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
I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests a balance between complete honesty and the necessity of certain social untruths for harmony.
Neil Gaiman's quote highlights the paradox of human communication, where absolute honesty can sometimes harm relationships, while social lies may serve to maintain social bonds or facilitate harmony. It reflects on the complexity of interpersonal dynamics, suggesting that while truth is important, there are instances where a degree of deception can be pragmatic and even kind.
Themes
HonestyTruthSocial LiesRelationshipsCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on ethics in a philosophy class.
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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.
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