--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is where the story starts, in this…" description: "\"This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg" --- # This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room… ![“This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified in this room. The sun hangs over the mantelpiece. I stretch out my hand and reach the corners of the world. The world is bundled up in this room…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg) > “This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified in this room. The sun hangs over the mantelpiece. I stretch out my hand and reach the corners of the world. The world is bundled up in this room. Beyond the door, where the river is, where the roads are, we shall be. We can take the world with us when we go and sling the sun under your arm. Hurry now, it's getting late. I don't know if this is a happy ending but here we are let loose in open fields.” [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. A vivid, surreal description of a room that contains the whole world, expressing longing to carry wonder beyond confines. **In simple terms:** A room holds the world, urging us to take wonder with us. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination and carry wonder outward. Themes imagination longing wonder transcendence Mood dreamy hopeful reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - personal reflection - travel inspiration Key Concepts surrealism metaphor existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does “the world” represent for you? - How can you bring wonder into daily life? A Different Perspective The metaphor may obscure practical action; not all can literally carry the world. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Exploding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploding/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hang over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hang-over/) [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Happy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-endings/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Moon and stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-and-stars/) [Open fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-fields/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room/) [Room Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-sun-1686753/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Starts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-starts-702819/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Telescopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telescopes/) [Threadbare Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threadbare-room-1686752/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Also marvelous in a room is the light that comes through the windows of a room and that belongs to the room. The sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/also-marvelous-in-a-room-is-the-light-that-comes-through-the-windows/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [Sometimes I think I should have chosen a line of work where it was just me alone in the room, with the sun coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/sometimes-i-think-i-should-have-chosen-a-line-of-work-where-it-was/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [“Hope flares in her chest, and she thinks, This, this, this is where her story starts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab/hope-flares-in-her-chest-and-she-thinks-this-this-this-is-where-her/) [V.E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab/) > [I like any story that starts one place and really takes a huge journey to a whole new place; that people in their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-smart/i-like-any-story-that-starts-one-place-and-really-takes-a-huge/) [Amy Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-smart/) > [You know its going to be a great story when it starts off with, So this BITCH...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-verma/you-know-its-going-to-be-a-great-story-when-it-starts-off-with-so/) [Amit Verma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-verma/) > [A girl's love story always starts with he's different and ends with he's just like the rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-girl-s-love-story-always-starts-with-he-s-different-and-ends-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Author's Notes: This story starts with section 6. This is not a mistake. I have my own subtle reasoning. So, just read, and enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/author-s-notes-this-story-starts-with-section-6-this-is-not-a-mistake/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Alone is how our story starts. But then I came along and changed all that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-lorraine-scheidt/alone-is-how-our-story-starts-but-then-i-came-along-and-changed-all/) [Erica Lorraine Scheidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-lorraine-scheidt/) > [Every story starts with an idea, but it is the characters that move this idea forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/every-story-starts-with-an-idea-but-it-is-the-characters-that-move/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [A LOVE Story Starts With The Sentence Hi , can we be friends ? :) Every Love Story Began in a Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/a-love-story-starts-with-the-sentence-hi-can-we-be-friends-every-love/) [Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/) > [I always work from back-story, that's what I always do, so you get a character, and you think 'OK, who's this guy, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-always-work-from-back-story-that-s-what-i-always-do-so-you-get-a/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [YOU KNOW ITS GOING TO BE A GOOD STORY WHEN IT STARTS OFF WITH 'SO THIS BITCH'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asheya/you-know-its-going-to-be-a-good-story-when-it-starts-off-with-so-this/) [Asheya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asheya/) > [You know it's gonna be a great story when it starts off with, 'So this b\*tch...'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-it-s-gonna-be-a-great-story-when-it-starts-off-with-so-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My story starts at sea, a perilous voyage to an unknown land. A shipwreck. The wild waters roar and heave. The brave vessel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-story-starts-at-sea-a-perilous-voyage-to-an-unknown-land-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The story starts in summer, of course. When else would a Michigan story start?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-carroll/the-story-starts-in-summer-of-course-when-else-would-a-michigan-story/) [Nora Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-carroll/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [What would it have meant to be happy? 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? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) [Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) [Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified in this room. The sun hangs over the mantelpiece. I stretch out my hand and reach the corners of the world. The world is bundled up in this room. Beyond the door, where the river is, where the roads are, we shall be. We can take the world with us when we go and sling the sun under your arm. Hurry now, it's getting late. I don't know if this is a happy ending but here we are let loose in open fields.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeanette Winterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-threadbare-room-the-walls-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-threadbare-room-the-walls-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/jeanette-winterson-166_arms_this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-t_1760312.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned…” — Jeanette Winterson", "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": "Jeanette Winterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is where the story starts,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-threadbare-room-the-walls-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/this-is-where-the-story-starts-in-this-threadbare-room-the-walls-are/#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 } } ] } ```