--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are only two worlds - your world…" description: "\"There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg" --- # There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real… ![“There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. these worlds provide an alternative. Provide an…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg) > “There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. these worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power; provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning. They do not exist; and thus they are all that matters.” [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. Imaginary worlds serve as escapism, threat, dream, and source of meaning, even though they lack physical reality. **In simple terms:** Fantasy offers escape, threat, dream, meaning despite being unreal. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination for meaning. Themes imagination escape meaning threat Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - writing - art therapy - game design - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology of storytelling creative inspiration Questions to Reflect On - How does fantasy shape your real life? - When does imagination become harmful? A Different Perspective Relying on fantasy can detach from real responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Other worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-worlds/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing takes place in the world whose meaning is not that of some maximum or minimum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonhard-euler/nothing-takes-place-in-the-world-whose-meaning-is-not-that-of-some/) [Leonhard Euler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonhard-euler/) > [Other world? There is no other world; here or nowhere is the whole fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/other-world-there-is-no-other-world-here-or-nowhere-is-the-whole-fact/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Out beyond our world there are, elsewhere, other assemblages of matter making other worlds. Ours is not the only one in air's embrace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/out-beyond-our-world-there-are-elsewhere-other-assemblages-of-matter/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It's more fun to think that there are other worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-heigl/it-s-more-fun-to-think-that-there-are-other-worlds/) [Katherine Heigl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-heigl/) > [I had the idea that there were two worlds. There was a real world as I called it, a world of wars and boxing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-had-the-idea-that-there-were-two-worlds-there-was-a-real-world-as-i/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [You are either in this world or the other worlds, and it all depends on how much you are in your own ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-are-either-in-this-world-or-the-other-worlds-and-it-all-depends/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Through books and photographs, I saw a world that was not my own - and I realized that there was another world. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/through-books-and-photographs-i-saw-a-world-that-was-not-my-own-and-i/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [When you go into the other worlds, when you go into the luminous dimensions, it's very different than here. You really have to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-go-into-the-other-worlds-when-you-go-into-the-luminous/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Books are not about passing the time. They're about other lives. Other worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/books-are-not-about-passing-the-time-they-re-about-other-lives-other/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Get to know other worlds, if only for comparison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/get-to-know-other-worlds-if-only-for-comparison/) [Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/) > [“There are so many problems to solve on this planet first before we begin to trash other worlds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-so-many-problems-to-solve-on-this-planet-first-before-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a sci-fi lover; I wasn't from the start. So perhaps I miss that passion for other worlds, other dimensions, that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcgann/i-m-not-a-sci-fi-lover-i-wasn-t-from-the-start-so-perhaps-i-miss-that/) [Paul McGann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcgann/) > [In books I have traveled, not only to other worlds, but into my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-books-i-have-traveled-not-only-to-other-worlds-but-into-my-own/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [What can you do when you don't fit in? What can you do when life seems to be passing you by?" "Follow me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-can-you-do-when-you-don-t-fit-in-what-can-you-do-when-life-seems/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Words are worthless. How can you describe the other worlds?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/words-are-worthless-how-can-you-describe-the-other-worlds/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## 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 Alternatives quotes > [I am very sad that some designers are still using real fur when the fake alternatives are so effective and so easily obtainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-am-very-sad-that-some-designers-are-still-using-real-fur-when-the/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [ \[When asked how it felt to be a female prime minister:\] I don't know: I've never experienced the alternative. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-asked-how-it-felt-to-be-a-female-prime-minister-i-don-t-know-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [If one could have a wish, or an alternative life, I would've liked to have been John Lennon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/if-one-could-have-a-wish-or-an-alternative-life-i-would-ve-liked-to/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Maximise the alternative forms in which a user might receive a service, and the alternative sources of supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-chipp/maximise-the-alternative-forms-in-which-a-user-might-receive-a/) Don Chipp > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [Altermodern is an in-progress redefinition of modernity in the era of globalisation, stressing the experience of wandering in time, space and mediums. The term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-bourriaud/altermodern-is-an-in-progress-redefinition-of-modernity-in-the-era-of/) Nicolas Bourriaud > [If the system exhibits a structure which can be represented by a mathematical equivalent, called a mathematical model, and if the objective can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dantzig/if-the-system-exhibits-a-structure-which-can-be-represented-by-a/) [George Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dantzig/) > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) Browse all 1,463 Alternatives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. these worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power; provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning. They do not exist; and thus they are all that matters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-which-is-the-real-world-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alternatives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-which-is-the-real-world-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/neil-gaiman-29_alternatives_there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-whi_2402375.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like…” — 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": "There are only two worlds -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-which-is-the-real-world-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-are-only-two-worlds-your-world-which-is-the-real-world-and/#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 } } ] } ```