Humans like stories. Humans need stories. Stories are good. Stories work. Story clarifies and captures the essence of the human spirit. Story, in all its forms—of life, of love, of knowledge—has traced the upward surge of mankind. And story, you mark my words, will be with the last human to draw breath.
Interpretation
Stories are an essential part of human existence, shaping our understanding and connection to life.
This quote by Jasper Fforde emphasizes the fundamental role that storytelling plays in human life. It suggests that stories are not only important for communication and understanding but also serve as a vital medium through which the essence of humanity is expressed and preserved across generations. Stories unite us, help us make sense of our experiences, and will continue to exist as long as humanity does.
In practice
During a conference on creativity, this quote can be used to highlight the importance of storytelling in innovation.
I didn't set out to discover a truth. I was actually sent to the Outer Fringes to conduct a chair census and learn some humility. But the truth inevitably found me, as important truths often do, like a lost thought in need of a mind.
Whereas story is processed in the mind in a straightforward manner, poetry bypasses rational thought and goes straight to the limbic system and lights it up like a brushfire. It's the crack cocaine of the literary world.
How many shows on TV do you see young black people, both women and men, really embody a full-fledged human being, flaws and all?
You see, what is my purpose of performance artist is to stage certain difficulties and stage the fear the primordial fear of pain, of dying, all of which we have in our lives, and then stage them in front of audience and go through them and tell the audience, 'I'm your mirror; if I can do this in my life, you can do it in yours.'
I've been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black.
There are connoisseurs of blue just as there are connoisseurs of wine.
Art is what you can get away with.
I always thought of photography as a naughty thing to do - that was one of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt very perverse.
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