“This earth that we live on is full of stories in the same way that, for a fish, the ocean is full of ocean. Some people say when we are born we’re born into stories. I say we’re also born from stories.”
Ben Okri on the Power of Stories
“This earth that we live on is full of stories in the same way that, for a fish, the ocean is full of ocean. Some people say when we are born we’re born into stories. I say we’re also born from stories.” - Ben Okri
Quote Analysis
In this thought-provoking quote by Ben Okri, he expresses the idea that stories are deeply embedded in our existence from the moment we are born. Okri compares the earth to a repository of stories, suggesting that just as a fish is surrounded by the ocean, we are enveloped in a world of stories. This quote highlights the significance of storytelling in shaping our identities and connecting us to our collective human experience. It emphasizes the power of narratives to give meaning to our lives and to connect us to the world around us.
Modern Relevance of Ben Okri's Quote
In today's digital age, our lives are constantly surrounded by stories - from social media posts to news articles to advertisements. With the rise of technology, the way we consume and share stories has evolved, making them more accessible and prevalent than ever before. Just as Okri suggests that we are born into and from stories, our identities and experiences are shaped by the narratives we encounter and create in the modern world.
Reflecting on Stories and Identity
Consider the quote by Ben Okri about being born into and from stories. Reflect on the role of storytelling in shaping our identities and how stories contribute to our understanding of the world around us.
- How have the stories you have been told or have experienced influenced your sense of self and belonging?
- In what ways do stories shape the way you view the world and others around you?
- Can you think of a particular story or narrative that has had a significant impact on your life or beliefs? How has it influenced you?
- How do you think storytelling helps connect people and communities, creating a shared sense of identity and understanding?
- Do you believe that we are truly born from stories, as Okri suggests? How does this idea resonate with your own experiences and beliefs about the power of storytelling?
Similar quotes
“Some people think we’re made of flesh and blood and bones. Scientists say we’re made of atoms. But I think we are made of stories. When we die, that’s what people remember, the stories of our lives and the stories that we told.”
“Art is central to all our lives, not just the better-off and educated. . . I know that from my own story, and from the evidence of every child ever born — they all want to hear and to tell stories, to sing, to make music, to act out little dramas, to paint pictures, to make sculptures. This is born in and we breed it out. And then, when we have bred it out, we say that art is elitist, and at the same time we either fetishize art — the high prices, the jargon, the inaccessibility — or we ignore it. The truth is, artist or not, we are all born on the creative continuum, and that is a heritage and a birthright of all of our lives.”
“We’re organisms; we’re conceived, we’re born, we live, we die, and we decay. But as we decay we feed the world of the living: plants and bugs and bacteria.”
“We figure out what death means when we’re born, practically, and we live our whole lives in some kind of weird denial about it.”
“I really believe that our stories make us who we are. I don't think people are born as empty shells. They already have the makings of a personality and they have intelligence. But from the moment they're born and maybe before that they start accumulating stories and it's those stories that have the biggest effect on them.”