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
We were never lovers, and we never will be, now. I do not regret that, however. I regret the conversations we never had, the time we did not spend together. I regret that I never told him that he made me happy, when I was in his company. The world was the better for his being in it. These things alone do I now regret: things left unsaid. And he is gone, and I am old.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses regret about missed opportunities for connection and communication with a loved one.
In this poignant reflection, the speaker laments the conversations and moments of joy that were never shared with someone significant who has now passed away. The essence of the regret lies not in the romantic notion of being lovers, but in the acknowledgment that the relationship's potential was unfulfilled. The quote highlights the importance of expressing feelings and connecting with others before it's too late, conveying a sense of loss over the unspoken words and experiences that could have enriched both lives.
Themes
RegretCommunicationRelationshipsHappinessLoss
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a speech about the importance of expressing feelings to loved ones.
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.
Neil GaimanRead
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
Similar quotes
When you feel WHOLE, things come to enhance your WHOLEness. When you feel broken, things come to enhance your brokenness. That's why you CANNOT FILL A VOID. That's why the premise from which you attract your relationship is so important.
Esther HicksRead
Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.
Alice PaulRead
Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.
James A. BaldwinRead
Hate and love are reciprocal passions.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.
Rachel Naomi RemenRead
There's no way I could pay you back but my plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated
Tupac ShakurRead