--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Believe it or not, stories don’t function…" description: "\"“Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of beginnings, middles and ends, they simply have beginnings, middles, and ends.”\" — FILM CRIT HULK" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg" --- # Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of… ![“Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of beginnings, middles and ends, they simply have beginnings, middles, and ends.” quote by FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg) > ““Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of beginnings, middles and ends, they simply have beginnings, middles, and ends.”” [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories are not structured by strict narrative arcs; they naturally contain beginnings, middles, and ends without a formal framework **In simple terms:** Stories just have start, middle, and end Key Takeaway Recognize natural narrative flow Themes narrative storytelling structure Mood analytical curious Type observational critical When to use this quote - film analysis - writing workshops - literary criticism - education - media studies Key Concepts linear vs. non-linear narratives audience expectation Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify a story’s true beginning? - Can a story exist without a clear middle? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex narratives that defy conventional stages ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginnings/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [I like to tell stories that have beginnings, middles and ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-like-to-tell-stories-that-have-beginnings-middles-and-ends/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [“We live in biological time, and we have beginnings, middles, and ends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-biological-time-and-we-have-beginnings-middles-and-ends/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think a lot of people want stories or lives to have very distinct beginnings, middles, and endings. Generally, I think things are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-a-lot-of-people-want-stories-or-lives-to-have-very-distinct/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I believe there are some stories that need to be told and 'Sarbjit' is definitely one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackky-bhagnani/i-believe-there-are-some-stories-that-need-to-be-told-and-sarbjit-is/) [Jackky Bhagnani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackky-bhagnani/) > [My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/my-life-is-storytelling-i-believe-in-stories-in-their-incredible/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“I really do believe stories about the struggles of life do help foster resilient and happy children. They make Tips children understand the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iben-dissing-sandahl/i-really-do-believe-stories-about-the-struggles-of-life-do-help/) [Iben Dissing Sandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iben-dissing-sandahl/) > [“I believe stories have a will of their own, one that surpasses in volition that of their teller. In realms of Storytelling, stories control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibraheem-hamdi/i-believe-stories-have-a-will-of-their-own-one-that-surpasses-in/) [Ibraheem Hamdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibraheem-hamdi/) > [I don't blame you for writing of me as you have. You had to believe other stories, but then I don't know if any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-the-kid/i-don-t-blame-you-for-writing-of-me-as-you-have-you-had-to-believe/) [Billy the Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-the-kid/) > [I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don't understand, in allowing us to make sense of our lives, in allowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-believe-that-stories-are-incredibly-important-possibly-in-ways-we/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“As long as all Sapiens living in a particular locality believe in the same stories, they all follow the same rules,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/as-long-as-all-sapiens-living-in-a-particular-locality-believe-in-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I am always at a loss at how much to believe of my own stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-am-always-at-a-loss-at-how-much-to-believe-of-my-own-stories/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“And fairy tales are make-believe. They are the stories we tell to small children to make them believe the world is a far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-vallance/and-fairy-tales-are-make-believe-they-are-the-stories-we-tell-to/) [J.L. Vallance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-vallance/) > [I still believe in stories. I still forget myself when I am in the middle of a good book. Books are for me, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-still-believe-in-stories-i-still-forget-myself-when-i-am-in-the/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/i-do-believe-in-the-power-of-story-i-believe-that-stories-have-an/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [I don't want to play myself up as a hero, because it would make me unbelievable. I'd rather settle for people thinking that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-pekar/i-don-t-want-to-play-myself-up-as-a-hero-because-it-would-make-me/) [Harvey Pekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-pekar/) ## More by FILM CRIT HULK > [“When you start crafting a story and characters, there is something so crazy important that you must always keep it in the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/when-you-start-crafting-a-story-and-characters-there-is-something-so/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) > [“IT’S NOT THAT ANYONE CAN BE A HERO, BUT THAT A HERO CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE. BUT THE KEY IS THAT THEY HAVE TO…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/it-s-not-that-anyone-can-be-a-hero-but-that-a-hero-can-come-from/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) > [“EVER NOTICE THAT ALL ONE HOUR TV DRAMAS ARE ALL SEGMENTED INTO 5 ACTS? YES, IT’S DONE FOR COMMERCIAL BREAKS, BUT THAT MAGIC NUMBER…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/ever-notice-that-all-one-hour-tv-dramas-are-all-segmented-into-5-acts/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) > [“ANYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE CAN BE A STORY WORTH TELLING, AS LONG AS YOU KNOW HOW TO BEST TELL IT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/anything-in-this-universe-can-be-a-story-worth-telling-as-long-as-you/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) > [“IT IS NOT ABOUT SYMPATHY OR LIKEABILITY, EITHER. EMPATHY IS ABOUT THE TRANSLATION OF FEELING.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/it-is-not-about-sympathy-or-likeability-either-empathy-is-about-the/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) > [“BUT TRANSFORMERS ROTF(L) SUCKS BECAUSE IT IS A TERRIBLY TOLD STORY WITH ENDLESS BLOAT, NO MOMENTUM, PAPER THIN CHARACTERIZATION, NO CHARACTER CONSISTENCY, NO ACTUAL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/but-transformers-rotf-l-sucks-because-it-is-a-terribly-told-story/) [FILM CRIT HULK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) [Explore all 7 FILM CRIT HULK quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/) ## More Beginnings quotes > [“As long as we’re breathing, we have a chance to start over and build a stable future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ha-campbell/as-long-as-we-re-breathing-we-have-a-chance-to-start-over-and-build-a/) [Kim Ha Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ha-campbell/) > [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“God is going to send you someone that will rescue you. 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My beginnings here made me pay attention to where the sun is, where the winds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/my-beginnings-in-the-southwest-are-clear-and-palpable-my-beginnings/) [Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/) > [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“January 20th,2021 Blow the trumpets loud, Salute the National Guard in the crowd, New beginnings, A new day has dawned, No need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde/january-20th-2021-blow-the-trumpets-loud-salute-the-national-guard-in/) [Charmaine J Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde/) > [There are not many beginnings but there is a single Beginning, prior to multitude. But if you were to say that the beginnings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/there-are-not-many-beginnings-but-there-is-a-single-beginning-prior/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [“The beginnings of marriage can be a tough phase because it's the time when two individuals are learning to synchronize their hearts, minds, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-patel/the-beginnings-of-marriage-can-be-a-tough-phase-because-it-s-the-time/) [Jyoti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-patel/) > [Bad beginnings, bad endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/bad-beginnings-bad-endings/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [Unity, I thought, implies the possibility of disunity. Beginnings imply and require endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/unity-i-thought-implies-the-possibility-of-disunity-beginnings-imply/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [“You see the bird and you see its flight. You can not see through its eyes. Therefore, you don't know its plight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/you-see-the-bird-and-you-see-its-flight-you-can-not-see-through-its/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) [Browse all 401 Beginnings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginnings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of beginnings, middles and ends, they simply have beginnings, middles, and ends.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "FILM CRIT HULK" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function-in-terms-of-beginnings/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beginnings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function-in-terms-of-beginnings/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01d/film-crit-hulk-50911_beginnings_believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function_2985506.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Believe it or not, stories don’t function in terms of beginnings, middles and ends, they simply have…” — FILM CRIT HULK", "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": "FILM CRIT HULK", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/film-crit-hulk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Believe it or not, stories don’t function in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function-in-terms-of-beginnings/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/film-crit-hulk/believe-it-or-not-stories-don-t-function-in-terms-of-beginnings/#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 } } ] } ```