--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shadow felt like a pea being flicked…" description: "\"“Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.”\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg" --- # Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups… ![“Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg) > ““Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 shadow is fleeting and elusive, like a small object tossed among larger, chaotic elements. **In simple terms:** Shadow feels tiny and tossed around. Key Takeaway Notice how small concerns get lost in larger chaos. Themes perception chaos vulnerability detail Mood thoughtful poetic Type literary observational When to use this quote - daily distractions - creative brainstorming - stress management - mindfulness practice Key Concepts Phenomenology metaphor attention Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep perspective when details overwhelm? - What small “shadows” affect your decisions? A Different Perspective Focusing on minutiae may distract from broader patterns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Card Shuffled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/card-shuffled-6160042/) [Felt Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-like/) [Pea Flicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pea-flicked-6160041/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Shadow Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow-felt-3972461/) ## Related quotes > [“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if it did not run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was-like-watching-an-old-wolf/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You play your cards so close to your chest," said Shadow, "that I'm not even sure they're really cards at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-play-your-cards-so-close-to-your-chest-said-shadow-that-i-m-not/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I toyed briefly with an image someone once mentioned to me, of a village in the shadow of a twin-peaked mountain. In the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-toyed-briefly-with-an-image-someone-once-mentioned-to-me-of-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [None of this is truly happening," he said to Shadow. He sounded miserable. "It's all in your head. Best not to think of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/none-of-this-is-truly-happening-he-said-to-shadow-he-sounded/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Everything that is,casts a shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/everything-that-is-casts-a-shadow/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I've never been truly closeted on the air; it's just something I never really made a big deal out of because I never felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-ve-never-been-truly-closeted-on-the-air-it-s-just-something-i-never/) [Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/) > [I always felt like the only messaging I was hearing around faith was, you need to be perfect or you can leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramy-youssef/i-always-felt-like-the-only-messaging-i-was-hearing-around-faith-was/) [Ramy Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramy-youssef/) > [“We may not be alone, but I sure felt like we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-minkman/we-may-not-be-alone-but-i-sure-felt-like-we-are/) [Jen Minkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-minkman/) > [“She felt the warmth of Peter's arm under her neck, and it almost felt like he was an extension of her, and like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/she-felt-the-warmth-of-peter-s-arm-under-her-neck-and-it-almost-felt/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [I think being a Texan - we sort of have that extra fire in us as a breed. I just felt like from day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-think-being-a-texan-we-sort-of-have-that-extra-fire-in-us-as-a/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [“I once asked you what anxiety felt like, and you told me that most days left you riddled with bullet holes. Every morning came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-s/i-once-asked-you-what-anxiety-felt-like-and-you-told-me-that-most/) [d.a.s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-s/) > [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I never felt like running away from my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/i-never-felt-like-running-away-from-my-dreams/) [Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/) > [I have always felt like I was just sort of waiting to catch up to the rest of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/i-have-always-felt-like-i-was-just-sort-of-waiting-to-catch-up-to-the/) [Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Shadow quotes > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no budget for travel for a Shadow Foreign Secretary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/there-is-no-budget-for-travel-for-a-shadow-foreign-secretary/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the dark your shadow is like a guide to me! you are my rising sun that brings forth hope just as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-in-the-dark-your-shadow-is-like-a-guide-to-me-you-are-my-rising/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) > [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I definitely want to be with somebody who doesn't feel lost or in my shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-definitely-want-to-be-with-somebody-who-doesn-t-feel-lost-or-in-my/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Mankind is a dream of a shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/mankind-is-a-dream-of-a-shadow/) [Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/) > [When I became successful, I put up a caution. I didn't think it was fair to have the shadow of that kind of success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-i-became-successful-i-put-up-a-caution-i-didn-t-think-it-was/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) [Browse all 3,665 Shadow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-between-three-cups-or-a-card/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Shadow" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-between-three-cups-or-a-card/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-bet_806858.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.” — Neil Gaiman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Shadow felt like a pea being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-between-three-cups-or-a-card/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-between-three-cups-or-a-card/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```