--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What are stories for if we don't learn…" description: "\"What are stories for if we don't learn from them?\" — Cornelia Funke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png" --- # What are stories for if we don't learn from them? ![“What are stories for if we don't learn from them?” quote by Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png) > “What are stories for if we don't learn from them?” [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories exist to teach lessons and guide future actions. **In simple terms:** Stories teach lessons. Key Takeaway Use stories as learning tools. Themes education literature wisdom Mood inspirational educational Type literary psychological When to use this quote - classroom - parenting - team building - personal growth Key Concepts narrative theory pedagogy Questions to Reflect On - What lessons do you seek? - How can stories shape behavior? A Different Perspective May ignore entertainment value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Don Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-learn/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-don-708473/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [“Stories always go on. They don't end on the last page any more than they begin on the first page”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/stories-always-go-on-they-don-t-end-on-the-last-page-any-more-than/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/some-stories-don-t-have-a-clear-beginning-middle-and-end/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [The truth is, if we don't learn to submit to authority, we won't ever learn to submit to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-truth-is-if-we-don-t-learn-to-submit-to-authority-we-won-t-ever/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Because you don't learn anything unless you can find the patience to read. TV takes that away from you. It robs you from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/because-you-don-t-learn-anything-unless-you-can-find-the-patience-to/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [A mistake is only really a mistake if you don't learn from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-mistake-is-only-really-a-mistake-if-you-don-t-learn-from-it/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You don't learn from a situation where you do something well. You enjoy it and you give yourself credit, but you don't really learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/you-don-t-learn-from-a-situation-where-you-do-something-well-you/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [The greatest stories go to those who don’t give in to fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/the-greatest-stories-go-to-those-who-don-t-give-in-to-fear/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“Stories don’t require               many words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenyatta-garc-a/stories-don-t-require-many-words/) [Kenyatta García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenyatta-garc-a/) > [If I get good stories, then I don't mind working for multi-starrer movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akkineni-nagarjuna/if-i-get-good-stories-then-i-don-t-mind-working-for-multi-starrer/) [Akkineni Nagarjuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akkineni-nagarjuna/) > [I love to read stories. And I don't to get to talk about my favorite novels very often in my job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-love-to-read-stories-and-i-don-t-to-get-to-talk-about-my-favorite/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Stories don't always have happy endings." This stopped him. Because they didn't, did they? That's one thing the monster had definitely taught him. Stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/stories-don-t-always-have-happy-endings-this-stopped-him-because-they/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [If you really want to tell stories, do it and don't be dissuaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/if-you-really-want-to-tell-stories-do-it-and-don-t-be-dissuaded/) [William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/) > [On the whole, stories don't write themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/on-the-whole-stories-don-t-write-themselves/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [If you could have a book called My Favorite Six Stories, I don't think I'd have trouble doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/if-you-could-have-a-book-called-my-favorite-six-stories-i-don-t-think/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [You ought to be able to discover something from your stories. If you don't, probably nobody else will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/you-ought-to-be-able-to-discover-something-from-your-stories-if-you/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More by Cornelia Funke > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“A story is a labyrinth, it looks as if there were several ways to go, but only one is right, and there's a nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/a-story-is-a-labyrinth-it-looks-as-if-there-were-several-ways-to-go/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Don't let it worry you, not being able to speak,'Dustfinger had often told her. 'People tend not to listen anyway, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/don-t-let-it-worry-you-not-being-able-to-speak-dustfinger-had-often/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“And he will have a great aunt called Elinor who tells him there's a world not like this one. A world with neither fairies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/and-he-will-have-a-great-aunt-called-elinor-who-tells-him-there-s-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Yes, Mo would come. Meggie could think of nothing else as Fenoglio led her away with him, his arm around her as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/yes-mo-would-come-meggie-could-think-of-nothing-else-as-fenoglio-led/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [When it came to hiding, even Gwin had nothing to teach Dustfinger. A strange sense of curiosity had always driven him to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-it-came-to-hiding-even-gwin-had-nothing-to-teach-dustfinger-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-fear-kills-everything-mo-had-once-told-her-your-mind-your/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Perhaps there's another, much larger story behind the printed one, a story that changes just as our own world does. And the letters on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/perhaps-there-s-another-much-larger-story-behind-the-printed-one-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Mo could paint pictures in the empty air with his voice alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/mo-could-paint-pictures-in-the-empty-air-with-his-voice-alone/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I remember the feeling. Whenever my father got so absorbed in a book that we might have been in visible I felt like taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-remember-the-feeling-whenever-my-father-got-so-absorbed-in-a-book/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I wish you luck,' she said, kissing him on the cheek. He still had the most beautiful eyes of any boy she'd ever seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-wish-you-luck-she-said-kissing-him-on-the-cheek-he-still-had-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because by now Elinor had understood this, too: A longing for books was nothing compared with what you could feel for human beings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-by-now-elinor-had-understood-this-too-a-longing-for-books-was/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal. The ticking of a clock. The groan of a floorboard as he slipped out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/the-night-breathed-through-the-apartment-like-a-dark-animal-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) [Explore all 286 Cornelia Funke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What are stories for if we don't learn from them?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornelia Funke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-from-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-from-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0e/cornelia-funke-908_education_what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-f_2730641.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What are stories for if we don't learn from them?” — Cornelia Funke", "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": "Cornelia Funke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What are stories for if we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-from-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/what-are-stories-for-if-we-don-t-learn-from-them/#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 } } ] } ```