--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a…" description: "\"“Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really isn't good unless it successfully resists paraphrase. ...' ... Paraphrasing can force us into de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/karen-salyer-mcelmurray-124948_quote_flannery-o-connor-points-out-that-a-stor_526248.jpg" --- # Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really… ![“Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really isn't good unless it successfully resists paraphrase. ...' ... Paraphrasing can force us into deeper levels of both story and self. O'Connor also says that a good story 'hangs on and expands the mind.' ... Most importantly, as we explore the…” quote by Karen Salyer McElmurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/karen-salyer-mcelmurray-124948_quote_flannery-o-connor-points-out-that-a-stor_526248.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/karen-salyer-mcelmurray-124948_quote_flannery-o-connor-points-out-that-a-stor_526248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/147/karen-salyer-mcelmurray-124948_quote_flannery-o-connor-points-out-that-a-stor_526248.jpg) > ““Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really isn't good unless it successfully resists paraphrase. ...' ... Paraphrasing can force us into deeper levels of both story and self. O'Connor also says that a good story 'hangs on and expands the mind.' ... Most importantly, as we explore the largeness of stories, their 'macro' possibilities, we are forced further into the largeness of our own lives. The 'hidden' story, made visible, can be that which is most difficult to confront in our experiences and, at the same time, the story that demands to be told.”” Karen Salyer McElmurray ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories that resist paraphrase encourage deeper self‑reflection and expand mind. **In simple terms:** Resisting paraphrase deepens insight. Key Takeaway Value stories that challenge easy summarization. Themes literature self‑reflection depth creativity Mood insightful inspirational Type academic literary When to use this quote - teaching - creative writing - personal growth Key Concepts narrative theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does paraphrasing limit understanding? - What stories have transformed your view? A Different Perspective Not all stories have macro possibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Paraphrasing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paraphrasing/) ## Related quotes > [“Nothing is the whole story. The self’s curse – and the writer’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nothing-is-the-whole-story-the-self-s-curse-and-the-writer-s/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [I love Thich Nhat Hahn. One of my favorite quotes of his (and I’m paraphrasing), he’s talking about cultivating happiness, and he was saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-love-thich-nhat-hahn-one-of-my-favorite-quotes-of-his-and-i-m/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [I don't want someone taking half a sentence or paraphrasing me... Just too much risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-calacanis/i-don-t-want-someone-taking-half-a-sentence-or-paraphrasing-me-just/) [Jason Calacanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-calacanis/) > [Donald Trump for his part's out there saying it's outrageous for a religious leader to say that he's not a Christian. Trump's out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-for-his-part-s-out-there-saying-it-s-outrageous-for-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [New York congressmen have recently been plagued by a string of embarrassing scandals. Shirtless craigslist hunk Chris Lee, nonconsensual staff tickle monster, Eric Massa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/new-york-congressmen-have-recently-been-plagued-by-a-string-of/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [June Jordan once said something which is just wonderful. 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This old woman gave a lecture wherein she managed to talk for ninety minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-next-morning-i-had-twentieth-century-american-poetry-at-mcc-this/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Since many people have been asking me to elaborate on why I think "Inglourious Basterds" is akin to Holocaust denial, I'll try to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rosenbaum/since-many-people-have-been-asking-me-to-elaborate-on-why-i-think/) [Jonathan Rosenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rosenbaum/) > [ The way \[Donald Trump\] is dealing with this now is to say (paraphrasing), "I don't want these A-listers here. I'm not asking these people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-way-donald-trump-is-dealing-with-this-now-is-to-say-paraphrasing/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Well, it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write And kind of turn themselves into knives And don't mind my nerve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/well-it-kind-of-hurts-when-the-kind-of-words-you-write-and-kind-of/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [Undoubtedly, our path is not of the easiest; but, just as undoubtedly, we are not to be frightened by difficulties. Paraphrasing from the well-known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/undoubtedly-our-path-is-not-of-the-easiest-but-just-as-undoubtedly-we/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [As Aristotle wrote a long, long time ago, and I'm paraphrasing here, the goal is to avoid mediocrity by being prepared to try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/as-aristotle-wrote-a-long-long-time-ago-and-i-m-paraphrasing-here-the/) [Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/) > [I am paraphrasing Einstein. I love to do that: nobody dares contradict me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-am-paraphrasing-einstein-i-love-to-do-that-nobody-dares-contradict/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Paraphrase quotes > [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [“To paraphrase Nietzsche: 'That which doesn't kill us, sometimes makes us wish it had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oran-kangas/to-paraphrase-nietzsche-that-which-doesn-t-kill-us-sometimes-makes-us/) [Oran Kangas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oran-kangas/) > [The secret, if one may paraphrase a savage vocabulary, lies in the egg of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-secret-if-one-may-paraphrase-a-savage-vocabulary-lies-in-the-egg/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“If we allow ourselves to be misled by the heresy of paraphrase, we run the risk of doing even more violence to the internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleanth-brooks/if-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-misled-by-the-heresy-of-paraphrase-we-run/) [Cleanth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleanth-brooks/) > [On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with the stench of the last fart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke-talking-about-the-music/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Well, an actor is an actor is actor, to paraphrase someone or other and the opportunity to work, to have a steady engagement, certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-koenig/well-an-actor-is-an-actor-is-actor-to-paraphrase-someone-or-other-and/) Walter Koenig > [The words were a paraphrase of the suggestion of Jesus: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's." 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Paraphrase: All I know is that I have nothing and others don't even have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/socrates-all-i-know-is-that-i-know-nothing-paraphrase-all-i-know-is/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [I will try not to overlook the cruelties that victims inflict on one another as they are jammed together in the boxcars of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-will-try-not-to-overlook-the-cruelties-that-victims-inflict-on-one/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [To paraphrase Paul, God often uses the cheesy to confound the sophisticated. He regularly honors those who are confused about his leading as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/to-paraphrase-paul-god-often-uses-the-cheesy-to-confound-the/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [Victorian society was homogeneous without being homogenized. 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I see in my explanation in section 1 the definition of the concepts point, straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/i-do-not-want-to-presuppose-anything-as-known-i-see-in-my-explanation/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) Browse all 92 Paraphrase quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Flannery O'Connor ... points out that 'a story really isn't good unless it successfully resists paraphrase. ...' ... Paraphrasing can force us into deeper levels of both story and self. O'Connor also says that a good story 'hangs on and expands the mind.' ... Most importantly, as we explore the largeness of stories, their 'macro' possibilities, we are forced further into the largeness of our own lives. 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