QuoteProject
People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and backache and notes and more time and more work than you'd believe.
Neil Gaiman
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Creating a book requires significant effort and dedication despite myths suggesting otherwise.

In this quote, Neil Gaiman emphasizes the truth behind the creative process of writing. He challenges the notion that books can simply come into existence on their own, highlighting the extensive thought, research, and hard work that are essential in crafting a piece of literature. Gaiman's words serve as a reminder that artistic creation is often undervalued and demands resilience and perseverance.

Themes

WritingBooksCreativityEffortDedication

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech about the challenges of writing to inspire aspiring authors.

More from Neil Gaiman

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
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

If you think you’re the only person for whom life is painful, you’re wrong. And if you don’t mind letting yourself die like a dog, at least have the decency to remember that there are those of us who do care – although, to tell the truth, I don’t see why?
Carlos Ruiz ZafonRead
What we have learned from other becomes our own reflection.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
EpictetusRead
God deliberately chooses weak, suffering and unlikely candidates to get His work done, so that in the end, the glory goes to God and not to the person.
Joni Eareckson TadaRead
ANYONE may become a revealer of Truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God.
Ernest HolmesRead
Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.
Stephen KingRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Neil Gaiman | QuoteProject