--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human minds yield helplessly to the…" description: "\"Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels, we just can't resist t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg" --- # Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No… ![“Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels, we just can't resist the gravity of alternate worlds.” quote by Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg) > “Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels, we just can't resist the gravity of alternate worlds.” [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories exert a powerful pull on the mind, making it hard to resist imagined worlds even when we try to focus on reality. **In simple terms:** Stories are irresistible and shape our thinking. Key Takeaway Recognize story’s influence on thought. Themes psychology storytelling cognition Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marketing - education - political discourse - personal decision making Key Concepts narrative psychology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - Why are we drawn to narratives? - How can we balance story with evidence? A Different Perspective Stories can distort facts or oversimplify truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“No matter how deep we have gone, there is more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/no-matter-how-deep-we-have-gone-there-is-more/) [Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/) > [My work is very eclectic. I write books that range from writing fiction, writing fable where I am very directly trying to imagine alternate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/my-work-is-very-eclectic-i-write-books-that-range-from-writing/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [Why do we want to have alternate worlds? It's a way of making progress. You have to imagine something before you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-aiken/why-do-we-want-to-have-alternate-worlds-it-s-a-way-of-making-progress-2/) [Joan Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-aiken/) > [“Maybe we slip in and out of alternate worlds through our minds and our imaginations, picking up scar tissue from other dimensions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lang-leav/maybe-we-slip-in-and-out-of-alternate-worlds-through-our-minds-and/) [Lang Leav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lang-leav/) > [“Why do we want to have alternate worlds? It's a way of making progress. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-aiken/why-do-we-want-to-have-alternate-worlds-it-s-a-way-of-making-progress/) [Joan Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-aiken/) > [“Sounds like you're trying to say that creation of new alternate worlds is a conscious decision.' 'I'm not trying to say it - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman-michael-reaves/sounds-like-you-re-trying-to-say-that-creation-of-new-alternate/) Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves > [Chess is a unique battlefield for human minds and computers - human intuition, our creativity, fantasy, our logic, versus the brute force of calculation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/chess-is-a-unique-battlefield-for-human-minds-and-computers-human/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [“Ebenezer was unsure that human minds were built to cope with any of . . . of what happened down there. He felt no shame thinking that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cutter/ebenezer-was-unsure-that-human-minds-were-built-to-cope-with-any-of/) [Nick Cutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cutter/) > [This fire that we call Loving is too strong for human minds. But just right for human souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/this-fire-that-we-call-loving-is-too-strong-for-human-minds-but-just/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of free will versus predestination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/this-is-one-of-the-two-great-labyrinths-into-which-human-minds-are/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I do not believe we will get to Ray Kurzweil's proposed "singularity" in which human minds meld with machines to produce, in effect, synthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-do-not-believe-we-will-get-to-ray-kurzweil-s-proposed-singularity/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [“But if it is true that human minds are themselves to a very great degree the creations of memes, then we cannot sustain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-c-dennett/but-if-it-is-true-that-human-minds-are-themselves-to-a-very-great/) [Daniel C. Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-c-dennett/) > [Science the human minds war with herself the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/science-the-human-minds-war-with-herself-the-unknown/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [“reason the current gap between animal and human minds seems so large and so baffling, then, may be because we have destroyed the missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-suddendorf/reason-the-current-gap-between-animal-and-human-minds-seems-so-large/) [Thomas Suddendorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-suddendorf/) > [His mind worked fast, flying in emergency supplies of common sense, as human minds do, to construct a huge anchor in sanity and prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/his-mind-worked-fast-flying-in-emergency-supplies-of-common-sense-as/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Jonathan Gottschall > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [If someone breaks into your home when you're there - that is, they don't wait to be sure that the house is empty -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/if-someone-breaks-into-your-home-when-you-re-there-that-is-they-don-t/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Part of why I was attracted to the idea of owning a gun was self-defense, and part of it was that I've been fascinated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/part-of-why-i-was-attracted-to-the-idea-of-owning-a-gun-was-self/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“As the video game designer and writer James Wallis puts it, “Human beings like stories. Our brains have a natural affinity not only for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/as-the-video-game-designer-and-writer-james-wallis-puts-it-human/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-an-effort-to-civilize-combat-sports-authorities-mandated-padded/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/people-like-head-trauma-they-love-knockouts-the-crowd-is-silent/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/fiction-seems-to-be-more-effective-at-changing-beliefs-than/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/we-are-as-a-species-addicted-to-story-even-when-the-body-goes-to/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Getting punched in the face with a padded glove doesn't really hurt your face. It doesn't hurt your skull. The only thing it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/getting-punched-in-the-face-with-a-padded-glove-doesn-t-really-hurt/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/story-is-where-people-go-to-practice-the-key-skills-of-human-social/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/the-brain-stays-up-all-night-telling-stories-while-we-sleep-we-just/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Commentators frequently blame MMORPGs for an increasing sense of isolation in modern life. But virtual worlds are less a cause of that isolation than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/commentators-frequently-blame-mmorpgs-for-an-increasing-sense-of/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. Conspiracy theorists connect real data points and imagined data points into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/conspiracy-theories-feverishly-creative-lovingly-plotted-are-in-fact/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [I watch fights and I often feel morally compromised by it. I feel like I'm morally culpable for what's occurring because I'm the spectator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-watch-fights-and-i-often-feel-morally-compromised-by-it-i-feel-like/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [If I do get a handgun, I can take it to the sheriff's department, and in about as much time as it would take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/if-i-do-get-a-handgun-i-can-take-it-to-the-sheriff-s-department-and/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) [Explore all 47 Jonathan Gottschall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) ## More Gravity quotes > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [You have to fight gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-wine/you-have-to-fight-gravity/) [Sherwin Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-wine/) > [“The generalized theory of relativity has furnished still more remarkable results. This considers not only uniform but also accelerated motion. In particular, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-michelson/the-generalized-theory-of-relativity-has-furnished-still-more/) A.A. Michelson > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I'm a fan of supersymmetry, largely because it seems to be the only route by which gravity can be brought into the scheme. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-m-a-fan-of-supersymmetry-largely-because-it-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [Gravity Falls' didn't just appear overnight - every spooky cave and moss covered tree was created by a team of brilliant artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/gravity-falls-didn-t-just-appear-overnight-every-spooky-cave-and-moss/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [“You'll have to give me a minute here. Gravity's a real bitch this morning. Ian to Kori”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-ll-have-to-give-me-a-minute-here-gravity-s-a-real-bitch-this/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [So, I'm not the only one who believes that there is such a thing as "the law of gravity," and if it's a law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/so-i-m-not-the-only-one-who-believes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [“Everything we feel and do is somehow oriented "lifeward," and the least deviation away from this direction toward something beyond is difficult or alarming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/everything-we-feel-and-do-is-somehow-oriented-lifeward-and-the-least/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [Well, my intention is to make work about being uncomfortable. About being in a world that isn't always the world you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/well-my-intention-is-to-make-work-about-being-uncomfortable-about/) [Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/) > [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) [Browse all 1,074 Gravity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels, we just can't resist the gravity of alternate worlds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Gottschall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gravity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b77/jonathan-gottschall-14219_gravity_human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suct_285134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep…” — Jonathan Gottschall", "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": "Jonathan Gottschall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Human minds yield helplessly to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/#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 } } ] } ```