--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I agreed to give this address, I…" description: "\"“When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to think what the best advice I'd been given over the years was. And it came from Stephen King tw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/neil-gaiman-29_advice_when-i-agreed-to-give-this-address-i-sta_532586.jpg" --- # When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to… ![“When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to think what the best advice I'd been given over the years was. And it came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. I was writing a comic that people loved and were taking seriously. King had like Sandman…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/neil-gaiman-29_advice_when-i-agreed-to-give-this-address-i-sta_532586.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/neil-gaiman-29_advice_when-i-agreed-to-give-this-address-i-sta_532586.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/neil-gaiman-29_advice_when-i-agreed-to-give-this-address-i-sta_532586.jpg) > ““When I agreed to give this address, I started trying to think what the best advice I'd been given over the years was. And it came from Stephen King twenty years ago, at the height of the success of Sandman. I was writing a comic that people loved and were taking seriously. King had like Sandman and my novel with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, and he saw a madness, the long signing lines, all that, and his advice was this: "This is really great. You should enjoy it." And I didn't. Best advice I got that I ignored. Instead I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. There wasn't a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn't writing something in my head, or wondering about it. And I didn't stop and look around and go, This is really fun. I wish I'd enjoyed it more. It's been an amazing ride. But there were parts of the ride I missed, because I was too worried about things going wrong, about what came next, to enjoy the bit I was on. That was the hardest lesson for me, I think: to let go and enjoy the ride, because the ride takes you to some remarkable and unexpected places.”” [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 speaker reflects on ignoring advice to enjoy current success, becoming fixated on future goals, and learns the importance of savoring the present journey. **In simple terms:** Enjoy the present instead of obsessing over the future. Key Takeaway Pause and appreciate your achievements. Themes mindfulness creativity career growth reflection Mood reflective thoughtful inspirational Type advice personal development reflection When to use this quote - writing - public speaking - career milestones - personal development Key Concepts psychology presence flow success advice Questions to Reflect On - How often do you pause to celebrate now? - What prevents you from enjoying your work? 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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. 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King had like Sandman and my novel with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, and he saw a madness, the long signing lines, all that, and his advice was this: \"This is really great. You should enjoy it.\" And I didn't. Best advice I got that I ignored. Instead I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. There wasn't a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn't writing something in my head, or wondering about it. And I didn't stop and look around and go, This is really fun. I wish I'd enjoyed it more. It's been an amazing ride. But there were parts of the ride I missed, because I was too worried about things going wrong, about what came next, to enjoy the bit I was on. 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