---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm…"
description: "\"You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds.\" \"What, a phobia?\" \"Sort of.\" \"Well, that's the common term for an i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg"
---

#  You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I…

![“You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds.&quot; &quot;What, a phobia?&quot; &quot;Sort of.&quot; &quot;Well, that's the common term for an irrational fear of birds.&quot; &quot;What do they call a rational fear of birds, then?” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg)

> “You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds." "What, a phobia?" "Sort of." "Well, that's the common term for an irrational fear of birds." "What do they call a rational fear of birds, then?”

[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 lighthearted comment reveals an irrational fear of birds, prompting curiosity about rational fear.

**In simple terms:** A funny remark about bird fear and a question about rational fear.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and explore personal anxieties.

Themes

fear humor curiosity

Mood

playful thoughtful

Type

observational conversational

When to use this quote

- watching movies
- discussing phobias
- self‑reflection

Key Concepts

irrational fear rational fear psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers your bird fear?
- How would you define a rational fear?

A Different Perspective

May overlook deeper trauma behind the fear.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Irrational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/) [Irrational fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational-fear/) [Phobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phobia/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [I have a huge fear of birds, but I truly believe in facing your fears head-on, so, I now have two sparrows tattooed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-have-a-huge-fear-of-birds-but-i-truly-believe-in-facing-your-fears/)

[Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/)

> [“I didn’t say it was a rational fear. But the worst fears aren’t, are they?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-didn-t-say-it-was-a-rational-fear-but-the-worst-fears-aren-t-are/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [The Founding Fathers worried that 'some common impulse of passion' might lead many to subvert the rights of the few. It's a rational fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/the-founding-fathers-worried-that-some-common-impulse-of-passion/)

[David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/)

> [“Although her father had told her of the nature of the one who waited for her, she could not control an instinctual shudder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/although-her-father-had-told-her-of-the-nature-of-the-one-who-waited/)

[Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/)

> [Behind every flinch is a fear or an anxiety - sometimes rational, sometimes not. Without the fear, there is no flinch. But wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-flinch-is-a-fear-or-an-anxiety-sometimes-rational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public from fear, not only from real dangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debilitating-and-policy-makers/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [I think that it's rational to fear your own death or to fear harm to your family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/i-think-that-it-s-rational-to-fear-your-own-death-or-to-fear-harm-to/)

[Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/)

> [I am death-fearing. I don't think I'm morbid. That seems to me a fear of death that goes beyond the rational. Whereas it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-am-death-fearing-i-don-t-think-i-m-morbid-that-seems-to-me-a-fear/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [Any irrational fears?no, i'm quite a rationalist. i'm not superstitious, i think life is too full of natural wonders and logical complexities to worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/any-irrational-fears-no-i-m-quite-a-rationalist-i-m-not-superstitious/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [I have an irrational fear that I'm going to have a gruesome and untimely death because so many wonderful things are happening to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-have-an-irrational-fear-that-i-m-going-to-have-a-gruesome-and/)

[Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/)

> [Rational thinking is an important aspect of human nature, but we have imagination, we have ambition, we have irrational fear, we are swayed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/rational-thinking-is-an-important-aspect-of-human-nature-but-we-have/)

[Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/)

> [“The irrational fear gene lives on in us all. It’s irritating, but these things need to be handled the same way as when you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-arnopp/the-irrational-fear-gene-lives-on-in-us-all-it-s-irritating-but-these/)

[Jason Arnopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-arnopp/)

> [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [The ... irrational fear of communism is being deliberately used in many quarters to blind us to our real problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-gahagan-douglas/the-irrational-fear-of-communism-is-being-deliberately-used-in-many/)

[Helen Gahagan Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-gahagan-douglas/)

> [“I have often wondered if the irrational fear some men have of women that incites them to subjugate and oppress the female species begins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annastacia-dickerson/i-have-often-wondered-if-the-irrational-fear-some-men-have-of-women/)

Annastacia Dickerson

## 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 Bird quotes

> [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/)

[Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/)

> [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/)

Nina Schuyler

> [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/)

[e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/)

[Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/)

> [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/)

[Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/)

[Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/)

> [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/)

[Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/)

> [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/)

[Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/)

[Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds.\" \"What, a phobia?\" \"Sort of.\" \"Well, that's the common term for an irrational fear of birds.\" \"What do they call a rational fear of birds, then?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m-a-bit-well-i-have-a-thing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bird"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m-a-bit-well-i-have-a-thing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/neil-gaiman-29_bird_you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m_2826807.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds.\" \"What, a phobia?\" \"Sort…” — 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": "You'll think this is a bit...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m-a-bit-well-i-have-a-thing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m-a-bit-well-i-have-a-thing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
