--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But all fairytales have rules, and…" description: "\"But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their rules that actually distinguish one fairytale from the other. These rules never need to be unders..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/jostein-gaarder-676_fairy_but-all-fairytales-have-rules-and-perhap_2092764.png" --- # But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their… ![“But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their rules that actually distinguish one fairytale from the other. These rules never need to be understood. They only need to be followed. If not, what they promise won’t come true.” quote by Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/jostein-gaarder-676_fairy_but-all-fairytales-have-rules-and-perhap_2092764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/jostein-gaarder-676_fairy_but-all-fairytales-have-rules-and-perhap_2092764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/jostein-gaarder-676_fairy_but-all-fairytales-have-rules-and-perhap_2092764.png) > “But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their rules that actually distinguish one fairytale from the other. These rules never need to be understood. They only need to be followed. If not, what they promise won’t come true.” [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fairytales operate on rules that need not be understood, only obeyed; breaking them breaks the promise of the story. **In simple terms:** Fairytales have rules to follow, not explain. Key Takeaway Follow the story’s rules. Themes fairytales rules storytelling Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading children’s books - creative writing - game design - myth analysis Key Concepts narrative structure symbolic meaning Questions to Reflect On - Which rule in a story feels most essential? - What happens when a rule is broken? A Different Perspective Rigid rules may limit creative interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distinguish Fairytale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguish-fairytale-4144469/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairytale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairytale/) [Fairytale Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairytale-rules-4144468/) [Fairytales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairytales/) [Fairytales Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairytales-rules-4144467/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) ## Related quotes > [“But fairytales were, at best, dirty mirrors whose warped and pitted surfaces reflected a highly distorted view of the truth, quite different from reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/but-fairytales-were-at-best-dirty-mirrors-whose-warped-and-pitted/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Music IS my Fairytale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-leah-2/music-is-my-fairytale/) [Jamie Leah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-leah-2/) > [“Your American fairytales end that way.  Real fairytales end in blood or tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luna-lindsey/your-american-fairytales-end-that-way-real-fairytales-end-in-blood-or/) [Luna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luna-lindsey/) > [Recasting fairy tales has become a publishing sub-genre in itself, and has been done both well and to the point of entropy. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-was-obsessed-with-fairytales-and-i-was-a-very-very-inquisitive-kid/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [I love fairytales. I like fantasy a lot, science fiction, I like magic. I like to create magic. I love magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-love-fairytales-i-like-fantasy-a-lot-science-fiction-i-like-magic-i/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) ## More by Jostein Gaarder > [“I no longer feel the need to see and sense more than I've already experienced. I just want so desperately to hang on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-no-longer-feel-the-need-to-see-and-sense-more-than-i-ve-already/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. 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I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-german-poet-goethe-once-said-that-he-who-cannot-draw-on-three/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Sophie left the den and wandered about in the large garden. She tried to forget what she had learned at school, especially in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/sophie-left-the-den-and-wandered-about-in-the-large-garden-she-tried/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [...long before the child learns to talk properly-and long before it learns to think philosophically-the world will have become a habit. 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The question is whether we have a future together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/we-can-t-own-each-other-s-past-the-question-is-whether-we-have-a/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Uno no muere en medio del quinto acto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/uno-no-muere-en-medio-del-quinto-acto/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Wer das Schicksal durchschauen will, muss es überleben.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/wer-das-schicksal-durchschauen-will-muss-es-berleben/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) [Explore all 305 Jostein Gaarder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More Fairy quotes > [Once upon a time. 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