---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is easy to forget how mysterious and…"
description: "\"It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg"
---

#  It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories…

![“It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your mind and self. They become part of you while changing you. Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of…” quote by Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg)

> “It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your mind and self. They become part of you while changing you. Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.”

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

## 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 our inner world subtly, influencing thoughts and behavior, so we must be mindful of the narratives we consume and share.

**In simple terms:** Stories quietly change us and our perception of reality.

Key Takeaway

Choose stories that uplift and empower.

Themes

narrative influence self‑growth mindfulness consciousness storytelling

Mood

thoughtful inspired introspective

Type

philosophical educational reflective

When to use this quote

- reading critically
- writing personal narratives
- mindful media consumption
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology mythology neuroplasticity cultural studies

Questions to Reflect On

- Which stories have shaped your worldview?
- How can you rewrite a limiting narrative?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring harmful narratives can reinforce negative patterns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Beware of the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/beware-of-the-stories-you-read-or-tell-subtly-at-night-beneath-the/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The science is my passion, the policy work my social duty. I think there's no other issue in the world that causes such suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-feilding/the-science-is-my-passion-the-policy-work-my-social-duty-i-think/)

Amanda Feilding

> [“If you can not grasp the consciousness-altering experience that real mastery of these disciplines proposes, of what value is your participation?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twight/if-you-can-not-grasp-the-consciousness-altering-experience-that-real/)

[Mark Twight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twight/)

> [At one point consciousness-altering devices like the microscope and telescope were criminalized for exactly the same reasons that psychedelic plants were banned in later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/at-one-point-consciousness-altering-devices-like-the-microscope-and/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [When you believe in what you are doing, when you are seeking justice for the killing of Daniel Pearl, when you want to alert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/when-you-believe-in-what-you-are-doing-when-you-are-seeking-justice/)

[Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/)

> [If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/if-i-could-i-would-always-work-in-silence-and-obscurity-and-let-my/)

[Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/)

> [True humility involves opposites. The truly humble work in silence. Because they do not speak of their accomplishments, credit for them can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/true-humility-involves-opposites-the-truly-humble-work-in-silence/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [“Writing is a profession that requires being alone. Just alone. You talk, laugh, get pissed off, get scared, be happy, think, imagine, shout, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexina-benavidez/writing-is-a-profession-that-requires-being-alone-just-alone-you-talk/)

Alexina Benavidez

> [“Word hard, work smart but no matter you do, work in silence. Great battles were won with stealth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-wahedna/word-hard-work-smart-but-no-matter-you-do-work-in-silence-great/)

[Arshad Wahedna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-wahedna/)

> [For the Order wishes to be secret and to work in silence; for thus it is better secured from the oppression of the ruling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/for-the-order-wishes-to-be-secret-and-to-work-in-silence-for-thus-it/)

[Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/)

> [To have Hollywood tell me or other women like me that we're not a market that interests them is silly. Good stories work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllida-lloyd/to-have-hollywood-tell-me-or-other-women-like-me-that-we-re-not-a/)

[Phyllida Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllida-lloyd/)

> [Humans like stories. Humans need stories. Stories are good. Stories work. Story clarifies and captures the essence of the human spirit. Story, in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/humans-like-stories-humans-need-stories-stories-are-good-stories-work/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [There are definitely a lot of roles I didn't get based off of the way I look, but I'm not going to let that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alia-shawkat/there-are-definitely-a-lot-of-roles-i-didn-t-get-based-off-of-the-way/)

[Alia Shawkat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alia-shawkat/)

> [I think we do have our true, original stories that work. I can tell you that 'The King's Speech,' which we did, became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-weinstein/i-think-we-do-have-our-true-original-stories-that-work-i-can-tell-you/)

[Harvey Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-weinstein/)

> [“I don’t recommend working with larger stories and breaking them down into technical items, often called Tasks. If we use Tasks, the business people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-recommend-working-with-larger-stories-and-breaking-them-down/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Ben Okri

> [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [“In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/in-a-fractured-age-when-cynicism-is-god-here-is-a-possible-heresy-we/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The best writing is not about the writer, the best writing is absolutely not about the writer, it's about us, it's about the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-best-writing-is-not-about-the-writer-the-best-writing-is/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stories-those-we-live-those-we/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The earliest storytellers were magi, seers, bards, griots, shamans. They were, it would seem, old as time, and as terrifying to gaze upon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-earliest-storytellers-were-magi-seers-bards-griots-shamans-they/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [An inner darkness is darker than an outer darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/an-inner-darkness-is-darker-than-an-outer-darkness/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The strange thing about Africa is how past, present and future come together in a kind of rough jazz, if you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-strange-thing-about-africa-is-how-past-present-and-future-come/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/our-time-here-is-magic-it-s-the-only-space-you-have-to-realize/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Fire is one of my temperaments. It is behind all my work... Fire is a chemical presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/fire-is-one-of-my-temperaments-it-is-behind-all-my-work-fire-is-a/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-lived-rough-by-my-wits-was-homeless-lived-on-the-streets-lived-on/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [If we could be pure dancers in spirit we would never be afraid to love, and we would love with strength and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/if-we-could-be-pure-dancers-in-spirit-we-would-never-be-afraid-to/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. even in silence we are living our stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/without-stories-we-would-go-mad-life-would-lose-its-moorings-or-lose/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Literature doesn't have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer. His Falstaff, for example, is very African in his appetite for life, his largeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/literature-doesn-t-have-a-country-shakespeare-is-an-african-writer/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [“So long as a canvas is empty its potential is infinite… The empty canvas can become a gateway into the landscape of nightmares or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/so-long-as-a-canvas-is-empty-its-potential-is-infinite-the-empty/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-went-to-london-because-for-me-it-was-the-home-of-literature-i-went/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

[Explore all 124 Ben Okri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

Dylan Gelulla

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your mind and self. They become part of you while changing you. Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Okri"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and-mighty-stories-are-they-do/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and-mighty-stories-are-they-do/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/ben-okri-3640_consciousness_it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and_1505283.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They…” — Ben Okri",
                "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": "Ben Okri",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is easy to forget how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and-mighty-stories-are-they-do/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/it-is-easy-to-forget-how-mysterious-and-mighty-stories-are-they-do/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
