---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The germ of a story is a new and simple…"
description: "\"The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.\" — Malcolm Cowley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png"
---

#  The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced…

![“The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.” quote by Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png)

> “The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.”

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A story starts by inserting a fresh, simple element into an existing context, shifting mood.

**In simple terms:** New simple element changes a story.

Key Takeaway

Introduce fresh details to reshape narratives.

Themes

storytelling creativity structure innovation

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

creative inspirational

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- advertising
- teaching
- public speaking

Key Concepts

narrative theory dramatic tension literary technique

Questions to Reflect On

- What simple element can transform your current project?
- How does context affect the impact of a new idea?

A Different Perspective

Overly simple elements may feel forced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Germ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germ/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The "germ," wherever gathered, has ever been for me, "the germ of a story," and most of the stories strained to shape under my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-germ-wherever-gathered-has-ever-been-for-me-the-germ-of-a-story/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [Tinguely wasn't the first artist to work with machines. But others were more interested in precision, in what machines are meant to do. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pontus-hulten/tinguely-wasn-t-the-first-artist-to-work-with-machines-but-others/)

Pontus Hulten

> [“Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/something-really-new-three-simple-steps-to-creating-truly-innovative/)

[Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/)

> [In the germ, when the first trace of life begins to stir, music is the nurse of the soul; it murmurs in the ear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettina-skrzypczak/in-the-germ-when-the-first-trace-of-life-begins-to-stir-music-is-the/)

Bettina Skrzypczak

> [Bernard was right. The germ is nothing, the terrain is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/bernard-was-right-the-germ-is-nothing-the-terrain-is-everything/)

[Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/)

> [If the ‘germ theory of disease’ were correct, there’d be no one living to believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-palmer/if-the-germ-theory-of-disease-were-correct-there-d-be-no-one-living/)

[B. J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-palmer/)

> [Germ warfare against the United States would escalate to war against all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshijiro-umezu/germ-warfare-against-the-united-states-would-escalate-to-war-against/)

[Yoshijiro Umezu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshijiro-umezu/)

> [Almost no germ is unconditionally dangerous to man; its disease-producing ability depends upon the body's resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-selye/almost-no-germ-is-unconditionally-dangerous-to-man-its-disease/)

[Hans Selye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-selye/)

> [The terrain is everything; the germ is nothing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/the-terrain-is-everything-the-germ-is-nothing/)

[Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/)

> [Germ theory, which secularized infectious disease, had a side effect: it sacralized epidemiology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/germ-theory-which-secularized-infectious-disease-had-a-side-effect-it/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [Sometimes it takes a germ of an idea, which takes a long time to digest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/sometimes-it-takes-a-germ-of-an-idea-which-takes-a-long-time-to-digest/)

[Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/)

> [Well germ warfare of course exists. There have been on a small scale... There have been, of course, a few people who got killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/well-germ-warfare-of-course-exists-there-have-been-on-a-small-scale/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [A bacteriologist is a man whose conversation always start with the germ of an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-bacteriologist-is-a-man-whose-conversation-always-start-with-the/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [The first step toward the management of disease was replacement of demon theories and humours theories by the germ theory. That very step, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/the-first-step-toward-the-management-of-disease-was-replacement-of/)

[Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/)

> [I think we all have the germ of every other person inside of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybil-thorndike/i-think-we-all-have-the-germ-of-every-other-person-inside-of-us/)

[Sybil Thorndike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybil-thorndike/)

## More by Malcolm Cowley

> [“There would seem to be four stages in the composition of a story. First comes the germ of the story, then a period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/there-would-seem-to-be-four-stages-in-the-composition-of-a-story/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [First New York was a sort of provincial capital, bigger and richer than Manchester or Marseilles, but not much different in its essential spirit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/first-new-york-was-a-sort-of-provincial-capital-bigger-and-richer/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [“Everywhere was the atmosphere of a long debauch that had to end; the orchestras played too fast, the stakes were too high at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/everywhere-was-the-atmosphere-of-a-long-debauch-that-had-to-end-the/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Writing offers fairly large rewards to a few successful people, but the rewards come late, and most writers are failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/writing-offers-fairly-large-rewards-to-a-few-successful-people-but/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [“They were learning that New York had another life, too — subterranean, like almost everything that was human in the city — a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-were-learning-that-new-york-had-another-life-too-subterranean/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Age is not different from earlier life as long as youre sitting down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/age-is-not-different-from-earlier-life-as-long-as-youre-sitting-down/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-tell-you-that-you-ll-lose-your-mind-when-you-grow-older-what/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [In matters like writing and painting, a man does what he has to do - if he has to write, why then, he writes;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/in-matters-like-writing-and-painting-a-man-does-what-he-has-to-do-if/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [It is the fear of being as dependent as a young child, while not being loved as a child is loved, but merely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-is-the-fear-of-being-as-dependent-as-a-young-child-while-not-being/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [I never cease to be amazed why some of my friends became famous and others, just as talented, didn't. I've come to suspect it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/i-never-cease-to-be-amazed-why-some-of-my-friends-became-famous-and/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Going back to Hemingway's work after several years is like going back to a brook where you had often fished and finding the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/going-back-to-hemingway-s-work-after-several-years-is-like-going-back/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/be-kind-and-considerate-with-your-criticism-it-s-just-as-hard-to/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/talent-is-what-you-possess-genius-is-what-possesses-you/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [“No complete son of a bitch ever wrote a good sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/no-complete-son-of-a-bitch-ever-wrote-a-good-sentence/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

[Explore all 23 Malcolm Cowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

## More Elements quotes

> [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/)

[Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/)

> [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/)

[Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/)

[Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/)

> [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/)

[Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/)

> [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-actors-and-directors/)

[Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/)

> [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/)

[Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/)

> [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [To me, the most important elements in a theatre are the actors and the texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/to-me-the-most-important-elements-in-a-theatre-are-the-actors-and-the/)

[Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/)

> [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/)

[Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/)

> [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

[Browse all 3,647 Elements quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malcolm Cowley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Elements"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/malcolm-cowley-25549_elements_the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple_937608.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.” — Malcolm Cowley",
                "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": "Malcolm Cowley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The germ of a story is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```