--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want a happy ending, I want more…" description: "\"“I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.”\" — Frances Hardinge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png" --- # I don't want a happy ending, I want more story. ![“I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.” quote by Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png) > ““I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.”” [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A desire for ongoing narrative outweighs a tidy conclusion. **In simple terms:** Story continues beyond happy endings. Key Takeaway Seek depth over closure. Themes storytelling expectations creativity Mood thoughtful creative inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - film scripts - game design - personal storytelling Key Concepts narrative theory psychology of closure Questions to Reflect On - How does an open ending affect satisfaction? - When is a happy ending appropriate? A Different Perspective Not all audiences prefer open endings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [No." Mosca bit her lip and shook her head firmly. Books no longer seemed quite enough. I don’t want a happy ending, I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/no-mosca-bit-her-lip-and-shook-her-head-firmly-books-no-longer-seemed/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [You don't always have to have the ending, but you want to have a satisfactory conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/you-don-t-always-have-to-have-the-ending-but-you-want-to-have-a/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [If you want a happy ending you have to go out and take it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/if-you-want-a-happy-ending-you-have-to-go-out-and-take-it/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [You want a happy ending, but not such a ridiculous happy ending that it doesn't mean anything to anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/you-want-a-happy-ending-but-not-such-a-ridiculous-happy-ending-that/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [True stories seldom have endings. I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/true-stories-seldom-have-endings-i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [I never try to give a message in my books. It's about living with characters long enough to hear their voices and let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-never-try-to-give-a-message-in-my-books-it-s-about-living-with/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“This story has a happy ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/this-story-has-a-happy-ending/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nowadays everyone is trying to live up to the expectations of their surroundings, especially in the industry they work for, and I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-krieps/nowadays-everyone-is-trying-to-live-up-to-the-expectations-of-their/) [Vicky Krieps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-krieps/) > [If you are ending up where you want to be, what difference does it make whether you went fast or slow? Or what difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-you-are-ending-up-where-you-want-to-be-what-difference-does-it/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Everybody wants a happy ending, except me... I want a never ending happiness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-wants-a-happy-ending-except-me-i-want-a-never-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's not about finding Mr Right, or that sort of conventional ending, but I do want my characters to have hope - and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/it-s-not-about-finding-mr-right-or-that-sort-of-conventional-ending/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Please tell a story about a girl who gets away.” I would, even if I had to adapt one, even if I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/please-tell-a-story-about-a-girl-who-gets-away-i-would-even-if-i-had/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Frances Hardinge > [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Clent, however, suppressed any sense of pity without the slightest difficulty. His brain was busy with the icy clockwork of calculation. If only this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/clent-however-suppressed-any-sense-of-pity-without-the-slightest/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“I swam across the torrent of my madness, and pulled myself upon the shore of a new and better sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-swam-across-the-torrent-of-my-madness-and-pulled-myself-upon-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Before her escort could react, she sprinted out from their little pool of lantern-light into the darkness, her feet pounding the soft, treacherous clods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/before-her-escort-could-react-she-sprinted-out-from-their-little-pool/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“She was not undamaged, however, and she knew it. No food or drink had passed her lips, but she had drunk deep of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/she-was-not-undamaged-however-and-she-knew-it-no-food-or-drink-had/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“All her life, Neverfell had suffered the dull, embarrassed ache of the knowledge that she was always the maddest person in the room. Funnily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/all-her-life-neverfell-had-suffered-the-dull-embarrassed-ache-of-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Well, if you are to help me with my work, you had better get used to stories without endings. True stories seldom have endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/well-if-you-are-to-help-me-with-my-work-you-had-better-get-used-to/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“And you may comfort yourself with the thought that you have been the caltrop under her satin shoe every step of the way. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/and-you-may-comfort-yourself-with-the-thought-that-you-have-been-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“The little pedlar, it seemed, fancied that he had the tools to fix the wheel. The footmen were glad to hear this, and agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/the-little-pedlar-it-seemed-fancied-that-he-had-the-tools-to-fix-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“For a second, she could almost see Caverna as the Kleptomancer did, a murky, monstrous beauty, smiling her fine-fanged smile as she prepared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/for-a-second-she-could-almost-see-caverna-as-the-kleptomancer-did-a/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re sane? That you’ve always been sane? That perhaps you’re the sanest person in the city?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/has-it-ever-occurred-to-you-that-maybe-you-re-sane-that-you-ve-always/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Thank you," she whispered. "I promise I will not interfere in Court business again." "Oh yes, you will." Zouelle looked up to see her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/thank-you-she-whispered-i-promise-i-will-not-interfere-in-court/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“People's personalities took up space, he sometimes thought. When they were trapped in a house or a job or a school together, they rubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/people-s-personalities-took-up-space-he-sometimes-thought-when-they/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [Revenge is a dish best served unexpectedly and from a distance - like a thrown trifle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-unexpectedly-and-from-a-distance-like-a/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Little god, you see the world through such black eyes." "Got no choice. My father give ’em to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/little-god-you-see-the-world-through-such-black-eyes-got-no-choice-my/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) [Explore all 244 Frances Hardinge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) ## More Ending quotes > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) Unkown > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 2010, Republicans took control of politics in Alabama by advocating for increased transparency and an end to government corruption, but instead of ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/in-2010-republicans-took-control-of-politics-in-alabama-by-advocating/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-and-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break ups arent always meant for make ups. Sometimes relationships end in order for you to wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/break-ups-arent-always-meant-for-make-ups-sometimes-relationships-end/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) Browse all 1,316 Ending quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frances Hardinge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more-story/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more-story/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/frances-hardinge-1417_ending_i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more_588824.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't want a happy ending, I want more story.” — Frances Hardinge", "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": "Frances Hardinge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I don't want a happy ending,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more-story/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-don-t-want-a-happy-ending-i-want-more-story/#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 } } ] } ```