--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are only three possible endings…" description: "\"There are only three possible endings -aren't there? - to any story: revenge, tragedy or forgiveness. That's it. All stories end like that.\" — Jeanette..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/jeanette-winterson-166_endings_there-are-only-three-possible-endings-ar_1778523.png" --- # There are only three possible endings -aren't there? - to… ![“There are only three possible endings -aren't there? - to any story: revenge, tragedy or forgiveness. That's it. All stories end like that.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/jeanette-winterson-166_endings_there-are-only-three-possible-endings-ar_1778523.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/jeanette-winterson-166_endings_there-are-only-three-possible-endings-ar_1778523.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/jeanette-winterson-166_endings_there-are-only-three-possible-endings-ar_1778523.png) > “There are only three possible endings -aren't there? - to any story: revenge, tragedy or forgiveness. That's it. All stories end like that.” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories typically resolve into one of three emotional conclusions: revenge, tragedy, or forgiveness, reflecting human conflict and resolution. **In simple terms:** Stories end with revenge, tragedy, or forgiveness. Key Takeaway Recognize which ending your narrative is heading toward. Themes narrative conflict resolution Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing fiction - screenwriting - therapy - conflict mediation Key Concepts human nature emotional catharsis Questions to Reflect On - Which ending best serves your story’s purpose? - Can you combine elements for a nuanced conclusion? A Different Perspective Not all stories fit neatly into these three categories; some blend or subvert them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-like-695552/) [Endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings/) [Endings Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings-aren-1361274/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Possible Endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-endings-1840829/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-end/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) ## Related quotes > [“..there are two possible endings to every story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-watson/there-are-two-possible-endings-to-every-story/) [Christie Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-watson/) > [“Happy endings aren't just for fairy tales and massage parlors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gloss/happy-endings-aren-t-just-for-fairy-tales-and-massage-parlors/) [Susan Gloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gloss/) > [That's how life is. Sometimes there are happy endings, sometimes there aren't, and more often there are shades of gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/that-s-how-life-is-sometimes-there-are-happy-endings-sometimes-there/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Happy endings aren't for cowards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-a-davis/happy-endings-aren-t-for-cowards/) [Jill A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-a-davis/) > [“This got me thinking about endings and how the final moments of a story can color our entire perception of a narrative. But endings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-cestari/this-got-me-thinking-about-endings-and-how-the-final-moments-of-a/) [Crystal Cestari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-cestari/) > [When we're young, we like happy endings. When we're a little older, we think happy endings are unrealistic and so we prefer bad but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-we-re-young-we-like-happy-endings-when-we-re-a-little-older-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [How the hell did we end up like this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazzy/how-the-hell-did-we-end-up-like-this/) [Jazzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazzy/) > [It is nice when things end. That is what stories do - they end. 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Stories need endings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-naifeh/i-get-tired-of-stories-that-keep-going-and-going-and-never-get/) [Ted Naifeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-naifeh/) > [And in real life endings aren't always neat, whether they're happy endings, or whether they're sad endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/and-in-real-life-endings-aren-t-always-neat-whether-they-re-happy/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Surely she knows --like I do--that fairy tales are just stories. That happy endings aren't real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/surely-she-knows-like-i-do-that-fairy-tales-are-just-stories-that/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“There are three kinds of big endings: Revenge. Tragedy. Forgiveness. Revenge and Tragedy often happen together. Forgiveness unblocks the future." (p.225)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/there-are-three-kinds-of-big-endings-revenge-tragedy-forgiveness/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Happy ending are only a pause. There are three kinds of big endings: Revenge. Tragedy. Forgiveness. Revenge and Tragedy often happen together. Forgiveness redeems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-ending-are-only-a-pause-there-are-three-kinds-of-big-endings/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. 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What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? 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They're totally manufactured by fiction writers who choose to end the story on a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-david/there-are-no-such-things-as-happy-endings-never-they-re-totally/) [Peter David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-david/) > [“You couldn't ever really fix a sad story. You could only make another. And another. And another, until you found the right one at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-couldn-t-ever-really-fix-a-sad-story-you-could-only-make-another/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Happy endings come in different packages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-f-wright/happy-endings-come-in-different-packages/) [Jason F. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-f-wright/) > [I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-briggs/i-don-t-believe-in-happy-endings-children-have-got-to-face-death/) [Raymond Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-briggs/) > [“I hope you come to hear the tale, and not just munch your way through the pages to the ending…endings are heartless. An ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-hope-you-come-to-hear-the-tale-and-not-just-munch-your-way-through/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I won, goddammit. I beat Kollberg. I beat you. I got everything I goddamn wanted: fame, wealth, power. Shit, I even got the girl."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/i-won-goddammit-i-beat-kollberg-i-beat-you-i-got-everything-i-goddamn/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [“Every good story needs a good ending. Don't write the beginning of a novel without knowing the end of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-y-howle/every-good-story-needs-a-good-ending-don-t-write-the-beginning-of-a/) [A.D.Y. Howle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-d-y-howle/) > [In His plan there are no true endings. Only everlasting beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/in-his-plan-there-are-no-true-endings-only-everlasting-beginnings/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“ The Prodigal Son They gave the deep end of their heart--a hue of crimson red, They whispered their desire and offered up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/the-prodigal-son-they-gave-the-deep-end-of-their-heart-a-hue-of/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [My family doesn't do happy endings. We do sad endings or frustrating endings or no endings at all. 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