Skip to content

Back in my day, we had it all set up. You lined up when…

“Back in my day, we had it all set up. You lined up when you died, and you'd answer for your evil deeds and your good deeds, and if your evil deeds outweighed a feather, we'd feed your soul and your heart to Ammet, the Eater of Souls" "He must have eaten a lot of people." "Not as many as you'd…” quote by Neil Gaiman
Download Open image
““Back in my day, we had it all set up. You lined up when you died, and you'd answer for your evil deeds and your good deeds, and if your evil deeds outweighed a feather, we'd feed your soul and your heart to Ammet, the Eater of Souls" "He must have eaten a lot of people." "Not as many as you'd think. It was a really heavy feather. We had it made special. You had better be pretty damn evil to tip the scales on that baby...””

Neil Gaiman

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In a mythic afterlife, deeds are weighed against a feather; evil must be extreme to tip the scale, highlighting moral accountability.

In simple terms: Deeds are weighed; evil must be extreme to outweigh good.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on the weight of actions.

Themes

mythology morality afterlife

Mood

contemplative serious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal decisions
  • legal judgments
  • spiritual belief

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy fantasy literature

Questions to Reflect On

  • What actions would tip your personal scale?
  • Do you believe all deeds can be measured?
A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex moral nuances.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Neil Gaiman

Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes

More Good deeds quotes

Browse all 533 Good deeds quotes