--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stories can educate, elevate, comfort…" description: "\"“Stories can educate, elevate, comfort, and afflict those who are too comfortable. They can create community. They can also drive people apart, justify..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/jonathan-shapiro-24868_civil-society_stories-can-educate-elevate-comfort-and_2638944.jpg" --- # Stories can educate, elevate, comfort, and afflict those… ![“Stories can educate, elevate, comfort, and afflict those who are too comfortable. They can create community. They can also drive people apart, justify unspeakable crimes, and destroy the most basic concepts of civil society. You” quote by Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/jonathan-shapiro-24868_civil-society_stories-can-educate-elevate-comfort-and_2638944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/jonathan-shapiro-24868_civil-society_stories-can-educate-elevate-comfort-and_2638944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/jonathan-shapiro-24868_civil-society_stories-can-educate-elevate-comfort-and_2638944.jpg) > ““Stories can educate, elevate, comfort, and afflict those who are too comfortable. They can create community. They can also drive people apart, justify unspeakable crimes, and destroy the most basic concepts of civil society. You”” [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories can educate, comfort, divide, and destroy societal norms, highlighting their complex social impact. **In simple terms:** Stories have varied effects. Key Takeaway Use stories responsibly. Themes storytelling society ethics power Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literary criticism - media analysis - public discourse Key Concepts Narrative influence social cohesion danger Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate a story’s impact? - What responsibilities do storytellers have? A Different Perspective Stories can be misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [I try to help people realize their dreams by using magic to tell stories that educate, move, and inspire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-try-to-help-people-realize-their-dreams-by-using-magic-to-tell/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Everybody is satisfied, that a conservation and secure enjoyment of our natural rights is the great and ultimate purpose of civil society; and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/everybody-is-satisfied-that-a-conservation-and-secure-enjoyment-of/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed and essential object of the American Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/security-against-foreign-danger-is-one-of-the-primitive-objects-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Arresting opposition leaders and restricting civil society will not stop people from protesting, but it can create leaderless movements that leave no one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/arresting-opposition-leaders-and-restricting-civil-society-will-not/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? Looking at her magazine pictures, sucking their teeth, going, "Oh, look at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/remember-what-the-fashion-big-mouths-were-saying-about-jessica/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [For achieving good governance political will is necessary. Good governance is a political process. Though role of civil society is critical, without political will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/for-achieving-good-governance-political-will-is-necessary-good/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“SHOW THE WORLD YOUR STRONG COMPASSION: GIVE YOUR VOICE TO VOICELESS YAZIDI GIRLS!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/show-the-world-your-strong-compassion-give-your-voice-to-voiceless/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [“In Hobbes’ state of nature, when a male individual conquers (contracts with) a female individual he becomes her sexual master and she becomes his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-pateman/in-hobbes-state-of-nature-when-a-male-individual-conquers-contracts/) [Carole Pateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-pateman/) > [ \[T\]here are, at bottom, basically two ways to order social affairs, Coercively, through the mechanisms of the state - what we can call political… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/t-here-are-at-bottom-basically-two-ways-to-order-social-affairs/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) ## More by Jonathan Shapiro > [Sometimes I have to compromise my views, but I never compromise on issues like the death penalty and the arm trade laws, despite what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/sometimes-i-have-to-compromise-my-views-but-i-never-compromise-on/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [Primarily I'm a social commentator rather than someone who's out to get the belly laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/primarily-i-m-a-social-commentator-rather-than-someone-who-s-out-to/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [You can't undo a deportation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/you-can-t-undo-a-deportation/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [It's to be a person who's able to shoot little arrows into sacred cows and knock politicians off their pedestals, to look out for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/it-s-to-be-a-person-who-s-able-to-shoot-little-arrows-into-sacred/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [I would think a sense of the absurd is more important for a political cartoonist, because that could define things like a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/i-would-think-a-sense-of-the-absurd-is-more-important-for-a-political/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [Even people that I agree with can do something that would be a target for a bit of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/even-people-that-i-agree-with-can-do-something-that-would-be-a-target/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [Mandela once phoned me out of the blue while he was still president, and at first he played with me a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/mandela-once-phoned-me-out-of-the-blue-while-he-was-still-president/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [I try not to change my political point of view from paper to paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/i-try-not-to-change-my-political-point-of-view-from-paper-to-paper/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [We do, and there is a law in the United States - the Torture Convention - that prohibits the United States from deporting an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/we-do-and-there-is-a-law-in-the-united-states-the-torture-convention/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [I was very lucky all three newspapers approached me and asked me to draw their cartoons for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/i-was-very-lucky-all-three-newspapers-approached-me-and-asked-me-to/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [Certainly in cartooning I'm given huge free rein at the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/certainly-in-cartooning-i-m-given-huge-free-rein-at-the-moment/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [On one occasion in 1987 the security police came looking for me because of a drawing that I'd published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/on-one-occasion-in-1987-the-security-police-came-looking-for-me/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [There was a teacher who recognized that I was interested in cartooning and he was great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/there-was-a-teacher-who-recognized-that-i-was-interested-in/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [I see the cartoonist as contributing to the content, being critical, because we do poke holes in some of the dialogue and find new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/i-see-the-cartoonist-as-contributing-to-the-content-being-critical/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) > [I normally keep a series of draft in a catalogue type of book in which I scribble, sketch and draw ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-shapiro/i-normally-keep-a-series-of-draft-in-a-catalogue-type-of-book-in/) [Jonathan Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) [Explore all 23 Jonathan Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-shapiro/) ## More Civil society quotes > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [ \[T\]here are, at bottom, basically two ways to order social affairs, Coercively, through the mechanisms of the state - what we can call political… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/t-here-are-at-bottom-basically-two-ways-to-order-social-affairs/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [“In Hobbes’ state of nature, when a male individual conquers (contracts with) a female individual he becomes her sexual master and she becomes his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-pateman/in-hobbes-state-of-nature-when-a-male-individual-conquers-contracts/) [Carole Pateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-pateman/) > [“SHOW THE WORLD YOUR STRONG COMPASSION: GIVE YOUR VOICE TO VOICELESS YAZIDI GIRLS!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/show-the-world-your-strong-compassion-give-your-voice-to-voiceless/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [For achieving good governance political will is necessary. Good governance is a political process. Though role of civil society is critical, without political will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/for-achieving-good-governance-political-will-is-necessary-good/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? Looking at her magazine pictures, sucking their teeth, going, "Oh, look at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/remember-what-the-fashion-big-mouths-were-saying-about-jessica/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Arresting opposition leaders and restricting civil society will not stop people from protesting, but it can create leaderless movements that leave no one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/arresting-opposition-leaders-and-restricting-civil-society-will-not/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/) [Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/) > [Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed and essential object of the American Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/security-against-foreign-danger-is-one-of-the-primitive-objects-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Everybody is satisfied, that a conservation and secure enjoyment of our natural rights is the great and ultimate purpose of civil society; and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/everybody-is-satisfied-that-a-conservation-and-secure-enjoyment-of/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“The state of civil society, which necessarily generates this aristocracy, is a state of nature; and much more truly so than a savage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-state-of-civil-society-which-necessarily-generates-this/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Every government has signed up to a voluntary legal commitment under at least one of the international covenants and conventions based on the Universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/every-government-has-signed-up-to-a-voluntary-legal-commitment-under/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) [Browse all 322 Civil society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Stories can educate, elevate, comfort, and afflict those who are too comfortable. 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