--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no way of knowing whether you, who…" description: "\"“I have no way of knowing whether you, who eventually will read this record, like stories or not. If you do not, no doubt you have turned these pages w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/gene-wolfe-2530_books_i-have-no-way-of-knowing-whether-you-who_2264284.jpg" --- # I have no way of knowing whether you, who eventually will… ![“I have no way of knowing whether you, who eventually will read this record, like stories or not. If you do not, no doubt you have turned these pages without attention. I confess that I love them. Indeed, it often seems to me that of all the good things in the world, the only ones humanity can…” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/gene-wolfe-2530_books_i-have-no-way-of-knowing-whether-you-who_2264284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/gene-wolfe-2530_books_i-have-no-way-of-knowing-whether-you-who_2264284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78e/gene-wolfe-2530_books_i-have-no-way-of-knowing-whether-you-who_2264284.jpg) > ““I have no way of knowing whether you, who eventually will read this record, like stories or not. If you do not, no doubt you have turned these pages without attention. I confess that I love them. Indeed, it often seems to me that of all the good things in the world, the only ones humanity can claim for itself are stories and music; the rest, mercy, beauty, sleep, clean water and hot food (as the Ascian would have said) are all the work of the Increate. Thus, stories are small things indeed in the scheme of the universe, but it is hard not to love best what is our own—hard for me, at least.”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories and music are humanity’s unique gifts, offering meaning amid the indifferent universe. **In simple terms:** Stories give humanity meaning. Key Takeaway Cherish storytelling and music. Themes meaning humanity stories music Mood reflective hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - education - therapy - community building - media production Key Concepts Narrative importance cultural value existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Why do stories resonate across cultures? - Can music replace narrative? A Different Perspective Stories may oversimplify complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clean water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-water/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [I like back-stories to music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldlink/i-like-back-stories-to-music/) [Goldlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldlink/) > [“What kind of world will we see if our planet is filled with the people of one heart...? The reason why we fight or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marth/what-kind-of-world-will-we-see-if-our-planet-is-filled-with-the/) Marth > [“Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are also fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/stories-like-people-and-butterflies-and-songbirds-eggs-and-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The richest most meaningful stories are found in small places: made, carried, crafted, told, and retold by apparently unimportant people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-brown/the-richest-most-meaningful-stories-are-found-in-small-places-made/) [Louise Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-brown/) > [I started publishing stories in small magazines early on, but after seven or eight or nine years you feel like you need a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-started-publishing-stories-in-small-magazines-early-on-but-after/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [I really said, 'Okay, this is just the right job for me. This is really what I need to be doing: telling stories through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lennertz/i-really-said-okay-this-is-just-the-right-job-for-me-this-is-really/) [Christopher Lennertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lennertz/) > [When I was very little my mother would read to me in bed. She gave me a fascination for stories, and for the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/when-i-was-very-little-my-mother-would-read-to-me-in-bed-she-gave-me/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [I tell stories to music and, thank God, in tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-bailey/i-tell-stories-to-music-and-thank-god-in-tune/) [Pearl Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-bailey/) > [Both are about telling stories and bringing truth to those stories. In most of my music it's firsthand experience, and some of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano/both-are-about-telling-stories-and-bringing-truth-to-those-stories-in/) [Kano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano/) > [I love playing live and meeting a lot of the people and hearing their stories and how the music touches their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/i-love-playing-live-and-meeting-a-lot-of-the-people-and-hearing-their/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [What I'm trying to do is tell good stories through music. I think some of the best songs, the best country songs, are stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-palladio/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-tell-good-stories-through-music-i-think-some/) [Sam Palladio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-palladio/) > [Remy Ma is from the Bronx and I'm from the Bronx. The stories in her music are similar to what I've experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-mena/remy-ma-is-from-the-bronx-and-i-m-from-the-bronx-the-stories-in-her/) [Erica Mena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-mena/) > [I'm not sure I ever try to make a case for the music. I mean, sometimes the music isn't even that good. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-azerrad/i-m-not-sure-i-ever-try-to-make-a-case-for-the-music-i-mean-sometimes/) [Michael Azerrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-azerrad/) > [My favorite thing in the world is telling stories, and most of what I do is telling stories through music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-telling-stories-and-most-of-what-i/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I like the purity of telling stories now because not a lot of people are telling stories in their music. I wanna tell my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rotimi/i-like-the-purity-of-telling-stories-now-because-not-a-lot-of-people/) [Rotimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rotimi/) ## More by Gene Wolfe > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“There are beings—and artifacts—against which we batter our intelligence raw, and in the end make peace with reality only by saying, “It was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-are-beings-and-artifacts-against-which-we-batter-our/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Science has so accustomed us to devising and accepting theories to account for the facts we observe, however fantastic, that our minds must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/science-has-so-accustomed-us-to-devising-and-accepting-theories-to/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“The experienced feel love or desire, or both. The inexperienced are sick with a thousand feelings, most of them unformed: fearful that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-experienced-feel-love-or-desire-or-both-the-inexperienced-are/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For those who have never attended a science fiction convention, masquerades are features of most of the larger ones. Awards are presented for best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-those-who-have-never-attended-a-science-fiction-convention/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“He had a wild yellow beard and long, tangled hair that stood out from his head in a way that made it seem too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/he-had-a-wild-yellow-beard-and-long-tangled-hair-that-stood-out-from/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [ ...in some situations winning consist\[s\] of disentangling oneself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/in-some-situations-winning-consist-s-of-disentangling-oneself/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For after all, if the lives of most men are examined in detail, it will be found that they have been experts of immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-after-all-if-the-lives-of-most-men-are-examined-in-detail-it-will/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have no way of knowing whether you, who eventually will read this record, like stories or not. If you do not, no doubt you have turned these pages without attention. I confess that I love them. 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