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
Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut, and sometimes it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you are doing the correct thing, because you'll have to balance your goals and hopes with feeding yourself, paying debts, finding work, settling for what you can get.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life often presents us with difficult choices where we must balance our aspirations with practical necessities.
This quote by Neil Gaiman illustrates the complexities of navigating life's decisions. While some paths may seem obvious and straightforward, others are fraught with uncertainty, compelling us to weigh our dreams against our immediate needs and responsibilities. It serves as a reminder that pursuing one's goals can be challenging, and finding a balance between ambition and practicality is often necessary.
Themes
ChoicesBalanceGoalsResponsibilitiesDreams
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing career aspirations while managing personal obligations.
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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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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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