--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is eminently a storyteller. His…" description: "\"Man is eminently a storyteller. His search for a purpose, a cause, an ideal, a mission and the like is largely a search for a plot and a pattern in the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/eric-hoffer-343_causes_man-is-eminently-a-storyteller-his-searc_3081389.jpg" --- # Man is eminently a storyteller. His search for a purpose… ![“Man is eminently a storyteller. His search for a purpose, a cause, an ideal, a mission and the like is largely a search for a plot and a pattern in the development of his life story - a story that is basically without meaning or pattern.” quote by Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/eric-hoffer-343_causes_man-is-eminently-a-storyteller-his-searc_3081389.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/eric-hoffer-343_causes_man-is-eminently-a-storyteller-his-searc_3081389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/eric-hoffer-343_causes_man-is-eminently-a-storyteller-his-searc_3081389.jpg) > “Man is eminently a storyteller. His search for a purpose, a cause, an ideal, a mission and the like is largely a search for a plot and a pattern in the development of his life story - a story that is basically without meaning or pattern.” [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans construct narratives to give life purpose, but these stories often lack inherent meaning or consistent pattern. **In simple terms:** People create life stories that may be meaningless. Key Takeaway Recognize the constructed nature of personal purpose. Themes storytelling purpose meaning Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - creative writing - psychotherapy Key Concepts existentialism narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How much of your purpose is a self‑made story? - Can meaning be found without a plot? A Different Perspective Stories can be arbitrary and still guide behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/development/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-story/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Missions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missions/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-basically-5257841/) [Story Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-story/) [Storyteller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyteller/) [Storyteller Search](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyteller-search-5257840/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Every life has a story and every story needs a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-jane-hills-orford/every-life-has-a-story-and-every-story-needs-a-writer/) [Emily-Jane Hills Orford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-jane-hills-orford/) > [I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-always-felt-life-first-as-a-story-and-if-there-is-a-story-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My life story is the story of everyone I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/my-life-story-is-the-story-of-everyone-i-ve-ever-met/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“You are the storyteller, and this life is your story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wimberger/you-are-the-storyteller-and-this-life-is-your-story/) [Lisa Wimberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wimberger/) > [We understand ourselves through stories, by making stories out of our lives. 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Two dancers on the stage are enough material for a story; for me, they are already a story in themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-balanchine/storyless-is-not-abstract-two-dancers-on-the-stage-are-enough/) [George Balanchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-balanchine/) > [And it's interesting, but I'm always interested in the story behind the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilian-schell/and-it-s-interesting-but-i-m-always-interested-in-the-story-behind/) [Maximilian Schell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilian-schell/) > [“My daughter, people are only used to seeing the glorified in a story, because a story is only a tiny, tiny piece of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-steven-markowitz/my-daughter-people-are-only-used-to-seeing-the-glorified-in-a-story/) [Darryl Steven Markowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-steven-markowitz/) > [And the Bible is not primarily a book of history. 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Compassion alone stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-the-alchemy-of-man-s-soul-almost-all-noble-attributes-courage/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. 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