--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe there are only three kinds of…" description: "\"Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a greater life.\" — Ben Okri" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/ben-okri-3640_greater_maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stor_66910.jpg" --- # Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we… ![“Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a greater life.” quote by Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/ben-okri-3640_greater_maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stor_66910.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/ben-okri-3640_greater_maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stor_66910.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/ben-okri-3640_greater_maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stor_66910.jpg) > “Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a greater life.” [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 existence, narrative, and aspirations, guiding personal growth and transcendent purpose. **In simple terms:** Stories define life, narrative, and upliftment. Key Takeaway Stories guide personal evolution. Themes identity narrative spirituality growth purpose Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational poetic When to use this quote - reflecting on personal experiences - sharing cultural myths - seeking inspiration - overcoming adversity Key Concepts self-concept storytelling soulful aspiration Practical Applications - creative writing - counseling Questions to Reflect On - How do the stories you tell influence your sense of self? - In what ways can stories elevate your aspirations? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [What can be greater to life than to understand its meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/what-can-be-greater-to-life-than-to-understand-its-meaning/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [Evaluate every act by whether it brings you greater life, or deadens you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/evaluate-every-act-by-whether-it-brings-you-greater-life-or-deadens/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [I have always believed that there is nothing greater than a life in rock n' roll - it has to be good rock n'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-have-always-believed-that-there-is-nothing-greater-than-a-life-in/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [And if the civilized man's pursuits are no worthier than the savage's, if he is employed the greater part of his life in obtaininggross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/and-if-the-civilized-man-s-pursuits-are-no-worthier-than-the-savage-s/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Everything was to be experienced at the highest pitch of passion and life. 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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/) > [The earliest storytellers were magi, seers, bards, griots, shamans. 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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/) > [The road will never swallow you. The river of destiny will always overcome evil. May you understand your fate. Suffering will never destroy you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-road-will-never-swallow-you-the-river-of-destiny-will-always/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) [Explore all 124 Ben Okri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) ## More Greater quotes > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. 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But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. 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I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I think that as a writer your responsibility is to search for and stir up the things that are in this world. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-that-as-a-writer-your-responsibility-is-to-search-for-and/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [No greater victory can be won by citizens or soldiers than to transform temporary foes into permanent friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/no-greater-victory-can-be-won-by-citizens-or-soldiers-than-to/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . 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