“I believe that mankind's destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it's aerodynamically impossible for a bumble bee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewhere who's alive and dead at the same time (although if they don't ever open the box to feed it it'll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself.”
Share this quote
About this quote
That mix of scientific fact, childhood memory, and playful doubt asks you to keep curiosity messy. Gaiman shows that you can admire science and still carry silly, human beliefs that make life richer. Notice one small, irrational thing you still repeat and ask what it does for you. Then use that loosened viewpoint to try one small experiment or conversation you’ve been avoiding.
When to use it
- At a writing workshop when someone says their odd idea won't sell: "Think of Gaiman's star-and-candy line — strange combos are often what readers remember."
- During a family dinner about getting older and missing the past: "I always think of that bit about candy tasting better; it helps me admit I'm nostalgic without pretending it's a problem."
- After a messy physics lab where results confuse the class: "Call it Schrödinger's cat and move on — the question is what you learn next, not that you're mixed up now."
- Before pitching a risky product idea at work: "I keep that line about mankind and the stars in my head; if we don't try the odd step, nothing new will happen."