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 do not believe that all books will or should migrate onto screens: as Douglas Adams once pointed out to me, more than 20 years before the Kindle turned up, a physical book is like a shark. Sharks are old: there were sharks in the ocean before the dinosaurs. And the reason there are still sharks around is that sharks are better at being sharks than anything else is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gaiman emphasizes the enduring value of physical books compared to digital formats, likening them to sharks that have thrived for millions of years.
This quote by Neil Gaiman suggests that while technology evolves, certain traditional forms, like physical books, possess inherent qualities that allow them to endure over time. By comparing books to sharks, Gaiman highlights that just as sharks have survived due to their unique characteristics, physical books will continue to exist because they offer irreplaceable experiences that screens cannot replicate.
Themes
BooksTechnologyValuePhysicalEndurance
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the future of reading, I shared Gaiman's quote to emphasize the importance of physical books.
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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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