--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every fairy tale offers the potential to…" description: "\"“Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies. In all great wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/azar-nafisi-2001_art_every-fairy-tale-offers-the-potential-to_1898931.jpg" --- # Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present… ![“Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies. In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present, there is an affirmation of life against the transience of that life, an essential…” quote by Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/azar-nafisi-2001_art_every-fairy-tale-offers-the-potential-to_1898931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/azar-nafisi-2001_art_every-fairy-tale-offers-the-potential-to_1898931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/azar-nafisi-2001_art_every-fairy-tale-offers-the-potential-to_1898931.jpg) > ““Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies. In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present, there is an affirmation of life against the transience of that life, an essential defiance. The affirmation lies in the way the author takes control of reality by retelling it in his own way, thus creating a new world. Every great work of art, I would declare pompously, is a celebration, an act of insubordination against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life. The perfection and beauty of form rebels against the ugliness and shabiness of the subject matter. This is why we love "Madame Bovary" and cry for Emma, why we greedily read "Lolita" as our heart breaks for its small, vulgar, poetic and defiant orphaned heroine.”” [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fairy tales provide freedom beyond reality, allowing us to defy life's transience and celebrate life through artistic rebellion. **In simple terms:** Stories give us freedom and defy reality. Key Takeaway Embrace imaginative narratives to challenge real-world limits. Themes imagination rebellion art life affirmation defiance Mood inspirational thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - reading classic literature - writing personal stories - teaching literature - using metaphor in therapy - creating art Key Concepts narrative theory literary criticism psychology of fiction Questions to Reflect On - How do specific tales inspire your personal growth? - What limits do you feel in your own reality? A Different Perspective The perspective may overlook that not all stories empower readers equally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Lolita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lolita/) [Madame Bovary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madame-bovary/) ## Related quotes > [Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/every-fairy-tale-offers-the-potential-to-surpass-present-limits-so-in/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Nabokov changed my life," Max said. "I was going to be a writer, and then I read Lolita and I decided to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniels-leslie/nabokov-changed-my-life-max-said-i-was-going-to-be-a-writer-and-then/) Daniels, Leslie > [I first read 'Lolita' when I was 16, which I think is a little bit young. But it was a thrilling and disturbing read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/i-first-read-lolita-when-i-was-16-which-i-think-is-a-little-bit-young/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [We do not read in order to turn great works of fiction into simplistic replicas of our own realities, we read for the pure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/we-do-not-read-in-order-to-turn-great-works-of-fiction-into/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present, there is an affirmation of life against the transience of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/in-all-great-works-of-fiction-regardless-of-the-grim-reality-they/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Again and again as we discussed Lolita in that class, our discussions were colored by my students' hidden personal sorrows and joys. Like tearstains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/again-and-again-as-we-discussed-lolita-in-that-class-our-discussions/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The biggest crime in Nabokov's 'Lolita' is imposing your own dream upon someone else's reality. Humbert Humbert is blind. He doesn't see Lolita's reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-biggest-crime-in-nabokov-s-lolita-is-imposing-your-own-dream-upon/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [While I find inspiration in real life, the actual stories are, thankfully, works of fiction - which, given the considerable turmoil in my character's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/while-i-find-inspiration-in-real-life-the-actual-stories-are/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I'm a believer in using whatever works for fiction, but mostly, that's not life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-simpson/i-m-a-believer-in-using-whatever-works-for-fiction-but-mostly-that-s/) [Mona Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-simpson/) > [There are very few works of fiction that take you inside the heads of all characters. I tell my writing students that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/there-are-very-few-works-of-fiction-that-take-you-inside-the-heads-of/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“It doesn’t matter that these are works of fiction and hence less scientific than the numbers and reports. They describe a human experience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsbjerg/it-doesn-t-matter-that-these-are-works-of-fiction-and-hence-less/) [Christian Madsbjerg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsbjerg/) > [If you would understand your own age, read the works of fiction produced in it. People in disguise speak freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/if-you-would-understand-your-own-age-read-the-works-of-fiction/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [In the best works of fiction, there's no mustache-twirling villain. I try to write shows where even the bad guy's got his reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/in-the-best-works-of-fiction-there-s-no-mustache-twirling-villain-i/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [Those who relish the study of character may profit by the reading of good works of fiction, the product of well-established authors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/those-who-relish-the-study-of-character-may-profit-by-the-reading-of/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [It is a misrepresentation to call my works fiction; the work loses something when categorized this way. I realize that the stories are somewhat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-magid/it-is-a-misrepresentation-to-call-my-works-fiction-the-work-loses/) [Jill Magid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-magid/) ## More by Azar Nafisi > [“A novel is not an allegory...it is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-novel-is-not-an-allegory-it-is-a-sensual-experience-of-another/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I have a recurring fantasy that one more article has been added to the Bill of Rights: the right to free access to imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-have-a-recurring-fantasy-that-one-more-article-has-been-added-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Hope for some means its loss for others; when the hopeless regain some hope, those in power--the ones who had taken it away--become afraid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/hope-for-some-means-its-loss-for-others-when-the-hopeless-regain-some/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [If I turned towards books, it was because they were the only sanctuary I knew, one I needed in order to survive, to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/if-i-turned-towards-books-it-was-because-they-were-the-only-sanctuary/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [ “Such an act \[testifying for an accused prison guard of the Shah's regime\] can only be accomplished by someone who is engrossed in literature,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/such-an-act-testifying-for-an-accused-prison-guard-of-the-shah-s/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“That first day I asked my students what they thought fiction should accomplish, why one should bother to read fiction at all. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/that-first-day-i-asked-my-students-what-they-thought-fiction-should/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/do-not-under-any-circumstances-belittle-a-work-of-fiction-by-trying/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Visa for Avalon is a testament to the power of fiction. It illuminates the truth at the heart of what is commonly called reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/visa-for-avalon-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-fiction-it-illuminates/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“You ask me what it means to be irrelevant? The feeling is akin to visiting your old house as a wandering ghost with unfinished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-ask-me-what-it-means-to-be-irrelevant-the-feeling-is-akin-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-explained-that-most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“We envy people like you, and we want to be you; we can't, so we destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/we-envy-people-like-you-and-we-want-to-be-you-we-can-t-so-we-destroy/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“..."readers were born free and ought to remain free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/readers-were-born-free-and-ought-to-remain-free/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) [Explore all 182 Azar Nafisi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every fairy tale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairy tale offers you freedoms that reality denies. 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