--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thy only authentic ending is the one…" description: "\"Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die, John and Mary die, John and Mary die.\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg" --- # Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John… ![“Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die, John and Mary die, John and Mary die.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg) > “Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die, John and Mary die, John and Mary die.” [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. The quote satirically underscores the inevitability of repeated tragedy in a deterministic narrative. **In simple terms:** Repeated tragedy is inevitable in some stories. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns of recurring outcomes. Themes fatalism satire repetition Mood thought‑provoking somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literary analysis - storytelling - psychology Key Concepts narrative determinism existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What cycles repeat in your life? - Can you break a deterministic pattern? A Different Perspective May overlook agency and possibility of change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authentic Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic-ending-2331586/) [Die John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-john-2327654/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Ending Provided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-provided-4743170/) [Mary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mary/) [Mary Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mary-die-4743169/) ## Related quotes > [“You'll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it. Don't be deluded by any other endings, they're all fake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/you-ll-have-to-face-it-the-endings-are-the-same-however-you-slice-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I've watched a lot of my friends die, everyone from John Belushi, River Phoenix to Chris Farley. It just keeps going on and on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-aames/i-ve-watched-a-lot-of-my-friends-die-everyone-from-john-belushi-river/) [Willie Aames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-aames/) > [I feel like part of me will die when John Goodman dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-teigen/i-feel-like-part-of-me-will-die-when-john-goodman-dies/) [Chrissy Teigen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-teigen/) > [If I were going to convert to any religion I would probably choose Catholicism because it at least has female saints and the Virgin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-i-were-going-to-convert-to-any-religion-i-would-probably-choose/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“For if the world treats you well, Sir, you come to believe you are deserving of it. Mary”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/for-if-the-world-treats-you-well-sir-you-come-to-believe-you-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [It wasn't so easy though, ending the war. A war is a huge fire; the ashes from it drift far, and settle slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-wasn-t-so-easy-though-ending-the-war-a-war-is-a-huge-fire-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Maybe it's coming from Mary but I've seen her since morning already. So it's not her...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-isaacs/maybe-it-s-coming-from-mary-but-i-ve-seen-her-since-morning-already/) [Gregory Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-isaacs/) > [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I keep all my clothes on in House on Haunted Hill, Mary Jane's Last Dance, and The Way of the Gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/i-keep-all-my-clothes-on-in-house-on-haunted-hill-mary-jane-s-last/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [Guys standing around and talking about Spanish fly: 'You know anything about Spanish fly?' 'No, tell me about it.' Well there's this girl Crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/guys-standing-around-and-talking-about-spanish-fly-you-know-anything/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“He had despised that Mary with her idiot smile, symbol of a story that meant nothing, servant of a God who no good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-had-despised-that-mary-with-her-idiot-smile-symbol-of-a-story-that/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [If I could ever be on a Missy Elliott record, I could then die. Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige - I love hearing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/if-i-could-ever-be-on-a-missy-elliott-record-i-could-then-die-missy/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [My dream is to produce thousand Mary Koms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kom/my-dream-is-to-produce-thousand-mary-koms/) [Mary Kom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kom/) ## 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 Ending quotes > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 2010, Republicans took control of politics in Alabama by advocating for increased transparency and an end to government corruption, but instead of ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/in-2010-republicans-took-control-of-politics-in-alabama-by-advocating/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-and-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break ups arent always meant for make ups. Sometimes relationships end in order for you to wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/break-ups-arent-always-meant-for-make-ups-sometimes-relationships-end/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) [Browse all 1,316 Ending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die, John and Mary die, John and Mary die.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-provided-here-john-and-mary-die/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-provided-here-john-and-mary-die/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/margaret-atwood-40_ending_thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-pro_575869.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Thy only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die, John and Mary die, John and Mary die.” — 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": "Thy only authentic ending is the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-provided-here-john-and-mary-die/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/thy-only-authentic-ending-is-the-one-provided-here-john-and-mary-die/#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 } } ] } ```