Out in the world not much happened. But here in the special night, a land bricked with paper and leather anything might happen, always did.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the transformative power of imagination in a creative environment.
Ray Bradbury evokes a sense of wonder and limitless possibilities within the creative space he describes. While the external world may seem unchanging and mundane, the 'special night' represents a realm where creativity thrives, and anything can spring to life from the depths of imagination, symbolized by the 'land bricked with paper and leather.' This highlights the importance of artistic expression and the boundless nature of creativity as a sanctuary away from the ordinary.
In practice
This quote can be shared at an art exhibition to inspire young artists.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we canβt imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You donβt stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
I never, ever want to apologize for a film. If it's bad I'll say it's my fault. And that's what I can say so far in all the films that I've done, that if you don't like it, it's entirely my fault.
I mean, every novel's a historical novel anyway. But calling something a historical novel seems to put mittens on it, right? It puts manners on it. And you don't want your novels to be mannered.
In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are capable of it.
One does not read a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks with hopes that it will grant him a career in engineering; he does so because poetry helps him see something in the world that he might not have seen before.
It's rare in Hollywood to get the chance to work on something that you actually care about. The tragedy of the place is all these talented people trying to get excited about stuff they themselves would only view at gunpoint.
All my work is much more peaceful than I am.
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