Neil Hughes > Quotes

“They say you should never meet your heroes, but perhaps you should never meet your gods, either. Especially if you’re still going to need their help afterwards.”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life

“No-one is going to fulfil my dreams on my behalf.”
― Neil Hughes, Walking on Custard & the Meaning of Life: A Guide for Anxious Humans

“As long as I can remember, I’ve been worried. Occasionally, this seemed like a strength. My obsession with avoiding risk helped me to dodge perils of all kinds. I rarely forgot my homework. My holidays were compulsively well-planned.”
― Neil Hughes

“To me, it always seemed unambitious to simply accept how the world is, without asking questions.”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life

“Humans could have been designed to be rational, to calmly weigh up pros and cons and to sensibly calculate the best option in every situation. But there must have been a rushed design meeting or tight production deadline, because humans actually operate via an unholy mix of borderline irrationality and impulse.”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life

“When people are invested in an idea, I don’t think they like hearing that it isn’t true. Telling the truth might be right but it wouldn’t help.”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life

“Sometimes what you do is less important than the fact you're doing something.”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life

“We worry. We anxiously fantasise about possible disasters. We ruminate on the past, chewing over our hurts, heartbreaks and missed opportunities. We compare ourselves to others. We listen to the running commentary in our heads that criticises us for all our flaws and mistakes.”
― Neil Hughes

“Let's just focus on surviving today, shall we?”
― Neil Hughes, The Shop Before Life