--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a table laid with jellies and…" description: "\"There was a table laid with jellies and trifles, with a party hat beside each place, and a birthday cake with seven candles on it in the center of the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/neil-gaiman-29_bakeries_there-was-a-table-laid-with-jellies-and_1887355.jpg" --- # There was a table laid with jellies and trifles, with a… ![“There was a table laid with jellies and trifles, with a party hat beside each place, and a birthday cake with seven candles on it in the center of the table. The cake had a book drawn on it, in icing. My mother, who had organized the party, told me that the lady at the bakery said that they had…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/neil-gaiman-29_bakeries_there-was-a-table-laid-with-jellies-and_1887355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/neil-gaiman-29_bakeries_there-was-a-table-laid-with-jellies-and_1887355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2b/neil-gaiman-29_bakeries_there-was-a-table-laid-with-jellies-and_1887355.jpg) > “There was a table laid with jellies and trifles, with a party hat beside each place, and a birthday cake with seven candles on it in the center of the table. The cake had a book drawn on it, in icing. My mother, who had organized the party, told me that the lady at the bakery said that they had never put a book on a birthday cake before, and that mostly for boys it was footballs or spaceships. I was their first book.” [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. A birthday cake decorated with a book symbolizes breaking gender norms and celebrating individuality. **In simple terms:** A cake with a book defies expectations. Key Takeaway Celebrate unique choices. Themes individuality gender norms celebration Mood joyful creative Type cultural inspirational When to use this quote - birthday planning - gift ideas - children’s events Key Concepts literature social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor personal passions in traditions? - What symbols challenge stereotypes for you? A Different Perspective May not reflect broader cultural impact beyond the anecdote. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birthday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday/) [Birthday cake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday-cake/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Candle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Spaceships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spaceships/) [Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles/) ## Related quotes > [I saw the world I had walked since my birth and I understood how fragile it was, that the reality was a thin layer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-saw-the-world-i-had-walked-since-my-birth-and-i-understood-how/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Every night, I was read to. Every Friday, we were taken to the library. I always received at least one book for my birthday.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/every-night-i-was-read-to-every-friday-we-were-taken-to-the-library-i/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [I once gave someone a self-help book for their birthday, called something like 'stop being such a lazy pig.' And you know what, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-sanders/i-once-gave-someone-a-self-help-book-for-their-birthday-called/) [Lou Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-sanders/) > [If life is a birthday cake let my face be smeared with its icing of cognac and kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/if-life-is-a-birthday-cake-let-my-face-be-smeared-with-its-icing-of/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“I saw the world I had walked since my birth and I understood how fragile it was, that the reality I knew was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-saw-the-world-i-had-walked-since-my-birth-and-i-understood-how-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Eating alone is a disappointment. But not eating matter more, is hollow and green, has thorns like a chain of fish hooks, trailing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/eating-alone-is-a-disappointment-but-not-eating-matter-more-is-hollow/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Would I be as strong as that once I did that thing Christophe was talking about? Blooming? Would I smell like a bakery item?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/would-i-be-as-strong-as-that-once-i-did-that-thing-christophe-was/) [Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/) > [We set up a bakery called Bad Boy Bakery, to cook on the inside to sell on the outside. It was huge, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/we-set-up-a-bakery-called-bad-boy-bakery-to-cook-on-the-inside-to/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [I had a lot of things I wanted to do… I want to be a teacher…I also want to be an astronaut…and also make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/i-had-a-lot-of-things-i-wanted-to-do-i-want-to-be-a-teacher-i-also/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [It (suicide) became a possibility like Maybe when I grow up, I will be dead. Life was a cake that looked good on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-suicide-became-a-possibility-like-maybe-when-i-grow-up-i-will-be/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I'm not sure about these cookies ... They came from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-m-not-sure-about-these-cookies-they-came-from-the-local-7-11-bakery/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [My dad's an architect and my mom owned a French bakery for twelve years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lohman/my-dad-s-an-architect-and-my-mom-owned-a-french-bakery-for-twelve/) [Alison Lohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lohman/) > [I did work in a bakery for one day. But the boss went off and when he came back I was lying on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-did-work-in-a-bakery-for-one-day-but-the-boss-went-off-and-when-he/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) > [Sometimes I feel like I've got my nose pressed up against the window of a bakery, only I'm the bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-ve-got-my-nose-pressed-up-against-the-window/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [My subject matter was a genuine sort of experience that came out of my life, particularly the American world in which I was privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/my-subject-matter-was-a-genuine-sort-of-experience-that-came-out-of/) [Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/) ## 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 Bakeries quotes > [My subject matter was a genuine sort of experience that came out of my life, particularly the American world in which I was privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/my-subject-matter-was-a-genuine-sort-of-experience-that-came-out-of/) [Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/) > [Sometimes I feel like I've got my nose pressed up against the window of a bakery, only I'm the bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-ve-got-my-nose-pressed-up-against-the-window/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I did work in a bakery for one day. But the boss went off and when he came back I was lying on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-did-work-in-a-bakery-for-one-day-but-the-boss-went-off-and-when-he/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) > [My dad's an architect and my mom owned a French bakery for twelve years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lohman/my-dad-s-an-architect-and-my-mom-owned-a-french-bakery-for-twelve/) [Alison Lohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lohman/) > [I'm not sure about these cookies ... They came from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-m-not-sure-about-these-cookies-they-came-from-the-local-7-11-bakery/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [It (suicide) became a possibility like Maybe when I grow up, I will be dead. Life was a cake that looked good on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-suicide-became-a-possibility-like-maybe-when-i-grow-up-i-will-be/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I had a lot of things I wanted to do… I want to be a teacher…I also want to be an astronaut…and also make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/i-had-a-lot-of-things-i-wanted-to-do-i-want-to-be-a-teacher-i-also/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [We set up a bakery called Bad Boy Bakery, to cook on the inside to sell on the outside. It was huge, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/we-set-up-a-bakery-called-bad-boy-bakery-to-cook-on-the-inside-to/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [Would I be as strong as that once I did that thing Christophe was talking about? Blooming? Would I smell like a bakery item?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilith-saintcrow/would-i-be-as-strong-as-that-once-i-did-that-thing-christophe-was/) [Lilith Saintcrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilith-saintcrow/) > [Eating alone is a disappointment. But not eating matter more, is hollow and green, has thorns like a chain of fish hooks, trailing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/eating-alone-is-a-disappointment-but-not-eating-matter-more-is-hollow/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Proud parents to two children Grandparents to five more Who visit the "Harper Bakery" It's Gran's cooking they all adore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/proud-parents-to-two-children-grandparents-to-five-more-who-visit-the/) [John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/) > [ What really takes me back is when I'm walking around the Lower East Side, because we went to so many places \[there\] - the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/what-really-takes-me-back-is-when-i-m-walking-around-the-lower-east/) [Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/) > [My mother would organize huge parties for my elementary school classmates. To prepare, she would go back to the bakery in her old neighborhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-quinn/my-mother-would-organize-huge-parties-for-my-elementary-school/) [Christine Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-quinn/) > [Well, I have a lot of appetites and try to revel in almost everything, so inspiration can even come from a well-appointed submarine sandwich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-fabian/well-i-have-a-lot-of-appetites-and-try-to-revel-in-almost-everything/) [Patrick Fabian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-fabian/) > [We don't consider a trip to Boston complete if it doesn't include a visit to Flour Bakery for a BLT and a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hesser/we-don-t-consider-a-trip-to-boston-complete-if-it-doesn-t-include-a/) Amanda Hesser Browse all 44 Bakeries quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a table laid with jellies and trifles, with a party hat beside each place, and a birthday cake with seven candles on it in the center of the table. The cake had a book drawn on it, in icing. My mother, who had organized the party, told me that the lady at the bakery said that they had never put a book on a birthday cake before, and that mostly for boys it was footballs or spaceships. 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