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
Rules and responsibilities: these are the ties that bind us. We do what we do, because of who we are. If we did otherwise, we would not be ourselves. I will do what I have to do. And I will do what I must.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of rules and responsibilities in shaping our identity and actions.
Neil Gaiman's quote reflects on how rules and responsibilities are fundamental to our sense of self. He suggests that our actions are guided by our identity and the commitments we make, highlighting the idea that adhering to these principles defines who we are as individuals. Without these ties, we would convolute our true nature, and to act against them would mean losing a part of ourselves. Gaiman's assertion that we will always do what is necessary reinforces the moral obligation that accompanies our identity.
Themes
RulesResponsibilitiesIdentitySelfMorality
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about integrity: 'Remember, as Neil Gaiman said, rules and responsibilities are what define us.'
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.
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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.
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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.
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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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