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
The young woman was crying, in the way that grownups cry, keeping it inside as much as they can, and hating it when it still pushes out at the edges, making them ugly and funny-looking on the way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates the struggle of adults to manage their emotions, often leading to moments of vulnerability that are seen as unattractive.
Neil Gaiman's quote reflects the nuanced way in which adults express their feelings, emphasizing the conflict between internal struggles and external expressions. It suggests that as people grow older, they learn to suppress their emotions, which can create a sense of discomfort and even humor when those hidden feelings unexpectedly reveal themselves. The mention of 'ugly and funny-looking' evokes the idea that vulnerability can be perceived as awkward, yet it remains an essential part of the human experience.
Themes
EmotionCryingVulnerabilityAdulthoodStruggles
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental health, this quote can highlight the importance of expressing emotions.
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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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