Advice Quote by Neil Gaiman
““When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to think what the best advice I'd been given over the years was. And it came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. I was writing a comic that people loved and were taking seriously. King had like Sandman and my novel with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, and he saw a madness, the long signing lines, all that, and his advice was this: "This is really great. You should enjoy it." And I didn't. Best advice I got that I ignored. Instead I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. There wasn't a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn't writing something in my head, or wondering about it. And I didn't stop and look around and go, This is really fun. I wish I'd enjoyed it more. It's been an amazing ride. But there were parts of the ride I missed, because I was too worried about things going wrong, about what came next, to enjoy the bit I was on. That was the hardest lesson for me, I think: to let go and enjoy the ride, because the ride takes you to some remarkable and unexpected places.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Commencement Address, University of the Arts, 2015
The speaker reflects on ignoring advice to enjoy current success, becoming fixated on future goals, and learns the importance of savoring the present journey.
In simple terms: Enjoy the present instead of obsessing over the future.
Pause and appreciate your achievements.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- writing
- public speaking
- career milestones
- personal development
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How often do you pause to celebrate now?
- What prevents you from enjoying your work?
Focusing too much on future can cause burnout and missed joy.