--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a…" description: "\"The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling people, 'No, it has an end,' at a time when nobody thought you could actually get to the end a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg" --- # The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling… ![“The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling people, 'No, it has an end,' at a time when nobody thought you could actually get to the end and stop doing a comic that people were still buying just because you'd finished.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg) > “The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling people, 'No, it has an end,' at a time when nobody thought you could actually get to the end and stop doing a comic that people were still buying just because you'd finished.” [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. He notes the rarity of concluding a long-running comic, highlighting the courage to end a successful story **In simple terms:** Ending a popular series takes bravery and vision Key Takeaway Know when to finish a successful project Themes creativity completion industry norms comic publishing Mood thoughtful inspired Type creative industry When to use this quote - publishing - creative projects - fan expectations Key Concepts narrative closure creative risk Questions to Reflect On - When should an artist stop a successful work? - What are the risks of ending a beloved series? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comic Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-telling-3545433/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-comic-1220461/) [Doing Sandman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-sandman-3545431/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-because/) [Nobody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobody/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sandman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sandman/) [Sandman Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sandman-doing-3545432/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [The lovely thing about writing comics for so many years is that comics is a medium that is mistaken for a genre. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-comics-for-so-many-years-is-that/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The price of getting what you want, is getting what once you wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-price-of-getting-what-you-want-is-getting-what-once-you-wanted/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Do you know why I stopped being Delight, my brother? I do. There are things not in your book. There are paths outside this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/do-you-know-why-i-stopped-being-delight-my-brother-i-do-there-are/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Delirium: "What's the name of the word for the precise moment when you realize that you've actually forgotten how it felt to make love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/delirium-what-s-the-name-of-the-word-for-the-precise-moment-when-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What power would Hell have if those imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-power-would-hell-have-if-those-imprisoned-were-not-able-to-dream/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I know how Gods begin, Roger. We start as Dreams. Then we walk out of Dreams into the Land. We are worshiped and loved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-know-how-gods-begin-roger-we-start-as-dreams-then-we-walk-out-of/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I am not in my gallery and neither do I hold your sigil. Will you speak to me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-am-not-in-my-gallery-and-neither-do-i-hold-your-sigil-will-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The only reason people die, is because EVERYONE does it. You all just go along with it. It's RUBBISH, death. It's STUPID. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-only-reason-people-die-is-because-everyone-does-it-you-all-just/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Love isn't quite desire... Love is probably a little bit in The Sandman's domain. Love is partly a dream, it's partly to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/love-isn-t-quite-desire-love-is-probably-a-little-bit-in-the-sandman/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [And sometimes when you fall... you fly...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/and-sometimes-when-you-fall-you-fly/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [One thing I've learned: you can know anything, it's all there, you just have to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/one-thing-i-ve-learned-you-can-know-anything-it-s-all-there-you-just/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“You lived what anybody gets, Bernie. You got a lifetime. No more. No less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-lived-what-anybody-gets-bernie-you-got-a-lifetime-no-more-no-less/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [All around me darkness gathers, Fading is the sun that shone, We must speak of other matters, You can be me when I'm gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-around-me-darkness-gathers-fading-is-the-sun-that-shone-we-must/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I move from dreamer to dreamer, from dream to dream, hunting for what I need. Slipping and sliding and flickering through the dreams; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-move-from-dreamer-to-dreamer-from-dream-to-dream-hunting-for-what-i/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Never trust the storyteller. Only trust the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/never-trust-the-storyteller-only-trust-the-story/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## 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 Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) [Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling people, 'No, it has an end,' at a time when nobody thought you could actually get to the end and stop doing a comic that people were still buying just because you'd finished.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-comic-and-telling-people-no-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actually" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-comic-and-telling-people-no-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/neil-gaiman-29_actually_the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-com_393581.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The joy of doing 'Sandman' was doing a comic and telling people, 'No, it has an end,' at a time when nobody…” — 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": "The joy of doing 'Sandman' was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-comic-and-telling-people-no-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-joy-of-doing-sandman-was-doing-a-comic-and-telling-people-no-it/#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 } } ] } ```