--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real world is devoid of narratives…" description: "\"The real world is devoid of narratives, after all. Narratives are just a thing that our brains do with facts in order to draw a line around the incompr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/charles-stross-896_brain_the-real-world-is-devoid-of-narratives-a_1064311.png" --- # The real world is devoid of narratives, after all… ![“The real world is devoid of narratives, after all. Narratives are just a thing that our brains do with facts in order to draw a line around the incomprehensible largeness of reality and wrestle it into something learnable and manipulable. Existence is devoid of plot, theme, and most of all moral.” quote by Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/charles-stross-896_brain_the-real-world-is-devoid-of-narratives-a_1064311.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/charles-stross-896_brain_the-real-world-is-devoid-of-narratives-a_1064311.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/charles-stross-896_brain_the-real-world-is-devoid-of-narratives-a_1064311.png) > “The real world is devoid of narratives, after all. Narratives are just a thing that our brains do with facts in order to draw a line around the incomprehensible largeness of reality and wrestle it into something learnable and manipulable. Existence is devoid of plot, theme, and most of all moral.” [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind creates stories to simplify and control overwhelming reality, but reality itself has no inherent plot or moral. **In simple terms:** Our brains impose narratives on facts to make sense of chaos. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of story‑based thinking. Themes cognition reality meaning control storytelling Mood reflective skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - decision making - critical analysis - media consumption - science communication Key Concepts Narrative construction cognitive bias psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do narratives shape your perception of events? - When might rejecting a story be beneficial? A Different Perspective Stories can mislead or oversimplify complex truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [We all have different narratives; all of our narratives are at different stages of development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/we-all-have-different-narratives-all-of-our-narratives-are-at/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I really admire Werner Herzog and Spike Lee. They're amazing documentarians. If you took away all the narratives, they'd just be amazing documentarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-really-admire-werner-herzog-and-spike-lee-they-re-amazing/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [I'm more interested in plot than theme, but I hope my values find their way into my stories: kindness, sympathy, effort, and humor!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-m-more-interested-in-plot-than-theme-but-i-hope-my-values-find/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [A good novel is an indivisible sum; every scene, sequence and passage of a good novel has to involve, contribute to and advance all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-good-novel-is-an-indivisible-sum-every-scene-sequence-and-passage/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“I began to write fiction on the assumption that the true enemies of the novel were plot, character, setting and theme, and having once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawkes/i-began-to-write-fiction-on-the-assumption-that-the-true-enemies-of-2/) [John Hawkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawkes/) > [I've never written a book with an outline or a predetermined theme. It's only in retrospect that themes or subjects become identifiable. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-choi/i-ve-never-written-a-book-with-an-outline-or-a-predetermined-theme-it/) [Susan Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-choi/) > [When I was a film critic, the reason I kind of found it disenchanting was because the things that I wanted to talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/when-i-was-a-film-critic-the-reason-i-kind-of-found-it-disenchanting/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel. If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moorcock/introduce-your-main-characters-and-themes-in-the-first-third-of-your/) [Michael Moorcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moorcock/) > [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 Stross > [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“Shut up. Stand up. Put this on. 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Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“To boldly go where no uploaded metahuman colony has gone before”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/to-boldly-go-where-no-uploaded-metahuman-colony-has-gone-before/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I was raised thinking that moral and ethical standards are universals that apply equally to everyone. And these values aren't easily compatible with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-was-raised-thinking-that-moral-and-ethical-standards-are-universals/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I don't like Amazon (wearing my author hat, not my customer hat).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-don-t-like-amazon-wearing-my-author-hat-not-my-customer-hat/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“Some say the Internet is for porn but you know that in truth the Internet is for spam.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/some-say-the-internet-is-for-porn-but-you-know-that-in-truth-the/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [If I forget, then it might as well never have happened. Memory is liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/if-i-forget-then-it-might-as-well-never-have-happened-memory-is/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“If he wakes the ancient sleeping horrors I am going to have to brief the private secretary and the Joint Intelligence Oversight Committee so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/if-he-wakes-the-ancient-sleeping-horrors-i-am-going-to-have-to-brief/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“Crawling eldritch horrors don’t get planning permission unless they’re Trump’s hairpiece.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/crawling-eldritch-horrors-don-t-get-planning-permission-unless-they/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“A historian who works for a bank: That’s not the most likely background for someone who capers around the cosmos having adventures, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/a-historian-who-works-for-a-bank-that-s-not-the-most-likely/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) [Explore all 331 Charles Stross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' 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I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. 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