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
Her other mother smiled brightly and the hair on her head drifted like plants under the sea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote captures a surreal and imaginative moment, blending joy with an abstract visual.
In this quote by Neil Gaiman, the imagery suggests a dreamlike experience where the 'other mother' embodies a sense of happiness and creativity. The comparison of her hair to plants drifting in the sea evokes a feeling of whimsy, highlighting the beauty and fluidity of both nature and maternal affection in this alternate reality.
Themes
ImaginationWhimsyCreativityMaternal AffectionNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creative writing at a school, referencing this quote could inspire students to explore their imagination.
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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