Neil Gaiman - A book is a dream that you hold in your hand

Welcome to the Daily Quote – a podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm your host, Andrew McGivern, for November 1st.Today is National Author's Day, a celebration honoring writers who create the stories, ideas, and knowledge that enrich our lives. First proposed in 1928 by Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement, Illinois Women's Club, this day was officially recognized by the United States Department of Commerce in 1949.McPherson, a teacher and passionate reader, was inspired while recovering in a hospital during World War I. After reading Irving Bacheller's work, she wrote him a fan letter. When he graciously responded with an autographed copy of another story, she realized she could never adequately thank him for the gift his writing had given her. So she created National Author's Day as a way to encourage readers everywhere to express appreciation to the authors whose words have moved them.What makes this day special is its timing – November 1st also marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), making it a celebration of both published authors and aspiring writers embarking on their own creative journeys.Today's quote comes from writer Neil Gaiman, who said:"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."Gaiman's beautiful observation captures why National Author's Day matters. Authors don't just write books – they create dreams, package them in pages, and hand them to us. Every novel, memoir, or collection of poetry represents someone's imagination made tangible, their inner world given form.Think about what this means. When you hold a book, you're holding someone's months or years of creative work, their struggles with language, their late nights questioning every word. You're holding their fears, hopes, questions, and answers. Authors take the most private part of themselves – their dreams and imagination – and make them public, vulnerable, shareable.Gaiman understands that this act of creation and sharing is both terrifying and generous. Authors have no control over how their dreams will be received once they leave their hands. Yet they share them anyway, trusting that somewhere, someone will hold that dream and let it change them.National Author's Day asks us to honor that courage and generosity.As you head into your Saturday, celebrate National Author's Day by honoring the authors whose dreams have enriched your life. Write a note to a favorite author thanking them for their work. Leave a positive review for a book that moved you. Buy a book from an independent author. Share a favorite passage on social media with #NationalAuthorsDay.If you're a writer yourself, use this day as encouragement. Your dreams matter. Your stories deserve to be told. November 1st marks the perfect time to start – NaNoWriMo begins today.Remember Gaiman's wisdom – every book is someone's dream made real. Honor the dreamers, and maybe become one yourself.That's it for today. Thanks for listening. I'm Andrew McGivern signing off for now but I'll be back tomorrow. Same pod time, same pod station with another Daily Quote.