---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All stories are about wolves. All worth…"
description: "\"All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. ...Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, f..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg"
---

#  All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that…

![“All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. ...Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg)

> “All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. ...Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. Best of all, turning into the head wolf. No other decent stories exist.”

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## About This Quote

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

Stories revolve around confronting and mastering challenges, symbolized by wolves; the most compelling narratives involve becoming the leader.

**In simple terms:** Stories are about confronting challenges and leading.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenges, aim to lead.

Themes

conflict leadership storytelling

Mood

introspective motivational

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- team leadership
- personal growth
- creative writing
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

mythology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the wolf symbolize for you?
- How can you become a positive leader?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on conflict can overlook cooperation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Packs of wolves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/packs-of-wolves/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Taming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taming/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wolf pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolf-pack/) [Wolf packs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolf-packs/)

## Related quotes

> [All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. All of them? Sure, he says. Think about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything-3/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Dreams are like the old stories where wolves are seekers always running, and women carry fire in their bare hands and light the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-rendell/dreams-are-like-the-old-stories-where-wolves-are-seekers-always/)

[Tamara Rendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-rendell/)

> [not every boy thrown to the wolves becomes a hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/not-every-boy-thrown-to-the-wolves-becomes-a-hero/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [I think it's being thrown at the wolves, we call it in our business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/i-think-it-s-being-thrown-at-the-wolves-we-call-it-in-our-business/)

[Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/)

> [“Accept that you are bad and dirty and cheap and should be thrown to the wolves as scrap meat, and must never bear children,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/accept-that-you-are-bad-and-dirty-and-cheap-and-should-be-thrown-to/)

[Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/)

> [“another young FLDS woman get thrown to the wolves that spring. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-wall/another-young-flds-woman-get-thrown-to-the-wolves-that-spring-like/)

Elissa Wall

> [Firekeeper still could not understand the human penchant for eating in company. Even less so, she could not understand the human desire to combine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lindskold/firekeeper-still-could-not-understand-the-human-penchant-for-eating/)

[Jane Lindskold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lindskold/)

> [What I was doing when I was creating my werewolves is really basing them on a wild wolf pack, as much as possible. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/what-i-was-doing-when-i-was-creating-my-werewolves-is-really-basing/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“He now realized why wolves ran in packs—to more easily round up the large population of sheep and devour them. He also acknowledged that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasun-ether/he-now-realized-why-wolves-ran-in-packs-to-more-easily-round-up-the/)

[Jasun Ether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasun-ether/)

> [Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/many-years-ago-large-packs-of-wolves-roamed-the-countryside-in/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [A gang is the same as a wolf pack; gang members do not use their energies in friendship with one another, for they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haniel-long/a-gang-is-the-same-as-a-wolf-pack-gang-members-do-not-use-their/)

[Haniel Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haniel-long/)

> [The wolf pack will die when scattered by man, lonesome coyote survives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-wolf-pack-will-die-when-scattered-by-man-lonesome-coyote-survives/)

[Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/)

> [I woke up one morning thinking about wolves and realized that wolf packs function as families. Everyone has a role, and if you act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-woke-up-one-morning-thinking-about-wolves-and-realized-that-wolf/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Chris was involved in that casting process. It was a different feel because New Moon was the first time that the Wolf Pack got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/chris-was-involved-in-that-casting-process-it-was-a-different-feel/)

[Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/)

## More by Margaret Atwood

> [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/)

[margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More Decent quotes

> [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [As long as I can sing halfway decent, I'd rather sing than act. There's nothing like being in good voice, feeling good, having good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-keel/as-long-as-i-can-sing-halfway-decent-i-d-rather-sing-than-act-there-s/)

[Howard Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-keel/)

> [You weren't a decent man and you didn't do your best. We none of us were and none of us did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-weren-t-a-decent-man-and-you-didn-t-do-your-best-we-none-of-us/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/)

[Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/)

> [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Music and the arts feed our souls, but a decent wage puts food on the table. Musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/music-and-the-arts-feed-our-souls-but-a-decent-wage-puts-food-on-the/)

[Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/)

> [The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/land-ethic/the-key-log-which-must-be-moved-to-release-the-evolutionary-process/)

Land ethic

> [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/)

[Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/)

> [It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kramer/it-is-something-that-most-parents-hope-for-in-life-that-their/)

[Jerry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kramer/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [takes a devil to make a decent angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-spanbauer/takes-a-devil-to-make-a-decent-angel/)

[Tom Spanbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-spanbauer/)

> [I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-guess-the-only-thing-to-do-now-is-meet-his-parents-i-m-sure-they-re/)

[Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/)

Browse all 1,392 Decent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. ...Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. Best of all, turning into the head wolf. No other decent stories exist.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Decent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/margaret-atwood-40_decent_all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-r_2005152.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. ...Think…” — Margaret Atwood",
                "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": "Margaret Atwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All stories are about wolves. All...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
