Quote by Salman Rushdie

Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, the power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts.

Those who do not have power over the story that dominates th

Summary

This quote emphasizes the importance of having control over the narrative that shapes our lives. It suggests that those who lack the ability to reinterpret, question, and humorously challenge their own stories are essentially powerless. By acknowledging the fluidity and subjectivity of storytelling, one gains the capacity to generate fresh ideas and evolve with changing times. This quote underscores the notion that our ability to think critically, shape our own narratives, and adapt them is essential for personal empowerment and intellectual growth.

Topics

Storytelling

By Salman Rushdie

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the

You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs.

Daniel H. Wilson

Hope

Man...is a tame or civilized animal never the less, he requi

Man...is a tame or civilized animal never the less, he requires proper instruction and a fortunate nature, and then of all animals he becomes the most divine and most civilized but if he be insufficiently or ill- educated he is the most savage of earthly creatures.

Age

Technology has allowed us to have more drought-resistant cro

Technology has allowed us to have more drought-resistant crops. The spotty nature of drought, the spotty nature of rains can sometimes result in better yields than anticipated.

Technology

As to virtue . . . it is an act of the will, a habit which i

As to virtue . . . it is an act of the will, a habit which increases the quantity, intensity and quality of life. It builds up, strengthens and vivifies personality.

Personality

The monarchy is foremost a business, and it's important to t

The monarchy is foremost a business, and it's important to them that the British public continue to finance the excessive luxurious lifestyles of the now quite enormous, wasteful and useless 'royal' family. I find it very sad.

Steven Patrick Morrissey

Business

I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed

I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself, than this incessant business.

Henry David Thoreau

Life Business Poetry Philosophy Crime

It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to h

It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.

Success Failure

Men freely believe that which they desire.

Men freely believe that which they desire.

Belief

Nothing is higher than the love of truth.

Nothing is higher than the love of truth.

Aurelius Clemens Prudentius

Truth Love

We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as m

We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride and four times as much by our foolishness.

Benjamin Franklin

Taxation

My greatest fear: repetition.

My greatest fear: repetition.

Fear

I don't like political poetry, and I don't write it. If this

I don't like political poetry, and I don't write it. If this question was pointing towards that, I think it is missing the point of the American tradition, which is always apolitical, even when the poetry comes out of politically active writers.

Poetry