--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Within our whole universe the story only…" description: "\"Within our whole universe the story only has the authority to answer that cry of heart of its characters, that one cry of heart of each of them: \"Who a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg" --- # Within our whole universe the story only has the authority… ![“Within our whole universe the story only has the authority to answer that cry of heart of its characters, that one cry of heart of each of them: "Who am I?"” quote by Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg) > “Within our whole universe the story only has the authority to answer that cry of heart of its characters, that one cry of heart of each of them: "Who am I?"” [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every character seeks identity, asking “Who am I?” **In simple terms:** Search for self‑identity. Key Takeaway Explore personal identity. Themes identity existence storytelling Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - counseling - creative writing - personal journaling Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What defines your identity? - How does story shape self? A Different Perspective Identity can be fluid. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Authority Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority-answer-4467184/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-heart-2999771/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-characters-2136007/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-authority-4467183/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-story-554175/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“My own heart is in my characters. My novels are my memories; they are the best part of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/my-own-heart-is-in-my-characters-my-novels-are-my-memories-they-are/) [Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/) > [In animation, you can throw away people's defense. You can go right to the center of things, right through inside someone's heart. The characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dalton/in-animation-you-can-throw-away-people-s-defense-you-can-go-right-to/) [Timothy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dalton/) > [Playing big, heroic characters with heart is always a lot of fun. I enjoy making movies like that, and a lot of people love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/playing-big-heroic-characters-with-heart-is-always-a-lot-of-fun-i/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [You forget everything. The hours slip by. 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We put it in our language, the birds put it in theirs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-universe-story-is-the-quintessence-of-reality-we-perceive-the/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [“Like the water, the earth, the universe, a story is forever unfolding. It floods and erupts. It births new worlds. It is circular as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hogan/like-the-water-the-earth-the-universe-a-story-is-forever-unfolding-it/) [Linda Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hogan/) > [“We are a boatful of monsters and miracles, hoping that. Somehow, we can survive a world in which all hands are against us. 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Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) ## More by Isak Dinesen > [The divine art is the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/the-divine-art-is-the-story/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [Your own self, your personality and existence are reflected within the mind of each of the people whom you meet, ... into a likeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/your-own-self-your-personality-and-existence-are-reflected-within-the/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [A great artist is never poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/a-great-artist-is-never-poor/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [To be a person is to have a story to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/to-be-a-person-is-to-have-a-story-to-tell/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [One does not travel by plane. 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It is their past as well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/it-is-more-than-their-land-that-you-take-away-from-the-people-whose/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [There was a place in the Hills, on the first ridge in the Game Reserve, that I myself at the time when I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/there-was-a-place-in-the-hills-on-the-first-ridge-in-the-game-reserve/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [If I know a song of Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on her back, of the plows in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/if-i-know-a-song-of-africa-of-the-giraffe-and-the-african-new-moon/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [People who dream when they sleep at night know of a special kind of happiness which the world of the day holds not, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/people-who-dream-when-they-sleep-at-night-know-of-a-special-kind-of/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [All sorrows can be borne if you can put them into a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/all-sorrows-can-be-borne-if-you-can-put-them-into-a-story/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [the true art of the gods is the comic. The comic is a condescension of the divine to the world of man; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/the-true-art-of-the-gods-is-the-comic-the-comic-is-a-condescension-of/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [“Dr Sass…maintained that in paradise, until the time of the fall, the whole world was flat, the back-curtain of the Lord, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/dr-sass-maintained-that-in-paradise-until-the-time-of-the-fall-the/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/when-you-have-a-great-and-difficult-task-something-perhaps-almost/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) [Explore all 135 Isak Dinesen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) ## More Answers quotes > [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/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Within our whole universe the story only has the authority to answer that cry of heart of its characters, that one cry of heart of each of them: \"Who am I?\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isak Dinesen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only-has-the-authority-to-answer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only-has-the-authority-to-answer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/isak-dinesen-3174_answers_within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only_1331121.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Within our whole universe the story only has the authority to answer that cry of heart of its characters…” — Isak Dinesen", "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": "Isak Dinesen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Within our whole universe the story...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only-has-the-authority-to-answer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/within-our-whole-universe-the-story-only-has-the-authority-to-answer/#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 } } ] } ```