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I’ll tell you something,' he said, as if he had said…

“I’ll tell you something,' he said, as if he had said nothing that day. 'You’re walking on gallows ground, and there’s a rope around your neck and a raven-bird on each shoulder waiting for your eyes, and the gallows tree has deep roots, for it stretches from heaven to hell, and our world is only…” quote by Neil Gaiman
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““I’ll tell you something,' he said, as if he had said nothing that day. 'You’re walking on gallows ground, and there’s a rope around your neck and a raven-bird on each shoulder waiting for your eyes, and the gallows tree has deep roots, for it stretches from heaven to hell, and our world is only the branch from which the rope is swinging.””

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.

The passage portrays life as precarious, bound by fate and looming danger, suggesting that existence is a fragile thread between heaven and hell.

In simple terms: Life feels fragile and fated.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the weight of choices.

Themes

fate danger existence fragility dualism

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal crisis
  • creative writing
  • risk assessment
  • ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

mythology psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

  • What choices feel like ropes in your life?
  • How do you balance destiny and free will?
A Different Perspective

It may overemphasize fatalism, ignoring agency.

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