--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ve never once thought about the…" description: "\"“I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/jandy-nelson-1913_books_i-ve-never-once-thought-about-the-interp_3135689.jpg" --- # I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the… ![“I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like I was the author of it, or like I had any say in its telling whatsoever. You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo.” quote by Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/jandy-nelson-1913_books_i-ve-never-once-thought-about-the-interp_3135689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/jandy-nelson-1913_books_i-ve-never-once-thought-about-the-interp_3135689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/jandy-nelson-1913_books_i-ve-never-once-thought-about-the-interp_3135689.jpg) > ““I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like I was the author of it, or like I had any say in its telling whatsoever. You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo.”” [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing life as a story you can author empowers personal agency and creative freedom. **In simple terms:** You can write your own story. Key Takeaway Take charge of your narrative. Themes agency creativity identity Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career change - personal reinvention - artistic projects - relationship decisions Key Concepts narrative control self‑determination authorial voice Questions to Reflect On - In what ways can you shape your story while acknowledging others? - What limits might you face in authoring your life? A Different Perspective Assuming total control may ignore external constraints and social responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Interpretative Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretative-storytelling-5564636/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Say Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-telling-969732/) [Storytelling Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling-aspect-465849/) [Tell Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-story-243609/) [Telling Whatsoever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-whatsoever-5564635/) ## Related quotes > [“This is our story to tell. He says it in his Ten Commandments way and it hits me that way: profoundly. You'd think for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/this-is-our-story-to-tell-he-says-it-in-his-ten-commandments-way-and/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [I have to go with what I do, and what I do has more to do with what people say to each other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-have-to-go-with-what-i-do-and-what-i-do-has-more-to-do-with-what/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Eventually, I would love to direct, but not anytime soon. I just love the storytelling aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jihae/eventually-i-would-love-to-direct-but-not-anytime-soon-i-just-love/) [Jihae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jihae/) > [What a teacher doesn't say...is a telling part of what a student hears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-natanson/what-a-teacher-doesn-t-say-is-a-telling-part-of-what-a-student-hears/) [Maurice Natanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-natanson/) > [I just always loved the storytelling aspect. Even with the production that's happening right now in music, I still think the core of country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassadee-pope/i-just-always-loved-the-storytelling-aspect-even-with-the-production/) [Cassadee Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassadee-pope/) > [Telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/telling-us-what-to-think-has-evolved-into-telling-us-what-to-say-so/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [Having spent a lot of time on sets, I was really interested in the overall storytelling aspect of shows and projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verica/having-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-sets-i-was-really-interested-in-the/) [Tom Verica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verica/) > [Sometimes you look at the critics and say, 'Nobody else was telling me that, but you were.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/sometimes-you-look-at-the-critics-and-say-nobody-else-was-telling-me/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [Audiences will see what they want to see. Some will come out, hopefully enjoying two hours of action. Some people will find themselves gravitating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/audiences-will-see-what-they-want-to-see-some-will-come-out-hopefully/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) > [I feel like with a lot of Madlib's beats, they are made for storytelling. I feel like when I'm working on stuff with him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/i-feel-like-with-a-lot-of-madlib-s-beats-they-are-made-for/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [The FA have to be careful in telling you what you can and cannot say. If they are telling you that you cannot tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-pulis/the-fa-have-to-be-careful-in-telling-you-what-you-can-and-cannot-say/) [Tony Pulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-pulis/) > [I grew up with sports, but I was definitely not good enough to become a professional athlete - I just loved the storytelling aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-qerim/i-grew-up-with-sports-but-i-was-definitely-not-good-enough-to-become/) [Molly Qerim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-qerim/) > [All my life, I've had a fear of being told what to say, so I'm not telling people what to think. I'm encouraging them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yungblud/all-my-life-i-ve-had-a-fear-of-being-told-what-to-say-so-i-m-not/) [Yungblud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yungblud/) > [Don't ever say telling someone the truth is always the best idea. sometimes the confidence you carry is better than the small mistake you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-ever-say-telling-someone-the-truth-is-always-the-best-idea/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My first love is definitely performing, but I just love storytelling, and that's another aspect of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-seehorn/my-first-love-is-definitely-performing-but-i-just-love-storytelling/) [Rhea Seehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-seehorn/) ## More by Jandy Nelson > [And then he smiles, and in all the places around the globe where it's night, day breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/and-then-he-smiles-and-in-all-the-places-around-the-globe-where-it-s/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of peopleMaybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time. Hauling them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/or-maybe-a-person-is-just-made-up-of-a-lot-of-peoplemaybe-we-re/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“How can people die when you’re in a fight with them? When you’re smack in the middle of hating them? When absolutely nothing between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/how-can-people-die-when-you-re-in-a-fight-with-them-when-you-re-smack/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [I wonder why bereaved people even bother with mourning clothes when the grief itself provides such an unmistakable wardrobe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-wonder-why-bereaved-people-even-bother-with-mourning-clothes-when/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [... if you're someone who knows the worst thing can happen at any time, aren't you also someone who knows the best thing can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/if-you-re-someone-who-knows-the-worst-thing-can-happen-at-any-time/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I want my sister. I want to hurl a building at God. I take a breath and exhale with enough force to blow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-want-my-sister-i-want-to-hurl-a-building-at-god-i-take-a-breath-and/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes part of you, step for step, breath for breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/grief-is-forever-it-doesn-t-go-away-it-becomes-part-of-you-step-for/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“Una y otra vez, día tras día, me esforcé por ser vista. Solo quería que me prestara atención, no que me dejara tirada en…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/una-y-otra-vez-d-a-tras-d-a-me-esforc-por-ser-vista-solo-quer-a-que/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [grief is a house where the chairs have forgotten how to hold us the mirrors how to reflect us the walls how to contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/grief-is-a-house-where-the-chairs-have-forgotten-how-to-hold-us-the/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I think if we don't stop kissing, the world is going to explode.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-think-if-we-don-t-stop-kissing-the-world-is-going-to-explode/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [He murmers into my hair, "Forget what I said earlier, let's stick with this, I might not survive anything more." I laugh. Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/he-murmers-into-my-hair-forget-what-i-said-earlier-let-s-stick-with/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“Listen to me. It takes a lot of courage to be true to yourself, true to your heart. You always have been very brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/listen-to-me-it-takes-a-lot-of-courage-to-be-true-to-yourself-true-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Sometimes you think you know things, know things very deeply, only to realize you don't know a damn thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/sometimes-you-think-you-know-things-know-things-very-deeply-only-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [I have an impulse to write all over the orange walls- I need an alphabet of endings ripped out of books, of hands pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-have-an-impulse-to-write-all-over-the-orange-walls-i-need-an/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I'd been making desicions for days. I picked out the dress Bailey would wear forever- a black slinky one- innapropriate- that she loved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-d-been-making-desicions-for-days-i-picked-out-the-dress-bailey/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) [Explore all 183 Jandy Nelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like I was the author of it, or like I had any say in its telling whatsoever. You can tell your story any way you damn well please. 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