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
And if there's a moral there, I don't know what it is, save maybe that we should take our goodbyes whenever we can.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests the importance of taking moments to say goodbye to loved ones or experiences while we still can.
Neil Gaiman's quote reflects on the often overlooked significance of goodbyes in our lives. It implies that we should not postpone saying farewell, as these moments can hold great value and potential meaning. In an unpredictable world, acknowledging goodbyes can serve as a reminder to cherish our connections and experiences, ensuring we embrace closure when it is available to us.
Themes
GoodbyeClosureCherishConnectionsMoments
In practice
Example use cases
During a farewell party, you could quote this to emphasize the importance of taking the time to cherish those goodbyes.
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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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