lives.

Dani Shapiro

My desk is covered with talismans: pieces of rose quartz, wishing stones from a favorite beach.

Talismans can differ by culture, embodying local beliefs and history.

Cultural Variation

A talisman can have personal significance beyond superstition, like a family heirloom.

Not Just Superstition

Talismans often have symbols or inscriptions believed to hold power.

Physical Features

A 'talisman' can symbolize hope or leadership, not only magical influence.

Figurative Power

The term can imply that a person is a pivotal factor in achieving success.

Success Association

When applied to people, 'talisman' is more about respect than superstition.

Beyond Superstition

 talismans to represent whole ecosystems. If you wanna photograph the Arctic, you photograph polar bears. If you wanna photograph Africa, you photograph lions. Well, you can have a wildlife experience in a city, in the urban jungle that is just as wild, just as crazy as anywhere else.

Adventures in...

 I used to think that my son was a natural extrovert like his father. But I realized at that moment, in that conversation, that his smile was not a sign that he wanted to connect with would-be strangers. It was a talisman he used to protect himself,

How racial bias works --...

 as private prayer aids, service books in churches, textbooks, and protective talismans to take into battle. Across all this variation, those tricky little drawings in the margins are a unique window into the minds of medieval artists.

Talisman

Cultural Variation

Not Just Superstition

Physical Features

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