--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But everything changes when you tell…" description: "\"“But everything changes when you tell about life; it's a change no one notices: the proof is that people talk about true stories. As if there could pos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/jean-paul-sartre-220_change_but-everything-changes-when-you-tell-abo_2177335.png" --- # But everything changes when you tell about life; it's a… ![“But everything changes when you tell about life; it's a change no one notices: the proof is that people talk about true stories. As if there could possibly be true stories; things happen one way and we tell about them in the opposite sense. You seem to start at the beginning: "It was a fine autumn…” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/jean-paul-sartre-220_change_but-everything-changes-when-you-tell-abo_2177335.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/jean-paul-sartre-220_change_but-everything-changes-when-you-tell-abo_2177335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/jean-paul-sartre-220_change_but-everything-changes-when-you-tell-abo_2177335.png) > ““But everything changes when you tell about life; it's a change no one notices: the proof is that people talk about true stories. As if there could possibly be true stories; things happen one way and we tell about them in the opposite sense. You seem to start at the beginning: "It was a fine autumn eveningin 1922." And in reality you have started at the end. It was there, invisible and present, it is the one which gives to words the pomp and value of a beginning... And the story goes on in reverse: instants have stopped piling themselves in a lighthearted way one on top of the other, they are snapped up by the end of the story which draws them and each one of them in turn, draws out the preceding instant: "It was night, the street was deserted." The phrase is cast out negligently, it seems superfluous; but we do not let ourselves be caught and we put it aside: this is a piece of information whose value we shall subsequently appreciate. And we feel that the hero has lived all the details of this night like annunciations, promises, or even that he lived only those that were promises, blind and deaf to all that did not herald adventure. We forget that the future was not yet there; the man was walking in a night without forethought, a night which offered him a choice of dull rich prizes, and he did not make his choice. I wanted the moments of my life to follow and order themselves like those of a life remembered. You might as well try and catch time by the tail.”” [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrative structure can invert cause and effect, showing how storytelling reshapes reality and perception of time. **In simple terms:** Stories can reverse order, changing how we see events. Key Takeaway Recognize how framing influences understanding. Themes perception time storytelling existentialism causality Mood reflective introspective philosophical Type literary philosophical analytical When to use this quote - writing - film editing - memory recollection - psychotherapy - historical analysis Key Concepts narrative inversion subjective reality temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How does narrative order affect your perception of events? - Can you identify moments where storytelling changed your reality? A Different Perspective The reverse order may confuse rather than clarify meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1922 Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1922-reality-4688283/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-remembered-1080607/) [Night Forethought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-forethought-4688284/) [People Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talk/) [Reality Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-started-3757387/) [Tell Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-life/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted the moments of my life to follow and order themselves like those of a life remembered. You might as well try and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-wanted-the-moments-of-my-life-to-follow-and-order-themselves-like/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Ito finally, who had been keeping very quiet up to this point. “Indeed. How much will it cost?” asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-nowaz/it-s-the-opportunity-of-a-lifetime-said-ito-finally-who-had-been/) [Max Nowaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-nowaz/) > [I had a dream, and that dream kind of became a reality when I started taking steps toward it. You don't even realize what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/i-had-a-dream-and-that-dream-kind-of-became-a-reality-when-i-started/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [If I could do anything in my life and be remembered for anything, I would like to be remembered for helping the world see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wertheim/if-i-could-do-anything-in-my-life-and-be-remembered-for-anything-i/) [Margaret Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wertheim/) > [“Life, she remembered, had to be lived, even - and maybe particularly - in the middle of death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/life-she-remembered-had-to-be-lived-even-and-maybe-particularly-in/) [j.d. robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [My greatest fear in life is not having a big enough impact on someone's life to always be remembered...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/my-greatest-fear-in-life-is-not-having-a-big-enough-impact-on-someone/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [What lasting impact will I make on the world and those around me? What will I live my life for? How will I be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/what-lasting-impact-will-i-make-on-the-world-and-those-around-me-what/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [The greatest gift in life is to be remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-gift-in-life-is-to-be-remembered/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never take today for granted because you might not get tomorrow. So love to the fullest and live a life that will be remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/never-take-today-for-granted-because-you-might-not-get-tomorrow-so/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [This earth will be looked back on like a lowly home, and this life of ours be remembered like a short apprenticeship to duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/this-earth-will-be-looked-back-on-like-a-lowly-home-and-this-life-of/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) > [I don't live life to be remembered for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-live-life-to-be-remembered-for-anything/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“So many steps a woman takes in her life will not be remembered. And most of her tracks will be erased. But there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lemmon/so-many-steps-a-woman-takes-in-her-life-will-not-be-remembered-and/) [Christine Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lemmon/) > [That's all I want in life is to be remembered as a guy that really loved God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrae-crouch/that-s-all-i-want-in-life-is-to-be-remembered-as-a-guy-that-really/) [Andrae Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrae-crouch/) > [My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/my-brother-need-not-be-idealized-or-enlarged-in-death-beyond-what-he/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/my-brother-need-not-be-idealized-or-enlarged-in-death-beyond-what-he-2/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) ## More by Jean-Paul Sartre > [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/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“She smiled. First I lost the memory of her eyes, then the memory of her long body. I kept her smile as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-smiled-first-i-lost-the-memory-of-her-eyes-then-the-memory-of-her/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Life is a useless passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-is-a-useless-passion/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The more one is absorbed in fighting evil, the less one is tempted to place the good in question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-more-one-is-absorbed-in-fighting-evil-the-less-one-is-tempted-to/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [This is what I thought: for the most banal even to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/this-is-what-i-thought-for-the-most-banal-even-to-become-an-adventure/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I am free: there is absolutely no more reason for living, all the ones I have tried have given way and I can’t imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-am-free-there-is-absolutely-no-more-reason-for-living-all-the-ones/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“If I am not mistaken, if all the signs which have been amassed are precursors of a new overthrow in my life, well then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/if-i-am-not-mistaken-if-all-the-signs-which-have-been-amassed-are/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I want to leave, go to some place where I will be really in my own niche, where I will fit in. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-want-to-leave-go-to-some-place-where-i-will-be-really-in-my-own/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-best-work-is-not-what-is-most-difficult-for-you-it-is-what-you-do/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) [Explore all 728 Jean-Paul Sartre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [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/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. 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As if there could possibly be true stories; things happen one way and we tell about them in the opposite sense. You seem to start at the beginning: \"It was a fine autumn eveningin 1922.\" And in reality you have started at the end. It was there, invisible and present, it is the one which gives to words the pomp and value of a beginning... And the story goes on in reverse: instants have stopped piling themselves in a lighthearted way one on top of the other, they are snapped up by the end of the story which draws them and each one of them in turn, draws out the preceding instant: \"It was night, the street was deserted.\" The phrase is cast out negligently, it seems superfluous; but we do not let ourselves be caught and we put it aside: this is a piece of information whose value we shall subsequently appreciate. And we feel that the hero has lived all the details of this night like annunciations, promises, or even that he lived only those that were promises, blind and deaf to all that did not herald adventure. We forget that the future was not yet there; the man was walking in a night without forethought, a night which offered him a choice of dull rich prizes, and he did not make his choice. I wanted the moments of my life to follow and order themselves like those of a life remembered. 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