--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A society that's addicted to narratives…" description: "\"A society that's addicted to narratives with beginnings, middles, and endings will eventually yearn to end. We just want it to end.\" — Douglas Rushkoff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/douglas-rushkoff-2188_ends_a-society-that-s-addicted-to-narratives_1570468.png" --- # A society that's addicted to narratives with beginnings… ![“A society that's addicted to narratives with beginnings, middles, and endings will eventually yearn to end. We just want it to end.” quote by Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/douglas-rushkoff-2188_ends_a-society-that-s-addicted-to-narratives_1570468.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/douglas-rushkoff-2188_ends_a-society-that-s-addicted-to-narratives_1570468.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/douglas-rushkoff-2188_ends_a-society-that-s-addicted-to-narratives_1570468.png) > “A society that's addicted to narratives with beginnings, middles, and endings will eventually yearn to end. We just want it to end.” [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When culture demands neat story arcs, it creates a craving for closure that can become oppressive. **In simple terms:** People crave endings because narratives force closure. Key Takeaway Accept ambiguity; resist forced conclusions. Themes narrative culture closure media psychology Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - media consumption - personal relationships - political discourse - creative projects Key Concepts Storytelling cognitive bias social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How does the desire for narrative shape your decisions? - When might you embrace uncertainty? A Different Perspective Not all situations benefit from a tidy ending; sometimes openness is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addicted Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicted-narratives-5911047/) [Endings Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings-eventually-5911045/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Society Addicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-addicted-5911046/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-end/) [Yearn End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearn-end-5911048/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of times, you finish a movie, and you're either going, 'Oh, thank God, that's over,' or 'Oh, my God, it's over, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyck-godfrey/a-lot-of-times-you-finish-a-movie-and-you-re-either-going-oh-thank/) [Wyck Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyck-godfrey/) > [We all want something, but in the end, we all want love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-johnson/we-all-want-something-but-in-the-end-we-all-want-love/) [Aly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-johnson/) > [There are things that you don't want to end but you are afraid to continue. It's just like you don't want to EXPECT anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/group-message/there-are-things-that-you-don-t-want-to-end-but-you-are-afraid-to/) [Group Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/group-message/) > [“I’m still the same guy, which means I’ll still hurt people. It also meant he had to do the one thing he didn’t want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-ashby/i-m-still-the-same-guy-which-means-i-ll-still-hurt-people-it-also/) [Amanda Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-ashby/) > [I don't want to end up being some joke on a bad TV series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cassidy/i-don-t-want-to-end-up-being-some-joke-on-a-bad-tv-series/) [David Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cassidy/) > [“I've never done this with a woman like you before. Never wanted to. I only know... I don't want it to end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/i-ve-never-done-this-with-a-woman-like-you-before-never-wanted-to-i/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [If you want to end a relationship, do it face-to-face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher/if-you-want-to-end-a-relationship-do-it-face-to-face/) [Mazher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher/) > [I've said it that I want to end my career the way that I finished it, which is fighting as often as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-ve-said-it-that-i-want-to-end-my-career-the-way-that-i-finished-it/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [“We could sing to lift our spirits,’ one of them suggested. Believe me, you want me to end the chapter now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/we-could-sing-to-lift-our-spirits-one-of-them-suggested-believe-me/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-don-t-want-to-end-up-simply-having-visited-this-world/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I want to end my career, whenever that is, with as many trophies as I can and I think Chelsea's the best place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kerr/i-want-to-end-my-career-whenever-that-is-with-as-many-trophies-as-i/) [Sam Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kerr/) > [Of course, I want to end every single year over 1,000 yards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/of-course-i-want-to-end-every-single-year-over-1-000-yards/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [I Just Wonder How Many People Never Get The One They Want, But End Up With The One They're Supposed To Have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-wonder-how-many-people-never-get-the-one-they-want-but-end-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You just keep doing what your heart tells you to do. That doesn’t mean things will end how you want, but they will end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deatri-king-bey/you-just-keep-doing-what-your-heart-tells-you-to-do-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Deatri King-Bey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deatri-king-bey/) > [Folks, we want to end Obamacare. We want to go to a plan that is so much better and so much less expensive, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/folks-we-want-to-end-obamacare-we-want-to-go-to-a-plan-that-is-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Douglas Rushkoff > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“And spend they did. Money circulated faster and spread wider through its communities of use than at any other time in economic history.8 Workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/and-spend-they-did-money-circulated-faster-and-spread-wider-through/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Occupy Wall Street is meant more as a way of life that spreads through contagion, creates as many questions as it answers, aims to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/occupy-wall-street-is-meant-more-as-a-way-of-life-that-spreads/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Time has always been used against us on a certain level. 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