A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.
Neil GaimanRead
She had the feeling that the door was looking at her, which she knew was silly, and knew on a deeper level was somehow true.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the intersection of perception and reality, revealing how our emotions can shape our interpretation of the world.
In this quote by Neil Gaiman, the character expresses an awareness of the absurdity in feeling as if an inanimate object, a door, is observing her. This illustrates the idea that our emotions and subconscious can impart life and meaning to objects around us, leading to a deeper contemplation of how we connect with the world. It highlights the intricate relationship between our thoughts and our surroundings, suggesting that our perceptions may hold a truth beyond rational understanding.
Themes
PerceptionRealityEmotionObservationTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the power of perception in art and literature.
More from Neil Gaiman
All quotes →Jesus. Low-Key Lyesmith," said Shadow. and then he heard what he was saying and he understood. "Loki," he said. "Loki Lie-smith." "You're slow," said Loki, "but you get there in the end." And his lips twisted into a scarred smile and the embers danced in the shadows of his eyes.
Neil GaimanRead
As a teenager I wrote to R.A. Lafferty. And he responded, too, with letters that were like R.A. Lafferty short stories, filled with elliptical answers to straight questions and simple answers to complicated ones.
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The important thing to understand about American history, wrote Mr. Ibis, in his leather-bound journal, is that it is fictional, a charcoal-sketched simplicity for the children, or the easily bored.
Neil GaimanRead
Nothing’s changed. You’ll go home. You’ll be bored. You’ll be ignored. No one will listen to you, really listen to you. You’re too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don’t even get your name right.
Neil GaimanRead
I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend...I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.
Neil GaimanRead
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