--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They weren't true stories; they were…" description: "\"They weren't true stories; they were better than that.\" — Alice Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/alice-hoffman-427_better_they-weren-t-true-stories-they-were-bett_3130667.png" --- # They weren't true stories; they were better than that. ![“They weren't true stories; they were better than that.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/alice-hoffman-427_better_they-weren-t-true-stories-they-were-bett_3130667.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/alice-hoffman-427_better_they-weren-t-true-stories-they-were-bett_3130667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/alice-hoffman-427_better_they-weren-t-true-stories-they-were-bett_3130667.png) > “They weren't true stories; they were better than that.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories may be fictional, yet they can convey deeper truths that resonate more powerfully than literal facts. **In simple terms:** Fiction can reveal truth better than facts. Key Takeaway Value narrative insight over strict accuracy. Themes storytelling truth imagination Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy sessions - educational curricula Key Concepts metaphor emotional resonance creative truth Questions to Reflect On - What emotional truths do you gain from stories? - How do narratives shape your worldview? A Different Perspective Fiction can be dismissed as "untrue." ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-better-802829/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [True Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-stories/) [True story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-story/) [Weren True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weren-true-321070/) ## Related quotes > [I found two true stories. One was in 2003. One was the beginning of 2004. I decided to meld them. Richard Davis' story which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-found-two-true-stories-one-was-in-2003-one-was-the-beginning-of/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [True stories seldom have endings. I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/true-stories-seldom-have-endings-i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [I like to think that one of things I've done with non-fiction since the very beginning is to find new ways of telling true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-like-to-think-that-one-of-things-i-ve-done-with-non-fiction-since/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [My responsibility is to try to tell true stories. To me a true story is always hopeful, but never simply, uncomplicatedly happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/my-responsibility-is-to-try-to-tell-true-stories-to-me-a-true-story/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I like to tell untold true stories, or the lesser-known aspects of larger, familiar stories. I think people or topics that are slightly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kates/i-like-to-tell-untold-true-stories-or-the-lesser-known-aspects-of/) [Nancy Kates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kates/) > [As if there could be true stories: things happen in one way, and we retell them in the opposite way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/as-if-there-could-be-true-stories-things-happen-in-one-way-and-we/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“...that's the way to tell a true story from a made-up one. A made-up story always has a neat and tidy end. But true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elspeth-huxley/that-s-the-way-to-tell-a-true-story-from-a-made-up-one-a-made-up/) [Elspeth Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elspeth-huxley/) > [I was working on a satirical novel about a charismatic preacher who takes over a small Indiana town. Then I remembered Jim Jones was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-scheeres/i-was-working-on-a-satirical-novel-about-a-charismatic-preacher-who/) [Julia Scheeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-scheeres/) > [I think all true stories are hopeful stories. I don't think there's any room for nihilism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-all-true-stories-are-hopeful-stories-i-don-t-think-there-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The truth is not delicate and it does not suffer from denial—the truth only dies when true stories are untold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-truth-is-not-delicate-and-it-does-not-suffer-from-denial-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [With my friends, it was always essentially true stories. That's how I always felt about doing King-Cat. This is something that really happened, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-porcellino/with-my-friends-it-was-always-essentially-true-stories-that-s-how-i/) [John Porcellino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-porcellino/) > [True stories are always good because they're so odd, and so unlikely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/true-stories-are-always-good-because-they-re-so-odd-and-so-unlikely/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [All true stories begin and end in a cemetery" - The Shadow of the Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/all-true-stories-begin-and-end-in-a-cemetery-the-shadow-of-the-wind/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I think, ultimately, people are looking for real heartfelt true stories. They want to engage with them, they want to relate (to) them and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-wiedmann/i-think-ultimately-people-are-looking-for-real-heartfelt-true-stories/) [Shari Wiedmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-wiedmann/) > [How many stories have you read that aren't true, stories about me and Angie being married or fighting or splitting up? And when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/how-many-stories-have-you-read-that-aren-t-true-stories-about-me-and/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Better quotes > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/) [Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. 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The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/) [Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/) [Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/) > [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/) [Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/) > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/) [Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/) > [I never really look at it past one year. 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