--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who are we if not the stories we pass…" description: "\"“Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I exist..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/carrie-ryan-3373_mary_who-are-we-if-not-the-stories-we-pass-do_2353742.jpg" --- # Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens… ![“Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I existed? What if we are the only ones left -- who will know our stories then? Who will remember those?” quote by Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/carrie-ryan-3373_mary_who-are-we-if-not-the-stories-we-pass-do_2353742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/carrie-ryan-3373_mary_who-are-we-if-not-the-stories-we-pass-do_2353742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/carrie-ryan-3373_mary_who-are-we-if-not-the-stories-we-pass-do_2353742.jpg) > ““Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I existed? What if we are the only ones left -- who will know our stories then? Who will remember those?”” [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories define us; without storytellers, existence fades into oblivion. **In simple terms:** Our identity lives in the stories we tell. Key Takeaway Preserve and share your narratives. Themes memory legacy existence Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family histories - cultural preservation - personal memoirs Key Concepts narrative continuity collective memory identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What story do you fear will be forgotten? - How can you ensure your story endures? A Different Perspective Stories may be lost despite efforts to record them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/who-are-we-if-not-the-stories-we-pass-down-what-happens-when-there-s/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [It’s just that you go so crazy being alone like that. Sometimes he’d forget my water or food and I’d cry and cry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/it-s-just-that-you-go-so-crazy-being-alone-like-that-sometimes-he-d/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [“Would you leave your world for me?" he asks. "I might." she tells him. She wonders how the world ever fell apart with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/would-you-leave-your-world-for-me-he-asks-i-might-she-tells-him-she/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“Keď spoznáš lásku ... láska je to, vďaka čomu hodno žiť. Keď s ňou každý deň žiješ. Zobúdzaš sa s ňou, držíš sa jej…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/ke-spozn-l-sku-l-ska-je-to-v-aka-omu-hodno-i-ke-s-ou-ka-d-de-ije-zob/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I know,' Jed says. I'm thrown over his shoulder and I can feel how his body shakes and I know that he is crying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-know-jed-says-i-m-thrown-over-his-shoulder-and-i-can-feel-how-his/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I love you, Mary," he says, and that is when I let the tears come. The great heaving sobs of terror and pain that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-love-you-mary-he-says-and-that-is-when-i-let-the-tears-come-the/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [As a kid, I used to tell all these stories. I remember meeting a childhood friend, and we were talking. We remembered that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/as-a-kid-i-used-to-tell-all-these-stories-i-remember-meeting-a/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Storytelling sticks in the mind because it attaches emotions to events, and that's the way we remember things. 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I felt the earth shift to make a place for you when you were born, and I came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/its-important-to-know-stories-i-felt-the-earth-shift-to-make-a-place/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“It seemed to me that people often let extraordinary stories pass through them quite unheeded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lovric/it-seemed-to-me-that-people-often-let-extraordinary-stories-pass/) [Michelle Lovric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lovric/) > [Its not about the ones who tell the stories its about those who pass them on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-loomis/its-not-about-the-ones-who-tell-the-stories-its-about-those-who-pass/) [Karen Loomis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-loomis/) > [Stories are how we remember; we tend to forget lists and bullet points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/stories-are-how-we-remember-we-tend-to-forget-lists-and-bullet-points/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Stories are more than compelling facts. People remember stories more than they remember statistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/stories-are-more-than-compelling-facts-people-remember-stories-more/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“You can't please everyone with your stories but remember if one person likes the story then you have a fan for life!! And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-bowler/you-can-t-please-everyone-with-your-stories-but-remember-if-one/) [Laurie Bowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-bowler/) > [I really enjoy listening to stories. I remember them and keep them in my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/i-really-enjoy-listening-to-stories-i-remember-them-and-keep-them-in/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) ## More by Carrie Ryan > [“As I stare at the blank page, I am at once awash inwords but unable to find the ones I want to use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/as-i-stare-at-the-blank-page-i-am-at-once-awash-inwords-but-unable-to/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“The broken ones need someone to fight for them even harder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/the-broken-ones-need-someone-to-fight-for-them-even-harder/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I will always need you," I whisper. "All of this time I've waited for you. And you were never coming for me. Why did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-will-always-need-you-i-whisper-all-of-this-time-i-ve-waited-for-you/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“You stay safe, You love. You survive. You laugh and cry and struggle and sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed. You Push.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/you-stay-safe-you-love-you-survive-you-laugh-and-cry-and-struggle-and/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“It’s not always about tomorrow and the day after that—what we achieve over the years and how we leave the world. Sometimes it’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/it-s-not-always-about-tomorrow-and-the-day-after-that-what-we-achieve/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“Always," I tell him. He catches his breath and I lean away until I can see his eyes. "I'm scared of losing my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/always-i-tell-him-he-catches-his-breath-and-i-lean-away-until-i-can/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“Knowing that this is what it means to live. That this love, this need is what drives us to push and fight and build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/knowing-that-this-is-what-it-means-to-live-that-this-love-this-need/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“The living used to wonder what happened after death. She said that whole religions were born and evolved around this one simple uncertainty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/the-living-used-to-wonder-what-happened-after-death-she-said-that/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I need him with an urgency that I cannot escape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-need-him-with-an-urgency-that-i-cannot-escape/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“We're the winners because we get to live. Because we get to survive. Despite the pain of this life, we get to feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/we-re-the-winners-because-we-get-to-live-because-we-get-to-survive/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“So many memories roll through me and I realize that this is who we are: memories and shared experiences. This is what ties us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/so-many-memories-roll-through-me-and-i-realize-that-this-is-who-we/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“She prays to God, but He's silent. She searches for guidance, but the forest only moans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/she-prays-to-god-but-he-s-silent-she-searches-for-guidance-but-the/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“It's as if everything shifts around me, the pieces that didn't fit together finally twisting until they match. The terror that had been clouding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/it-s-as-if-everything-shifts-around-me-the-pieces-that-didn-t-fit/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I can’t compare the lives I could have lived. One would have been comfort and security. But the other …” She sighs. “It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-can-t-compare-the-lives-i-could-have-lived-one-would-have-been/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [“I can feel the possibility between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-can-feel-the-possibility-between-us/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) [Explore all 129 Carrie Ryan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) ## More Mary quotes > [My dream is to produce thousand Mary Koms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kom/my-dream-is-to-produce-thousand-mary-koms/) [Mary Kom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kom/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If I could ever be on a Missy Elliott record, I could then die. Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige - I love hearing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/if-i-could-ever-be-on-a-missy-elliott-record-i-could-then-die-missy/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [“He had despised that Mary with her idiot smile, symbol of a story that meant nothing, servant of a God who no good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-despised-that-mary-with-her-idiot-smile-symbol-of-a-story-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [Guys standing around and talking about Spanish fly: 'You know anything about Spanish fly?' 'No, tell me about it.' Well there's this girl Crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/guys-standing-around-and-talking-about-spanish-fly-you-know-anything/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [I keep all my clothes on in House on Haunted Hill, Mary Jane's Last Dance, and The Way of the Gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/i-keep-all-my-clothes-on-in-house-on-haunted-hill-mary-jane-s-last/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Maybe it's coming from Mary but I've seen her since morning already. So it's not her...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-isaacs/maybe-it-s-coming-from-mary-but-i-ve-seen-her-since-morning-already/) [Gregory Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-isaacs/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [ I've always been a fan of \[Mary Elizabeth Winstead's\]. She gets to do some fun action-y stuff she brings this gritty swashbuckle to. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-trachtenberg/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-mary-elizabeth-winstead-s-she-gets-to-do/) [Dan Trachtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-trachtenberg/) > [Dead men tell no tales, Mary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dead-men-tell-no-tales-mary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [“I will always need you," I whisper. "All of this time I've waited for you. And you were never coming for me. Why did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/i-will-always-need-you-i-whisper-all-of-this-time-i-ve-waited-for-you/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [I'm in love with mary jane. she's my main thing. she makes me feel alright. she makes my heart sing. and when I'm feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-james/i-m-in-love-with-mary-jane-she-s-my-main-thing-she-makes-me-feel/) [Rick James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-james/) Browse all 1,042 Mary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I existed? What if we are the only ones left -- who will know our stories then? 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