--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we create our world through…" description: "\"I think we create our world through stories. We use storytelling to escape or protect ourselves from the unimaginable and the horrible - from the real,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_creativity_i-think-we-create-our-world-through-stor_200903.jpg" --- # I think we create our world through stories. We use… ![“I think we create our world through stories. We use storytelling to escape or protect ourselves from the unimaginable and the horrible - from the real, in a way. It's like white light - if you put everyday reality through a prism you get this rainbow of colors that you couldn't see before. I'm…” quote by Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_creativity_i-think-we-create-our-world-through-stor_200903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_creativity_i-think-we-create-our-world-through-stor_200903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/joshua-oppenheimer-24024_creativity_i-think-we-create-our-world-through-stor_200903.jpg) > “I think we create our world through stories. We use storytelling to escape or protect ourselves from the unimaginable and the horrible - from the real, in a way. It's like white light - if you put everyday reality through a prism you get this rainbow of colors that you couldn't see before. I'm interested in exploring the world to show the things that are invisible. And not just undocumented aspects of reality, but to actually make manifest things that have been hitherto invisible through the intervention of filmmaking.” [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believes storytelling reshapes perception, turning ordinary reality into a spectrum of unseen possibilities, and sees filmmaking as a tool to reveal hidden truths and make the invisible visible. **In simple terms:** Stories change how we see the world. Key Takeaway Use storytelling to reveal hidden realities. Themes creativity perception filmmaking truth visibility Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - documentary projects - educational media - social campaigns - artistic exploration Key Concepts narrative theory visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What invisible aspects of reality do you want to expose? - How can storytelling balance truth with empathy? A Different Perspective Audience may resist uncomfortable revelations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Exploring the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploring-the-world/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbow/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [White light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-light/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I don't necessarily think stories have functions any more than diamonds have functions, or the sky has a function... Stories exist. They keep us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-necessarily-think-stories-have-functions-any-more-than/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [But I was always comedic and would tell stories and use a lot of expressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/but-i-was-always-comedic-and-would-tell-stories-and-use-a-lot-of/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Children are nowadays very fluent in telling their own stories; they use social media all the time. However, very few people ask them for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-rohrwacher/children-are-nowadays-very-fluent-in-telling-their-own-stories-they/) [Alice Rohrwacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-rohrwacher/) > [You can take any one of our stories that we use right now, put western clothes on us, stick us out in the west…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/majel-barrett/you-can-take-any-one-of-our-stories-that-we-use-right-now-put-western/) [Majel Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/majel-barrett/) > [People love stories; they use stories to make sense of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/people-love-stories-they-use-stories-to-make-sense-of-the-world/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [People need stories...we use stories to teach, to learn, to make sense of the world around us. As long as we need stories, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-chiaverini/people-need-stories-we-use-stories-to-teach-to-learn-to-make-sense-of/) [Jennifer Chiaverini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-chiaverini/) > [“The best sci-fi stories use the fantastical to remind us of the reality of who we are today, the hope of who we may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-alexi-genao/the-best-sci-fi-stories-use-the-fantastical-to-remind-us-of-the/) [Julio-Alexi Genao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-alexi-genao/) > [Sometimes I observe stuff I haven't been through and write about it. I used to walk my dog with these 50-year-olds, and they'd tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-smith/sometimes-i-observe-stuff-i-haven-t-been-through-and-write-about-it-i/) [Jorja Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-smith/) > [The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-human-world-is-made-of-stories-not-people-the-people-the-stories/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Behind everyday reality, there is a deeper reality so cruel that it condemns to death those who crime is no greater than the pursuit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bell/behind-everyday-reality-there-is-a-deeper-reality-so-cruel-that-it/) [Chris Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bell/) > [“Sailing through everyday reality is a breath taking journey, where much of what we perceive about humanity does not seem to be right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/sailing-through-everyday-reality-is-a-breath-taking-journey-where/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [We tend to do period stuff because it helps make it one step removed from boring everyday reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-coen/we-tend-to-do-period-stuff-because-it-helps-make-it-one-step-removed/) [Ethan Coen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-coen/) > [We all want to fall in love? Why? Because that experience makes us completely alive, where every sense is heightened and every emotion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarka-brown/we-all-want-to-fall-in-love-why-because-that-experience-makes-us/) Tarka Brown > [Fiction helps me to reconnect with the true, deep weirdness inherent in everyday reality, in our dealings with one another, in just being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/fiction-helps-me-to-reconnect-with-the-true-deep-weirdness-inherent/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) ## More by Joshua Oppenheimer > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I always have said, you know it's not for me to forgive or to condemn, I'm a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-always-have-said-you-know-it-s-not-for-me-to-forgive-or-to-condemn/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [We can distance ourselves from the reality of what we did through storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/we-can-distance-ourselves-from-the-reality-of-what-we-did-through/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [In a fiction film, we know at some level we've suspended disbelief. In a documentary, we know that we're watching a drama unfold in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/in-a-fiction-film-we-know-at-some-level-we-ve-suspended-disbelief-in/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I really believe that the past is beyond our grasp and what is essential about the past is something unspeakable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-really-believe-that-the-past-is-beyond-our-grasp-and-what-is/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Films can't change the society, they can simply open the space for the discussion which can lead to social change and can start new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/films-can-t-change-the-society-they-can-simply-open-the-space-for-the/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I see myself as an explorer more than a storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-see-myself-as-an-explorer-more-than-a-storyteller/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [A podium is something you walk up to, you say what you want to say and when you're finished, you leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/a-podium-is-something-you-walk-up-to-you-say-what-you-want-to-say-and/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Each and every perpetrator was boastful, usually they would invite me to the places where they killed and I would of course accept those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/each-and-every-perpetrator-was-boastful-usually-they-would-invite-me/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [After the Dutch left Indonesia, after the Indonesians got loose in 1945, the freemen were not as widely used, but then they went through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/after-the-dutch-left-indonesia-after-the-indonesians-got-loose-in/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [The whole tradition of cinema is dominated, really, by films about good guys versus bad guys, good versus evil. But we have very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/the-whole-tradition-of-cinema-is-dominated-really-by-films-about-good/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I need to trust myself and go where my instincts tell me, and to be as wild and free as possible in my creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-need-to-trust-myself-and-go-where-my-instincts-tell-me-and-to-be-as/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [Performance is always oriented towards a spectator, towards an imagined audience and I was thinking who is their imagined audience?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/performance-is-always-oriented-towards-a-spectator-towards-an/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I've become more forgiving, even though I have no patience at all for denial, justification of wrong, rationalization. I've become virtually a pacifist, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-ve-become-more-forgiving-even-though-i-have-no-patience-at-all-for/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [People create the illusion of acting natural, which is what I think most documentarians do in part because of the direct cinema orthodoxies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/people-create-the-illusion-of-acting-natural-which-is-what-i-think/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) [Explore all 25 Joshua Oppenheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think we create our world through stories. We use storytelling to escape or protect ourselves from the unimaginable and the horrible - from the real, in a way. It's like white light - if you put everyday reality through a prism you get this rainbow of colors that you couldn't see before. 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