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
It's certainly not too late to change to the winning side. But you know, you also have the freedom to stay just where you are. That's what it means to be an American. That's the miracle of America. Freedom to believe means the freedom to believe the wrong thing, after all. Just as freedom of speech gives you the right to stay silent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of freedom in making choices, whether to change one's beliefs or to remain where one is.
In this quote, Neil Gaiman highlights the unique aspect of American freedom, where individuals have the power to choose their beliefs or to stand still, regardless of whether their choices are 'right' or 'wrong'. This reflects a core value of personal autonomy and the right to self-determination, suggesting that the essence of being American is not just in the pursuit of the 'winning side,' but in the profound freedom to hold one's own beliefs, even if they differ from the majority.
Themes
FreedomBeliefChoiceChangeAmerica
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the values of democracy and personal choice.
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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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