---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think there's any story worth…"
description: "\"I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.\" — Anthony Shadid"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg"
---

#  I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do…

![“I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.” quote by Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg)

> “I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.”

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Some narratives inspire sacrifice, while others merit bold action without fatal stakes.

**In simple terms:** Stories can motivate risk.

Key Takeaway

Pursue meaningful challenges.

Themes

risk storytelling purpose motivation ethics

Mood

inspirational critical

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- activism
- journalism
- personal growth

Key Concepts

heroic narrative risk‑reward calculus moral courage

Questions to Reflect On

- Which story drives your actions?
- When is risk justified?

A Different Perspective

Risk can be reckless if not grounded in values.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Risks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risks/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Taking risks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-risks/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/)

## Related quotes

> [On 'Avatar', I learned that it's worth taking some risks and doing some weird little things with characters or having an off-joke here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ehasz/on-avatar-i-learned-that-it-s-worth-taking-some-risks-and-doing-some/)

[Aaron Ehasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ehasz/)

> [In the case of anything, there is risk, but there are risks worth taking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/in-the-case-of-anything-there-is-risk-but-there-are-risks-worth-taking/)

[Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/)

> [We are told not to privilege one story above another. All the stories must be told. Well, maybe that's true, maybe all stories are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-are-told-not-to-privilege-one-story-above-another-all-the-stories/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Names which tell stories have been worth millions of dollars. So a great deal of research often precedes the selection of a name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/names-which-tell-stories-have-been-worth-millions-of-dollars-so-a/)

[Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/)

> [“..what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/what-the-next-generation-will-value-most-is-not-what-we-owned-but-the/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [Names that tell stories have been worth millions of dollars. So a great deal of research often proceeds the selection of a name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/names-that-tell-stories-have-been-worth-millions-of-dollars-so-a/)

[Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/)

> [My mother was a very hard-working maid, and their stories are worth telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-reyes/my-mother-was-a-very-hard-working-maid-and-their-stories-are-worth/)

[Judy Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-reyes/)

> [This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/this-packrat-has-learned-that-what-the-next-generation-will-value/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. Hard stories are worth the difficulty. It seems to me the only way I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-want-hard-stories-i-demand-them-from-myself-hard-stories-are-worth/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

> [There are definitely some stories worth telling and I think there's something to be said for telling your story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-hoffs/there-are-definitely-some-stories-worth-telling-and-i-think-there-s/)

[Susanna Hoffs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-hoffs/)

> [Rennes wanted me at one point, but in France they have a problem - they don't like taking risks. But if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demba-ba/rennes-wanted-me-at-one-point-but-in-france-they-have-a-problem-they/)

[Demba Ba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demba-ba/)

> [I had someone very close to me say to me that hopefully I’ll have many more ups and downs, not in just my career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-kitsch/i-had-someone-very-close-to-me-say-to-me-that-hopefully-i-ll-have/)

[Taylor Kitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-kitsch/)

> [I talk a lot about taking risks, and then I follow that up very quickly by saying, 'Take prudent risks.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-rosenfeld/i-talk-a-lot-about-taking-risks-and-then-i-follow-that-up-very/)

[Irene Rosenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-rosenfeld/)

> [If the head man in a company is not working 12 hours a day, doing things, taking risks, but also standing with his people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/if-the-head-man-in-a-company-is-not-working-12-hours-a-day-doing/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [“doing good required taking risks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/doing-good-required-taking-risks/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

## More by Anthony Shadid

> [On the flip side, I enjoy covering the Arab world, I've spent my entire career here in the Middle East, but I would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/on-the-flip-side-i-enjoy-covering-the-arab-world-i-ve-spent-my-entire/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [Cultures that may seem as durable as stone can break like glass, leaving all the things that held them together unattended. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/cultures-that-may-seem-as-durable-as-stone-can-break-like-glass/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“After life is bent, torn, exploded, there are shattered pieces that do not heal for years, if at all. What is left are scars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/after-life-is-bent-torn-exploded-there-are-shattered-pieces-that-do/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [The best journalism is sometimes about footnotes—when we write small to say something big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/the-best-journalism-is-sometimes-about-footnotes-when-we-write-small/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“the sight of militiamen sipping coffee at Starbucks, their rocket-propelled grenades resting in chairs in a distinctly Lebanese vision of globalization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/the-sight-of-militiamen-sipping-coffee-at-starbucks-their-rocket/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [Journalism is always the art of the incomplete. You get bits and pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/journalism-is-always-the-art-of-the-incomplete-you-get-bits-and-pieces/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“hospitality, cosmopolitanism, and tolerance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/hospitality-cosmopolitanism-and-tolerance/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [I had a great childhood. I think writers are always better off when they have more twisted childhoods, but I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-had-a-great-childhood-i-think-writers-are-always-better-off-when/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [The Americans invaded a country without understanding what eight years of a war with Iran had meant, how that traumatized Iraq. They didn't appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/the-americans-invaded-a-country-without-understanding-what-eight/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“Subtle and coy, the cemento at Maalouf's did not speak of war, or frontiers, and the spaces they narrowed, but, rather, grandeur. The tiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/subtle-and-coy-the-cemento-at-maalouf-s-did-not-speak-of-war-or/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [The one thing that shaped my life was when I was 15 or 16: I knew I wanted to be a journalist. And not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/the-one-thing-that-shaped-my-life-was-when-i-was-15-or-16-i-knew-i/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“I should be in Beirut, I thought, working as a journalist, but another part of me was so wary of that old life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-should-be-in-beirut-i-thought-working-as-a-journalist-but-another/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“Sometimes it is better to imagine the past than to remember it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/sometimes-it-is-better-to-imagine-the-past-than-to-remember-it/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [“Arabic also has a far greater facility to communicate sarcasm, and it can be employed precisely, or with pitch-perfect irony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/arabic-also-has-a-far-greater-facility-to-communicate-sarcasm-and-it/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

> [I started doing some interviews with elderly people in the family because I knew they would pass away and we would lose the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-started-doing-some-interviews-with-elderly-people-in-the-family/)

[Anthony Shadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

[Explore all 19 Anthony Shadid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/)

## More Any quotes

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/)

[Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/)

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/)

[Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/)

> [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/)

[Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/)

> [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/)

[Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/)

> [The system in Germany is different, as you sign up with a company for two or three years, and you work exclusively with them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wlaschiha/the-system-in-germany-is-different-as-you-sign-up-with-a-company-for/)

[Tom Wlaschiha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wlaschiha/)

> [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/)

[Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/)

> [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/)

[Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/)

> [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/)

[Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/)

Browse all 6,938 Any quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Shadid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dying-for-but-i-do-think-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Any"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dying-for-but-i-do-think-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anthony-shadid-28125_any_i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dy_1509909.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think there's any story worth dying for, but I do think there are stories worth taking risks for.” — Anthony Shadid",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anthony Shadid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-shadid/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think there's any story...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dying-for-but-i-do-think-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-shadid/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-story-worth-dying-for-but-i-do-think-there/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
