About this quote

We often overprepare for massive disasters while ignoring the daily moments of quiet boredom. Having a small arsenal of useless but charming skills makes you a better companion when things grind to a halt. It is about being interesting when the screens go dark and the Wi-Fi drops. You do not need a master's degree in entertainment to rescue a dull moment. Keep a few simple tricks in your back pocket, because you never know when you will need to save a room from awkward silence.

When to use it

• When the power goes out during a boring corporate retreat, you turn to your coworker and say, 'I can't fix the generator, but I do have two terrible jokes and a card trick ready to go.'
• Talking to your partner while stuck in a massive holiday traffic jam: 'Let's turn off the news and see if we can still recite those poems we had to memorize in school.'
• Stuck at a rainy camp site with bored kids whose tablets just died, you tell your sibling, 'This is exactly why I kept that book of basic card tricks in the glove box.'