--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, a story can be both concrete and…" description: "\"To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. And abstractions are things that really can't be said so w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/david-lynch-911_abstract_to-me-a-story-can-be-both-concrete-and-a_1687419.jpg" --- # To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a… ![“To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. And abstractions are things that really can't be said so well with words.” quote by David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/david-lynch-911_abstract_to-me-a-story-can-be-both-concrete-and-a_1687419.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/david-lynch-911_abstract_to-me-a-story-can-be-both-concrete-and-a_1687419.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/david-lynch-911_abstract_to-me-a-story-can-be-both-concrete-and-a_1687419.jpg) > “To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. And abstractions are things that really can't be said so well with words.” [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story can simultaneously present tangible details and convey intangible ideas that language alone struggles to express. **In simple terms:** Stories blend concrete details with abstract concepts. Key Takeaway Use specific images to hint at deeper meanings. Themes storytelling creativity abstraction Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - film directing - writing workshops - teaching - personal reflection Key Concepts narrative theory semiotics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance detail with mystery? - When do abstractions enhance a narrative? A Different Perspective Abstract ideas may still be misunderstood without clear framing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Abstract Concrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-concrete-1019266/) [Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) [Abstractions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstractions/) [Abstractions Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstractions-things-1019267/) [Concrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concrete/) [Concrete Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concrete-story-1019264/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Concrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-concrete-1019265/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [My forms are not abstractions of things in the real world. They're also not symbols. I would say that my job is to invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/my-forms-are-not-abstractions-of-things-in-the-real-world-they-re-2/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [My forms are not abstractions of things in the real world. They're also not symbols. I would say that my job is to invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/my-forms-are-not-abstractions-of-things-in-the-real-world-they-re/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [Life is filled with abstractions, and the only way to make heads or tails of it is going through intuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/life-is-filled-with-abstractions-and-the-only-way-to-make-heads-or/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Even at its most perceptive, sociology deals in abstractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/even-at-its-most-perceptive-sociology-deals-in-abstractions/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [I think we are living a life without specificity, and then our lives become abstractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-think-we-are-living-a-life-without-specificity-and-then-our-lives/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I don't see those paintings as abstractions, especially because they are emblems of the inkblot. They aren't smashed together; they are constructed shape-by-shape, layer-by-layer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/i-don-t-see-those-paintings-as-abstractions-especially-because-they/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [For the Warrior of the Light, there are no abstractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/for-the-warrior-of-the-light-there-are-no-abstractions/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To make someone an icon is to make him an abstraction, and abstractions are incapable of vital communication with living people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-make-someone-an-icon-is-to-make-him-an-abstraction-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Policymakers think that if they get the abstractions right, that will drive behavior in the desired direction. But the world happens in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/policymakers-think-that-if-they-get-the-abstractions-right-that-will/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [At the same time, new concepts and abstractions flow into the picture, taking up the task of describing the universe without reference to such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-same-time-new-concepts-and-abstractions-flow-into-the-picture/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is easier to compare concrete things in a fictional story with concrete things in real life than it is to compare abstractions with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/it-is-easier-to-compare-concrete-things-in-a-fictional-story-with/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [You can deny, if you like, nearly all abstractions: justice, beauty, truth, goodness, mind, God. You can deny seriousness, but not play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-huizinga/you-can-deny-if-you-like-nearly-all-abstractions-justice-beauty-truth/) [Johan Huizinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-huizinga/) > [Abstractions about right and wrong, whether they are as old as Thou Shalt Not Kill or as modern as Do Your Own Thing, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/abstractions-about-right-and-wrong-whether-they-are-as-old-as-thou/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/when-novels-deal-in-abstractions-they-generally-go-off-the-rails/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) ## More by David Lynch > [I like L.A. because of the light. The light makes me feel so good. It's really beautiful. And there's something about L.A. being so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-like-l-a-because-of-the-light-the-light-makes-me-feel-so-good-it-s/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [One change of attitude would change everything. If everyone realized that it could be a beautiful world and said, 'let's not do these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/one-change-of-attitude-would-change-everything-if-everyone-realized/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [A poet could write volumes about diners, because they're so beautiful. They're brightly lit, with chrome and booths and Naugahyde and great waitresses. 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But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/nowadays-people-shoot-digitally-and-it-s-all-in-color-but-you-press-a/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [I love seeing people come out of darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-love-seeing-people-come-out-of-darkness/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [I supported myself by delivering the 'Wall Street Journal' and doing odd jobs. I love plumbing and carpentry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-supported-myself-by-delivering-the-wall-street-journal-and-doing/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [So much of what happened to me is good fortune. But I would say: Try to get a job that gives you some time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/so-much-of-what-happened-to-me-is-good-fortune-but-i-would-say-try-to/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Achievement is its own reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/achievement-is-its-own-reward/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [I like to remember things my own way. How I remembered them, not necessarily the way they happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-like-to-remember-things-my-own-way-how-i-remembered-them-not/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [“The idea tells you everything. Lots of times I get ideas, I fall in love with them. Those ones you fall in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/the-idea-tells-you-everything-lots-of-times-i-get-ideas-i-fall-in/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [When you have something that brings a real emotion, that's the power of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/when-you-have-something-that-brings-a-real-emotion-that-s-the-power/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [If a human being is filled with happiness and positivity, this is what they radiate out into the world. 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It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. 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Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. 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