--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A tale, like the universe, they tell us…" description: "\"“A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, wher..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png" --- # A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands… ![“A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, where it ends, or where it places you now.” quote by Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png) > ““A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, where it ends, or where it places you now.”” [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories grow endlessly as we examine them, blurring origins and destinations, and reshaping our place within them. **In simple terms:** Stories expand and change as we explore them. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and let narratives reshape you. Themes storytelling perception identity growth Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - reading - writing - personal reflection - creative brainstorming Key Concepts Narrative expansion cosmic metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does examining a story change your view of yourself? - What boundaries of a narrative feel most fluid? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate literal expansion, confusing literal and figurative meanings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ends Places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends-places-3759556/) [Expands Ceaselessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expands-ceaselessly-3759555/) [Like Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-universe-439107/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tale Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tale-like-2551225/) [Universe Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-tell-2237538/) ## Related quotes > [A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there’s finally no telling exactly where it begins,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-expands-ceaselessly-each-time/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [What tale do you like best to hear?' 'Oh, I have not much choice! They generally run on the same theme - courtship; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/what-tale-do-you-like-best-to-hear-oh-i-have-not-much-choice-they/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I wrote a lot of scripts that were dark and fairy tale-like, but too strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/i-wrote-a-lot-of-scripts-that-were-dark-and-fairy-tale-like-but-too/) [Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/) > [And what's romance? Usually, a nice little tale where you have everything As You Like It, where rain never wets your jacket and gnats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-what-s-romance-usually-a-nice-little-tale-where-you-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Telling a tale cannot be like living it, no matter what you say, talking of love cannot be like giving it away……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santanu-mishra/telling-a-tale-cannot-be-like-living-it-no-matter-what-you-say/) [Santanu Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santanu-mishra/) > [Every atom is maybe a sometimes-exploding Universe, but none and nothing can tell us the Universe could appear and exist in a lab by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/every-atom-is-maybe-a-sometimes-exploding-universe-but-none-and/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [I'm not a guy who looks for signs in the universe to tell him things. I believe that if you search hard enough for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bones/i-m-not-a-guy-who-looks-for-signs-in-the-universe-to-tell-him-things/) [Bobby Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bones/) > [There is a maxim about the universe which I always tell my students: That which is not explicitly forbidden is guaranteed to occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/there-is-a-maxim-about-the-universe-which-i-always-tell-my-students/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [What you can't teach someone is how to find the door. You can't give someone a door to another universe. You can tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/what-you-can-t-teach-someone-is-how-to-find-the-door-you-can-t-give/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [I don't know and probably never will know enough about the true nature of the universe to tell anyone else what to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hautman/i-don-t-know-and-probably-never-will-know-enough-about-the-true/) [Pete Hautman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hautman/) > [So when people ask me if I believe God created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense. Time didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/so-when-people-ask-me-if-i-believe-god-created-the-universe-i-tell/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“And it looks like the universe finally took care of Facebook once and for all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-platt/and-it-looks-like-the-universe-finally-took-care-of-facebook-once-and/) [Sean Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-platt/) > [As Popa penetrates deeper into his life, with book after book, it begins to look like a Universe passing through a Universe. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/as-popa-penetrates-deeper-into-his-life-with-book-after-book-it/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [And just like that, the universe goes wrong. Just like that, all the enormity seems to shrink into a ball and float away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/and-just-like-that-the-universe-goes-wrong-just-like-that-all-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Jazz is like the universe: it's been expanding since its creation and it's connected to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-batiste/jazz-is-like-the-universe-it-s-been-expanding-since-its-creation-and/) [Jonathan Batiste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-batiste/) ## More by Chang-rae Lee > [The truth, finally, is who can tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-truth-finally-is-who-can-tell-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Some writers are writing one great, big book and just taking all these different avenues towards it. They might seem on the outside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/some-writers-are-writing-one-great-big-book-and-just-taking-all-these/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Behold a fire from the opposite shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/behold-a-fire-from-the-opposite-shore/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“I would give most anything to hear my father's talk again, the crash and bang and stop of his language, always hurtling by. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-would-give-most-anything-to-hear-my-father-s-talk-again-the-crash/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [We have hopes and make plans, and if they are dashed or waylaid, we naturally rationalize and redraw the map to locate ourselves anew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-have-hopes-and-make-plans-and-if-they-are-dashed-or-waylaid-we/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [The past, as you suggest, is absolutely present at all times and the present is born from the past. I wouldn't want to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-past-as-you-suggest-is-absolutely-present-at-all-times-and-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Most people don't think about race as much as I do. They don't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/most-people-don-t-think-about-race-as-much-as-i-do-they-don-t-have-to/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Not to any really influential effect, but certainly there have been comments that have surprised me. It's surprising sometimes to get particular perspectives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/not-to-any-really-influential-effect-but-certainly-there-have-been/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My family immigrated when I was 3, and our predecessors inhabited the Korean Peninsula for as long as can be recalled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/my-family-immigrated-when-i-was-3-and-our-predecessors-inhabited-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/after-college-i-was-living-in-new-york-and-wrote-furiously-a-huge/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [ I had a visceral connection to the period \[of Korean War\]. By visceral I suppose I mean emotional. But every fiction requires so much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-had-a-visceral-connection-to-the-period-of-korean-war-by-visceral-i/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) [Explore all 133 Chang-rae Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More Storytelling quotes > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [If you do weave one-liners into a story, you have to have an overall story as well, otherwise it doesn't really count as narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/if-you-do-weave-one-liners-into-a-story-you-have-to-have-an-overall/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We can never tell what is in store for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-can-never-tell-what-is-in-store-for-us/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Societies everywhere have a tendency to construct a genealogically useful past for themselves in which desirable versions of their history are favored and unwanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tudor-parfitt/societies-everywhere-have-a-tendency-to-construct-a-genealogically/) [Tudor Parfitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tudor-parfitt/) > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [“We take creative license with the fictional narratives that become our memories. Anthologized, these are the tales that become the story of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-ganek/we-take-creative-license-with-the-fictional-narratives-that-become/) [Danielle Ganek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-ganek/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [I make no distinction between writing and storytelling; I've always wanted to tell stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/i-make-no-distinction-between-writing-and-storytelling-i-ve-always/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) [Browse all 5,638 Storytelling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is finally no telling exactly where it begins, where it ends, or where it places you now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chang-rae Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-expands-ceaselessly-each-time-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Storytelling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-expands-ceaselessly-each-time-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/543/chang-rae-lee-3318_storytelling_a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-ex_2846080.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A tale, like the universe, they tell us, expands ceaselessly each time you examine it, until there is…” — Chang-rae Lee", "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": "Chang-rae Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A tale, like the universe, they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-expands-ceaselessly-each-time-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/a-tale-like-the-universe-they-tell-us-expands-ceaselessly-each-time-2/#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 } } ] } ```