--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My concern is how we live fictions, how…" description: "\"My concern is how we live fictions, how fictions have real effects, become facts in that sense, and how our experience of the world changes depending o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/ben-lerner-9267_arrangements_my-concern-is-how-we-live-fictions-how-f_1745795.jpg" --- # My concern is how we live fictions, how fictions have real… ![“My concern is how we live fictions, how fictions have real effects, become facts in that sense, and how our experience of the world changes depending on its arrangement into one narrative or another.” quote by Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/ben-lerner-9267_arrangements_my-concern-is-how-we-live-fictions-how-f_1745795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/ben-lerner-9267_arrangements_my-concern-is-how-we-live-fictions-how-f_1745795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/618/ben-lerner-9267_arrangements_my-concern-is-how-we-live-fictions-how-f_1745795.jpg) > “My concern is how we live fictions, how fictions have real effects, become facts in that sense, and how our experience of the world changes depending on its arrangement into one narrative or another.” [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories shape reality; narratives influence how we perceive and experience the world. **In simple terms:** Stories change how we see reality. Key Takeaway Be aware of narratives that frame your perception. Themes narrative perception reality fiction truth Mood philosophical critical Type thought‑provoking analytical When to use this quote - media consumption - personal storytelling - political discourse - education Key Concepts constructivism ontological effects literary theory Questions to Reflect On - Which stories shape your worldview? - How can you challenge dominant narratives? A Different Perspective Narratives can distort facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrangements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrangements/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictions/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [How long do we live in the fictions of our past? And how do we convince anyone that who we write is not necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-talbot/how-long-do-we-live-in-the-fictions-of-our-past-and-how-do-we/) [Jill Talbot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-talbot/) > [“we accept fictions as fictions, as things that might be true in their world, if not quite in ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/we-accept-fictions-as-fictions-as-things-that-might-be-true-in-their/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [“The chief advantage which these fictions have over real life is, that their authors are at liberty, though not to invent, yet to select…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-chief-advantage-which-these-fictions-have-over-real-life-is-that/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [And I am a writer, writer of fictions I am the heart that you call home And I've written pages upon pages Trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/and-i-am-a-writer-writer-of-fictions-i-am-the-heart-that-you-call/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [Art is amoral, whether we accept this or not; it does not take sides. The finest fictions are cold at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/art-is-amoral-whether-we-accept-this-or-not-it-does-not-take-sides/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Contrary to what Kafka does, I always like to refer all of my fictions to the level of reality, He, on the other hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/contrary-to-what-kafka-does-i-always-like-to-refer-all-of-my-fictions/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [In merest prudence men should teach . . . That science ranks as monstrous things Two pairs of upper limbs; so wings-- E'en Angel's wings!--are fictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-austin-dobson/in-merest-prudence-men-should-teach-that-science-ranks-as-monstrous/) [Henry Austin Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-austin-dobson/) > [“There is a continuity of all things that make classifications fictions. But all human knowledge depends upon arrangements. Then all books--scientific, theological, philosophical--are only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/there-is-a-continuity-of-all-things-that-make-classifications/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [“Generations are fictions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-chang/generations-are-fictions/) [Jeff Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-chang/) > [“I told you; I am Arianna, the Siren, your Guardian, and how is a Guardian supposed to do her job if she is clueless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/i-told-you-i-am-arianna-the-siren-your-guardian-and-how-is-a-guardian/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“This is not one of your fictions where people bleed ink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-paul-winter/this-is-not-one-of-your-fictions-where-people-bleed-ink/) Terence Paul Winter > [Our lives are fictions, a work we leave behind, signed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/our-lives-are-fictions-a-work-we-leave-behind-signed/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [“He had a respect for facts maybe this was one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/he-had-a-respect-for-facts-maybe-this-was-one/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [Religious fictions,fates are illusion to science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/you-ng-micky-m-yzzy/religious-fictions-fates-are-illusion-to-science/) You'ng Micky M'yzzy > [“She smiled sinisterly. Light mist started to slowly swirl around us. All I could see was her, the tall rocks and the white wall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/she-smiled-sinisterly-light-mist-started-to-slowly-swirl-around-us/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) ## More by Ben Lerner > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Shaving is a way to start the workday by ritually not cutting your throat when you've the chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/shaving-is-a-way-to-start-the-workday-by-ritually-not-cutting-your/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [I don't want to write poems that are just really clear about how I'm aware of all the traps involved in writing poetry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-want-to-write-poems-that-are-just-really-clear-about-how-i-m/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“What you need to do is harness the self-love you are hypostasizing as offspring, as the next generation of you, and let it branch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/what-you-need-to-do-is-harness-the-self-love-you-are-hypostasizing-as/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“And because his narrator was characterized above all by his anxiety regarding the disconnect between his internal experience and his social self-presentation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/and-because-his-narrator-was-characterized-above-all-by-his-anxiety/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. 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I'm not private, but I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/your-interviews-or-blog-posts-or-whatever-are-less-supplements-to/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“I’m going to kill the president. I promise. I surrender. I'm sorry. I'm gay. I'm pregnant. I'm dying. I'm not your father. You're fired.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-m-going-to-kill-the-president-i-promise-i-surrender-i-m-sorry-i-m/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) [Explore all 73 Ben Lerner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) ## More Arrangements quotes > [for the obvious reason that nature - unadulterated and unimproved by man - is simply chaos. 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With our intention, we can change the energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/abundance-like-everything-else-in-the-universe-is-simply-a-specific/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [One of the proven ways of getting workers more involved with their jobs is by dovetailing employee profit-sharing and stock ownership plans with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-k-javits/one-of-the-proven-ways-of-getting-workers-more-involved-with-their/) [Jacob K. 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