akicilj

[truepenny]

Somewhere in the run of Sandman [ETA: make that Swamp Thing], Cain and/or Abel explains the difference between a mystery and a secret. Can anyone remember where that is? Or did I make it up? (N.b., it is NOT in "The Parliament of Rooks.")

ETA: Found it! Thanks to hhw pointing me at the wikipedia entry.

In Swamp Thing 33, "Abandoned Houses" (collected in Swamp Thing: Love and Death), Cain tells Abby Arcane Cable, "Mysteries are wonders that you can ponder and share. Secrets are a burden to carry alone!" And that's the quote I was looking for.

Many many thanks to everyone who chimed in.

Comments

[hhw]

according to the wikipedia entry for them, it was in "Swamp Thing."

[hhw]

A Sandman Annotations page says the secret/mystery definition is Moore's, not Gaiman's: "Under Moore's terminology, a mystery may be shared, but a secret must be forgotten if one tries to tell it."

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Oh silly me. Of course there's a wikipedia entry.