--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Narratives that were taken for granted…" description: "\"Narratives that were taken for granted when I was a kid are still there, but they don't have the same depth and fervor anymore. Even the makers of the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/charles-eisenstein-6748_believe_narratives-that-were-taken-for-granted-w_2444653.jpg" --- # Narratives that were taken for granted when I was a kid… ![“Narratives that were taken for granted when I was a kid are still there, but they don't have the same depth and fervor anymore. Even the makers of the propaganda don't fully believe the propaganda. The surface structures are more frozen than they ever were, but the core is hollowing out, and it's…” quote by Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/charles-eisenstein-6748_believe_narratives-that-were-taken-for-granted-w_2444653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/charles-eisenstein-6748_believe_narratives-that-were-taken-for-granted-w_2444653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/charles-eisenstein-6748_believe_narratives-that-were-taken-for-granted-w_2444653.jpg) > “Narratives that were taken for granted when I was a kid are still there, but they don't have the same depth and fervor anymore. Even the makers of the propaganda don't fully believe the propaganda. The surface structures are more frozen than they ever were, but the core is hollowing out, and it's becoming very fragile. People don't believe in the system anymore. But they're still going along with it because, one, they don't know what else is possible, they don't even know anything else is possible. Secondly, everybody else is doing it. So they go through the motions.” [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal narratives lose depth, becoming hollow; people follow them out of habit and lack of alternatives. **In simple terms:** Old stories feel empty, yet we keep following them. Key Takeaway Question and reshape the narratives you accept. Themes disillusionment habit societal narratives hollowness fragility Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical social When to use this quote - political discourse - media consumption - community building Key Concepts media politics culture personal belief Questions to Reflect On - What narratives do you accept without questioning? - How can you create new, meaningful stories? A Different Perspective Changing narratives is hard without viable alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-propaganda-517766/) [Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Makers Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makers-propaganda-517768/) [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propaganda/) [Propaganda Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propaganda-surface-517767/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) ## Related quotes > [The only difference between 'propaganda' and 'education,' really, is in the point of view. The advocacy of what we believe in is education. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bernays/the-only-difference-between-propaganda-and-education-really-is-in-the/) [Edward Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bernays/) > [Challenger was lost because NASA came to believe its own propaganda. The agency's deeply impacted cultural hubris had it that technology-engineering-would always triumph over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-burrows/challenger-was-lost-because-nasa-came-to-believe-its-own-propaganda/) [William E. Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-burrows/) > [It can be considered a rule that the probable duration of an Empire may be prognosticated by the degree to which its rulers believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/it-can-be-considered-a-rule-that-the-probable-duration-of-an-empire/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [A lot of times in television, you don't get the opportunity to show real life because we're brainwashed to believe the propaganda that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-choi/a-lot-of-times-in-television-you-don-t-get-the-opportunity-to-show/) [Roy Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-choi/) > [You could ask: Why are people attracted to narratives that justify the terrible things that we're doing to the planet? Why are people attracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/you-could-ask-why-are-people-attracted-to-narratives-that-justify-the/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Throughout African-American literature, the writer has, in a sense, been burdened by the necessity of pleading the case for the whole race. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/throughout-african-american-literature-the-writer-has-in-a-sense-been/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I was an English-literature major, and that's all about stories and narratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-was-an-english-literature-major-and-that-s-all-about-stories-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [I think we all are born inside of our parents' narratives. We stay there for a good while. We are taught their narratives about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-think-we-all-are-born-inside-of-our-parents-narratives-we-stay/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [Narration is as much a part of human nature as breath and the circulation of the blood… storytelling is intrinsic to biological time, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/narration-is-as-much-a-part-of-human-nature-as-breath-and-the/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-lives-as-narratives/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. Marilyn is the sex goddess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/the-religious-imagery-and-fairytales-that-formed-our-shared-cultural/) [Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/) > [“When she smiles, the lines in her face become epic narratives that trace the stories of generations that no book can replace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/when-she-smiles-the-lines-in-her-face-become-epic-narratives-that/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [Narratives can be misconstrued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-poole/narratives-can-be-misconstrued/) [Jordan Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-poole/) > [“Our reflection of action occurs in different contexts which may influence us to shape our accounts in different ways for different audiences - our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqui-stedmon/our-reflection-of-action-occurs-in-different-contexts-which-may/) [Jacqui Stedmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqui-stedmon/) > [Extremist perspectives win sympathy and recruits because they offer narratives that claim to identify deep injustices and enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-gahr-store/extremist-perspectives-win-sympathy-and-recruits-because-they-offer/) [Jonas Gahr Store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-gahr-store/) ## More by Charles Eisenstein > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Real change doesn't come without crisis. Childbirth doesn't come without crisis. I think that's happening with humanity now. Our growth has generated multiple crises...and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/real-change-doesn-t-come-without-crisis-childbirth-doesn-t-come/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [We sense that ‘normal’ isn’t coming back, that we are being born into a new normal: a new kind of society, a new relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/we-sense-that-normal-isn-t-coming-back-that-we-are-being-born-into-a/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [So much of our politics is stuck in patterns of response that aren't working. When student performance is declining in schools, we implement more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/so-much-of-our-politics-is-stuck-in-patterns-of-response-that-aren-t/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [I'll start with where we are right now. The map that I'll use is this birthing process, this kind of profound transition that we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/i-ll-start-with-where-we-are-right-now-the-map-that-i-ll-use-is-this/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [An economist says that essentially more for you is less for me, but the lover knows that more for you is more for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/an-economist-says-that-essentially-more-for-you-is-less-for-me-but/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Joint consumption doesn’t create intimacy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/joint-consumption-doesn-t-create-intimacy/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You could conceive spirituality as the study of the immeasurable, of the qualitative. But that's very different from the way we typically use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/you-could-conceive-spirituality-as-the-study-of-the-immeasurable-of/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“We have bigger houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/we-have-bigger-houses-but-smaller-families-more-conveniences-but-less/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [The holistic acupuncturist and the sea turtle rescuer may not be able to explain the feeling, 'We are serving the same thing,' but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-holistic-acupuncturist-and-the-sea-turtle-rescuer-may-not-be-able/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“Perhaps the deepest indication of our slavery is the monetization of time. It is a phenomenon with roots deeper than our money system, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/perhaps-the-deepest-indication-of-our-slavery-is-the-monetization-of/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [True discipline is really just self-remembering; no forcing or fighting is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/true-discipline-is-really-just-self-remembering-no-forcing-or/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You can't have community as an add-on to a monetized life. You have to actually need each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/you-can-t-have-community-as-an-add-on-to-a-monetized-life-you-have-to/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) [Explore all 97 Charles Eisenstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Narratives that were taken for granted when I was a kid are still there, but they don't have the same depth and fervor anymore. Even the makers of the propaganda don't fully believe the propaganda. The surface structures are more frozen than they ever were, but the core is hollowing out, and it's becoming very fragile. People don't believe in the system anymore. But they're still going along with it because, one, they don't know what else is possible, they don't even know anything else is possible. Secondly, everybody else is doing it. 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