A recurring line in the latest Horsemen spectacle, Now You See Me, lingers longer than the tricks themselves:
“Never assume you’re the smartest person in the room—prove it.”

At first glance, it sounds like a challenge. On second thought, it feels like a warning.

Assumption is comfort disguised as certainty. It allows us to move through life believing we understand what we see, even when our vision is partial and our knowledge incomplete. We make decisions—confident ones—without realizing how much of the picture remains hidden from us.

This is why the old saying still holds true: assumption is the mother of all mistakes. Not because we lack intelligence, but because we often confuse information with understanding.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t doesn’t just showcase illusion—it exposes how easily facts can mislead when divorced from context. What appears obvious may be engineered. What feels true may simply be well-presented. The greatest trick isn’t deception; it’s our willingness to believe we already know.

The film nudged me inward. It made me pause, recheck my steps, and question the pieces I’ve already placed on the board. Are my moves grounded in truth or in assumption? Am I acting on clarity, or merely on what’s visible?

Perhaps wisdom isn’t about seeing more than others.
Perhaps it’s about knowing how much remains unseen.