QuoteProject
You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.
Neil Gaiman
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the idea that we often judge others harshly without recognizing their limitations.

In this quote, Neil Gaiman emphasizes the importance of understanding and compassion. The speaker's unfair criticism of the lime illustrates how we can overlook the efforts and inherent value of others simply because they don't meet our expectations. It serves as a reminder that everyone is doing their best within their own constraints, and it encourages us to practice empathy rather than judgment.

Themes

EmpathyUnderstandingCompassionJudgmentEffort

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about empathy during a team meeting, one might say, 'As Neil Gaiman reminds us, sometimes we need to recognize that everyone is doing their best, just like the lime.'

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

Gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe.
Neale Donald WalschRead
A man who gets the reputation of rising at dawn can sleep to noon.
Winston ChurchillRead
Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God.
Thomas A KempisRead
I decided very early on that it took too much of my energy to pretend to be someone else. People will make up their minds about me whatever I do or say, but at least I know I am being true to myself.
Drew BarrymoreRead
The new midlife is where you realize that even your failures make you more beautiful and are turned spiritually into success if you became a better person because of them. You became a more humble person. You became a more merciful and compassionate person.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
Human knowledge and skills alone cannot lead humanity to a happy and dignified life. Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth.
Albert EinsteinRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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