--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe that was how to heal. I told myself…" description: "\"“Maybe that was how to heal. I told myself stories and learned that I could be made of the ones I chose to tell, not simply the ones that life had laid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/francisco-goldman-19172_life_maybe-that-was-how-to-heal-i-told-myself_3156091.jpg" --- # Maybe that was how to heal. I told myself stories and… ![“Maybe that was how to heal. I told myself stories and learned that I could be made of the ones I chose to tell, not simply the ones that life had laid haphazardly around me.” quote by Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/francisco-goldman-19172_life_maybe-that-was-how-to-heal-i-told-myself_3156091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/francisco-goldman-19172_life_maybe-that-was-how-to-heal-i-told-myself_3156091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/francisco-goldman-19172_life_maybe-that-was-how-to-heal-i-told-myself_3156091.jpg) > ““Maybe that was how to heal. I told myself stories and learned that I could be made of the ones I chose to tell, not simply the ones that life had laid haphazardly around me.”” [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One can reshape identity by choosing which personal narratives to embrace, rather than being defined by circumstance. **In simple terms:** Choosing stories can redefine who we are. Key Takeaway Curate empowering personal narratives. Themes identity storytelling self‑determination Mood reflective inspirational Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy - writing - coaching - self‑reflection Key Concepts narrative identity personal agency Questions to Reflect On - Which stories empower you? - How do you let go of limiting narratives? A Different Perspective Self‑chosen stories may conflict with external expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m fine. I’m good. But I wasn’t fine. I was anything but fine. That night had shattered me. 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V. Ager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-v-ager/) > [My mother told me stories all the time... And in all of those stories she told me who I was, who I was supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gunn-allen/my-mother-told-me-stories-all-the-time-and-in-all-of-those-stories/) [Paula Gunn Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gunn-allen/) > [“David could tell, by looking at her face as she read, whether or not the story contained in the book was living inside her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/david-could-tell-by-looking-at-her-face-as-she-read-whether-or-not/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [I'm a fisherman who likes to observe and tell yarns, and so I told stories about things that I knew about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/i-m-a-fisherman-who-likes-to-observe-and-tell-yarns-and-so-i-told/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [It's what people have always done. They have always told stories, put on plays. It's characters and narrative and thought and context and resolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/it-s-what-people-have-always-done-they-have-always-told-stories-put/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [After I’d told her – the mall, the taxi, Cross stroking my hair – she said, ‘Did he kiss you?’ ‘John and Martin totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/after-i-d-told-her-the-mall-the-taxi-cross-stroking-my-hair-she-said/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Some have said I focus on marginalized communities, but it's not like that was my mission statement. I've just told stories that interest me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-baker/some-have-said-i-focus-on-marginalized-communities-but-it-s-not-like/) [Sean Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-baker/) ## More by Francisco Goldman > [I don't impose political responsibilities on my fiction. The last thing I would ever want to do, for example, is write a novel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-don-t-impose-political-responsibilities-on-my-fiction-the-last/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [What I see of the US Presidential elections from down here makes me want to disengage from that particular reality and just hole up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/what-i-see-of-the-us-presidential-elections-from-down-here-makes-me/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [“Hold her tight, if you have her; hold her tight, I thought, that's my advice to all the living. Breathe her in, put your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/hold-her-tight-if-you-have-her-hold-her-tight-i-thought-that-s-my/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Great fiction has been written out of the very darkest circumstances of our narco violence, and nothing written in either fiction or nonfiction has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/great-fiction-has-been-written-out-of-the-very-darkest-circumstances/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Maybe Pope Francis will say something on his visit to the US, maybe he'll rebuke Donald Trump and anti-immigrant racism and demagoguery beautifully, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/maybe-pope-francis-will-say-something-on-his-visit-to-the-us-maybe-he/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Interviewing is in some ways the art of memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/interviewing-is-in-some-ways-the-art-of-memory/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [The Democrats are hardly agents of change, or even remotely interesting talkers or reality observers. The workings of actual power in the US is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/the-democrats-are-hardly-agents-of-change-or-even-remotely/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [“I can go years thinking that it seems impossible that I will ever satisfy that appetite again and then it is easy to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-can-go-years-thinking-that-it-seems-impossible-that-i-will-ever/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Narco fiction novels have a reputation, at least here in Mexico among some of the writers I know, of being somewhat rushed productions, usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/narco-fiction-novels-have-a-reputation-at-least-here-in-mexico-among/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [There's a certain advantage to living in a small country like Guatemala, I think. You don't feel so distant from political reality there. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/there-s-a-certain-advantage-to-living-in-a-small-country-like/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [I'm a little skeptical of so-called narco fiction, I have to say, though some writers I admire may have written some narco fiction. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-m-a-little-skeptical-of-so-called-narco-fiction-i-have-to-say/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [I've written one book-length piece of journalism. The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? That book had an impact. Eight years after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-ve-written-one-book-length-piece-of-journalism-the-art-of-political/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [People in the big rich countries are often extremely dismissive of the small countries. They think nothing that happens there is of any interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/people-in-the-big-rich-countries-are-often-extremely-dismissive-of/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Someone wrote in the New York Times recently that if Donald Trump was allowed to go through with his plans, he'd become one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/someone-wrote-in-the-new-york-times-recently-that-if-donald-trump-was/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [Donald Trump is seriously dark and disturbing. You can't just dismiss it as one more example of American pop culture grotesque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/donald-trump-is-seriously-dark-and-disturbing-you-can-t-just-dismiss/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) [Explore all 32 Francisco Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe that was how to heal. 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