--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So, if a city has a personality, maybe it…" description: "\"So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. Maybe it dreams.\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/neil-gaiman-29_cities_so-if-a-city-has-a-personality-maybe-it_261965.jpg" --- # So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul… ![“So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. Maybe it dreams.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/neil-gaiman-29_cities_so-if-a-city-has-a-personality-maybe-it_261965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/neil-gaiman-29_cities_so-if-a-city-has-a-personality-maybe-it_261965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cce/neil-gaiman-29_cities_so-if-a-city-has-a-personality-maybe-it_261965.jpg) > “So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. Maybe it dreams.” [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. Cities can be imagined as living beings with emotions and aspirations, suggesting urban environments have character beyond physical structures. **In simple terms:** Cities may have personalities and souls. Key Takeaway Consider the city’s character in planning. Themes urbanism personification culture imagination Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - urban design - tourism marketing - community building - creative writing Key Concepts anthropomorphism city identity collective consciousness Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing a city as a person change your interaction with it? - What responsibilities arise from attributing a soul to a place? A Different Perspective Cities are not just infrastructure; they affect human experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [But I plucked a new, different, worldly soul for myself -- maybe a soul I found in the spray thrown up by the surge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/but-i-plucked-a-new-different-worldly-soul-for-myself-maybe-a-soul-i/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [A city with all the personality of a paper cup. (On Los Angeles)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-city-with-all-the-personality-of-a-paper-cup-on-los-angeles/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“Or maybe it was the soul that worked that way, seeking out warmth and touch, needing to prove that we were still in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/or-maybe-it-was-the-soul-that-worked-that-way-seeking-out-warmth-and/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Every city has its own personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-barbaro/every-city-has-its-own-personality/) [Monica Barbaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-barbaro/) > [“That's what attracts us to serious paintings, I think: that shortfall, which we might call "personality", or maybe even "pain".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/that-s-what-attracts-us-to-serious-paintings-i-think-that-shortfall/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [I think... it is somehow very useful, and maybe even essential, for a fine artist to have to somehow make his peace on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-think-it-is-somehow-very-useful-and-maybe-even-essential-for-a-fine/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I think it's just my personality, or maybe just because I've been playing music for so long and working so hard at it, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/i-think-it-s-just-my-personality-or-maybe-just-because-i-ve-been/) [Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/) > [“My face doesn’t match my personality. Maybe it would if instead of a mouth I had an asshole in its place. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-face-doesn-t-match-my-personality-maybe-it-would-if-instead-of-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Maybe dreams aren't in your head. Maybe dreams are memories of another universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/maybe-dreams-aren-t-in-your-head-maybe-dreams-are-memories-of-another/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Maybe the dreams make the people stronger, whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/maybe-the-dreams-make-the-people-stronger-whatever/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [“Maybe because he's already been in my dreams for so long, it feels to me as though we've always been together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/maybe-because-he-s-already-been-in-my-dreams-for-so-long-it-feels-to/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [Maybe the songs that we sing are wrong, Maybe the dreams that we dream are gone, So bring it on home and it won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/maybe-the-songs-that-we-sing-are-wrong-maybe-the-dreams-that-we-dream/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [“idea! Maybe your dreams are nightmares. Make a list of the things you are doing where you can avoid your worst”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/idea-maybe-your-dreams-are-nightmares-make-a-list-of-the-things-you/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [Everyone has ocean's to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/everyone-has-ocean-s-to-fly-if-they-have-the-heart-to-do-it-is-it/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) > [“Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/everyone-has-oceans-to-fly-if-they-have-the-heart-to-do-it-is-it/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) ## 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 Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. 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Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. 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