Neil Armstrong: An anecdote is true for Neil Gaiman

The author Neil Gaiman has stated that theanecdote which occasionally runs on the Internet on Neil Armstrong is actually recognizable and authentic. It happened when Gaimam was at a celebrity gathering, but he didn’t feel qualified enough to be among all those great personalities.

I had the feeling that at any moment they would realize that I was not qualified to be there, among those people who had done really important things.

Neil Gaiman

This sensation that Gaiman experiences is commonly known as: “imposter syndrome” Such an
The term recognition was invented in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes.
Just because someone feels like a cheater doesn’t mean they are. But Gaiman found someone
which changed his view of thinking.

Gaiman confirms on his blog that the anecdote about Armstrong is true:

My second or third night there, I was standing in the back of the room, while there was musical entertainment, and I started talking to a very nice, polite and elderly gentleman about various things, including our shared name.

Gaiman had the surprising meeting with Neil Armstrong at that meeting. He also thought he wasn’t
up to par, just like Gaiman. The latter thought Armstrong’s response was foolish. She told him it was…
as he was there: he was the first man to go to the moon.

Armstrong’s response to Gaiman:

Yes, even the first person to set foot on the moon after an incredibly long and arduous selection process feels that way.

After all, if Armstrong had also felt like an impostor, then everyone feels that way. Each of
we have to understand that there are no great characters but only people who have worked a lot and with
sacrifice. This is to work as well as possible.