--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A human being is nothing but a story with…" description: "\"A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.\" — Fred Allen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png" --- # A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it. ![“A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.” quote by Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png) > “A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.” [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests identity is constructed by the narratives we tell about ourselves, not by the physical body alone. **In simple terms:** Identity is shaped by stories, not skin. Key Takeaway Recognize and shape your personal narrative. Themes identity storytelling self-concept Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - therapy - writing - coaching Key Concepts narrative identity psychology Questions to Reflect On - What story do you tell yourself about who you are? - How can you rewrite that story? A Different Perspective Stories can be limiting if they are negative or fixed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-story/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-skin-1730408/) ## Related quotes > [He's so small, he's a waste of skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/he-s-so-small-he-s-a-waste-of-skin/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [“By affirming that all 'meaning,' every assertion about the significance of life and reality, must be judged by reference to a brief succession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/by-affirming-that-all-meaning-every-assertion-about-the-significance/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [“It was just the human story again, flowing through me as it did through everyone else, and I'd mistaken it as my own. p 284”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-huyler/it-was-just-the-human-story-again-flowing-through-me-as-it-did/) [Frank Huyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-huyler/) > [Clearly the human story is one of acceleration. There has been a Moore curve in terms of the number of people alive on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marr/clearly-the-human-story-is-one-of-acceleration-there-has-been-a-moore/) [Andrew Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marr/) > [If the human story in 'STM' is relatable, it will work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-menon/if-the-human-story-in-stm-is-relatable-it-will-work/) [Rajiv Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-menon/) > [I look in the eyes and I see the heart. As long as it's a human story. I would like to turn on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bassett/i-look-in-the-eyes-and-i-see-the-heart-as-long-as-it-s-a-human-story/) [Angela Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bassett/) > ['Chernobyl' is a human story. It's not a disaster movie. It's not about explosions. It's about people and truths and lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/chernobyl-is-a-human-story-it-s-not-a-disaster-movie-it-s-not-about/) [Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/) > [“But, no one can tell without cease our human story, and so we lose, lose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/but-no-one-can-tell-without-cease-our-human-story-and-so-we-lose-lose/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [We're all humans. Any human can tell any human's story. I don't want to have this conversation about black film or white film anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/we-re-all-humans-any-human-can-tell-any-human-s-story-i-don-t-want-to/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [“Yes, I made it through one of the most terrible experiences that can happen to a human being, but most of all, my story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-knight/yes-i-made-it-through-one-of-the-most-terrible-experiences-that-can/) [Michelle Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-knight/) > [“Everyone who dies was once a child; every child once had a dream of something else; every child must die. It is important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/everyone-who-dies-was-once-a-child-every-child-once-had-a-dream-of/) [Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/) > [My sense is that we are missing a huge part of the human story. I think it's possible, indeed probable, that we are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/my-sense-is-that-we-are-missing-a-huge-part-of-the-human-story-i/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [“As I look at the human story I see two stories. They run parallel and never meet. One is of people who live, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-anderson/as-i-look-at-the-human-story-i-see-two-stories-they-run-parallel-and/) [Margaret Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-anderson/) > [What we're really trying to tell, even though it's very much a genre show, is a very human story. Even in this heightened situation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remi-aubuchon/what-we-re-really-trying-to-tell-even-though-it-s-very-much-a-genre/) [Remi Aubuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remi-aubuchon/) > [All this long human story, most passionate and tragic in the living, was but an unimportant, a seemingly barren and negligible effort, lasting only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/all-this-long-human-story-most-passionate-and-tragic-in-the-living/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) ## More by Fred Allen > [“I can't understand why a person will take a year or two to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/i-can-t-understand-why-a-person-will-take-a-year-or-two-to-write-a/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [“(Faces are all important. Without faces it would be impossible to identify our friends. If we had to recognize people by their bodies, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/faces-are-all-important-without-faces-it-would-be-impossible-to/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [If I could get my membership fee back, I'd resign from the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/if-i-could-get-my-membership-fee-back-i-d-resign-from-the-human-race/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Ed Sullivan will be around as long as someone else has talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/ed-sullivan-will-be-around-as-long-as-someone-else-has-talent/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/i-like-long-walks-especially-when-they-are-taken-by-people-who-annoy/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [My uncle is a Southern planter. He's an undertaker in Alabama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/my-uncle-is-a-southern-planter-he-s-an-undertaker-in-alabama/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Hollywood is a great place if you're an orange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/hollywood-is-a-great-place-if-you-re-an-orange/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Everywhere outside New York City is Bridgeport, Connecticut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/everywhere-outside-new-york-city-is-bridgeport-connecticut/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [I'm a little hoarse tonight. I've been living in Chicago for the past two months, and you know how it is, yelling for help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/i-m-a-little-hoarse-tonight-i-ve-been-living-in-chicago-for-the-past/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [He writes so well he makes me feel like putting my quill back in my goose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/he-writes-so-well-he-makes-me-feel-like-putting-my-quill-back-in-my/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Her hat is a creation that will never go out of style; it will just look ridiculous year after year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/her-hat-is-a-creation-that-will-never-go-out-of-style-it-will-just/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [When a radio comedian's program is finally finished it slinks down Memory Lane into the limbo of yesteryear's happy hours. All that the comedian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/when-a-radio-comedian-s-program-is-finally-finished-it-slinks-down/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [He's so small, he's a waste of skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/he-s-so-small-he-s-a-waste-of-skin/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Life, in my estimation, is a biological misadventure that we terminate on the shoulders of six strange men whose only objective is to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/life-in-my-estimation-is-a-biological-misadventure-that-we-terminate/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [My agent gets 10 percent of everything I get, except the blinding headaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/my-agent-gets-10-percent-of-everything-i-get-except-the-blinding/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) [Explore all 114 Fred Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) ## More Human quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) [Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) [Hanns Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanns-eisler/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) [Browse all 8,656 Human quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Allen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-with-skin-around-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-with-skin-around-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/fred-allen-4199_human_a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-wit_2575534.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A human being is nothing but a story with skin around it.” — Fred Allen", "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": "Fred Allen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A human being is nothing but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-with-skin-around-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/a-human-being-is-nothing-but-a-story-with-skin-around-it/#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 } } ] } ```