“Everyone’s got a version of the same story, or maybe there’s no such thing as the same story; it’s a different story every time.”

“No single imagination is wild or crass or cheesy enough to compete with the collective mindlessness that propels our fascination forward.”

“Without our listening, all the stories are the same story.”

“If you're short on time, that would be the two-word version of our story: we fell.”

“people don't really want original stories. they want different versions of the same story. this is called meta-narrative.”

“Our stories are all we have. The only thing that can save us is to learn each other's stories. From beginning to end....For every life we know, we are expanded.”

“Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really isn't good unless it successfully resists paraphrase. ...' ... Paraphrasing can force us into deeper levels of both story and self. O'Connor also says that a good story 'hangs on and expands the mind.' ... Most importantly, as we explore the largeness of stories, their 'macro' possibilities, we are forced further into the largeness of our own lives. The 'hidden' story, made visible, can be that which is most difficult to confront in our experiences and, at the same time, the story that demands to be told.”