--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was all the answer Rook needed. He…" description: "\"“It was all the answer Rook needed. He plunged his hand into the soil, long fingers grasping down. This was no offering to the earth, but a command to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/margaret-rogerson-15651_storytelling_it-was-all-the-answer-rook-needed-he-plu_2872658.jpg" --- # It was all the answer Rook needed. He plunged his hand… ![“It was all the answer Rook needed. He plunged his hand into the soil, long fingers grasping down. This was no offering to the earth, but a command to it, and the forest surged around us. Bramble roots as wide around as kitchen tables heaved up from the ground, bristling with thorns longer and more…” quote by Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/margaret-rogerson-15651_storytelling_it-was-all-the-answer-rook-needed-he-plu_2872658.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/margaret-rogerson-15651_storytelling_it-was-all-the-answer-rook-needed-he-plu_2872658.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/margaret-rogerson-15651_storytelling_it-was-all-the-answer-rook-needed-he-plu_2872658.jpg) > ““It was all the answer Rook needed. He plunged his hand into the soil, long fingers grasping down. This was no offering to the earth, but a command to it, and the forest surged around us. Bramble roots as wide around as kitchen tables heaved up from the ground, bristling with thorns longer and more wicked than any sword. When they reached their full height they branched, heaving higher, knotting together, until they gathered us up in a fortress like something out of an old tale, a place where a cursed princess slept imprisoned. I was gladdened by the sight of those vicious thorns more than I could say, and wondered whether the stories would have gone any differently if the princesses had been the ones telling them.”” [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rook commands the forest, turning thorns into a protective fortress, reflecting how narratives shape reality. **In simple terms:** Commanding nature creates protective stories. Key Takeaway Use storytelling to shape environment. Themes myth nature power Mood imaginative dramatic Type fantasy inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - world‑building - personal empowerment Key Concepts symbolism agency Questions to Reflect On - How do stories give power over surroundings? - When can narrative become oppressive? A Different Perspective May romanticize conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one's garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/life-is-bristling-with-thorns-and-i-know-no-other-remedy-than-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Don’t beat around the bush, it will only get you into the thorns. Say what you mean and mean what you say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-hoevelmann/don-t-beat-around-the-bush-it-will-only-get-you-into-the-thorns-say/) Jason Hoevelmann > [I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses in the very midst of thorns and the longer and sharper the thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-always-sing-even-if-i-must-gather-my-roses-in-the-very-midst/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is about movement, expansion, growth, and actualizing potential. If you stay in a home, relationship, or job beyond the time it is healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/life-is-about-movement-expansion-growth-and-actualizing-potential-if/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“No. You surpass us all." Beside me she looked colorless and frail. "You are like a living rose among wax flowers. We may last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/no-you-surpass-us-all-beside-me-she-looked-colorless-and-frail-you/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [This is not the way these tales end," Calliope said firmly. "This is not the way that things end when they get to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/this-is-not-the-way-these-tales-end-calliope-said-firmly-this-is-not/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [“I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-fall-upon-the-thorns-of-life-i-bleed/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/what-good-does-it-do-me-after-all-if-an-ever-watchful-authority-keeps/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [He that sows thorns should never go barefoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/he-that-sows-thorns-should-never-go-barefoot/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [As the Arabs say, "The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/as-the-arabs-say-the-nature-of-rain-is-the-same-but-it-makes-thorns/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [You know what’s a great metaphor for love? Sleeping beauty. Because you have to plow through this incredible thicket of thorns in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-know-what-s-a-great-metaphor-for-love-sleeping-beauty-because-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOU When I hold a rose, I see the soft, velvety petals and smile, because tucked between those precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schroeder/the-difference-between-me-and-you-when-i-hold-a-rose-i-see-the-soft/) [Lisa Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schroeder/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Sometimes, sometimes it is really difficult to turn and walk away from someone you have loved and cherished for so long. You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/) [David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/) ## More by Margaret Rogerson > [“I quite like eggs,” I replied firmly, well aware that the enchantments he described would all turn strange and sour, even deadly, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/i-quite-like-eggs-i-replied-firmly-well-aware-that-the-enchantments/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/why-do-we-desire-above-all-other-things-that-which-has-the-greatest/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“They looked like a pair of cupids who had decided they liked shooting people with real arrows better. They were horrible. I loved them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/they-looked-like-a-pair-of-cupids-who-had-decided-they-liked-shooting/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“I didn’t want to listen to Rook offering me roses whose perfume would make me forget all my childhood memories, or diamonds that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/i-didn-t-want-to-listen-to-rook-offering-me-roses-whose-perfume-would/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“I wondered if my head and heart would ever reconcile, or whether I'd just cursed myself to relive this moment for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/i-wondered-if-my-head-and-heart-would-ever-reconcile-or-whether-i-d/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“Walking along a blade’s edge was only fun until the blade stopped being a metaphor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/walking-along-a-blade-s-edge-was-only-fun-until-the-blade-stopped/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“Frankly, I had no idea how anyone knew if they were in love in the first place. Was there ever a single thread a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/frankly-i-had-no-idea-how-anyone-knew-if-they-were-in-love-in-the/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“When terrible things have happened to you, sometimes the promise of something good can be just as frightening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/when-terrible-things-have-happened-to-you-sometimes-the-promise-of/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“You are empty,” I said, my throat working, “and cruel.” “Ah. Yes, now that is true. Would you like to know the greatest secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/you-are-empty-i-said-my-throat-working-and-cruel-ah-yes-now-that-is/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“But isn’t absurdity part of being human? We aren’t ageless creatures who watch centuries pass from afar. Our worlds are small, our lives are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/but-isn-t-absurdity-part-of-being-human-we-aren-t-ageless-creatures/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“What must it be like? To meet someone, to forge a connection, all in the span of one golden afternoon—only to find out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/what-must-it-be-like-to-meet-someone-to-forge-a-connection-all-in-the/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“Yet no matter what they were doing, everyone in the forest waited with an indrawn breath, waiting for the taste of autumn, the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/yet-no-matter-what-they-were-doing-everyone-in-the-forest-waited-with/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“What a pretty bird you are," I crooned. His struggling slowed, then stilled. I felt him cock his head. "What a lovely bird," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/what-a-pretty-bird-you-are-i-crooned-his-struggling-slowed-then/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“Then he strode right over and, in one smooth motion, insinuated himself into the bed next to me, facing me, under the covers, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/then-he-strode-right-over-and-in-one-smooth-motion-insinuated-himself/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) > [“We were in the autumnlands. Dim as it was, the forest glowed. The golden leaves flashing by blazed like sparks caught in the updraft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-rogerson/we-were-in-the-autumnlands-dim-as-it-was-the-forest-glowed-the-golden/) [Margaret Rogerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) [Explore all 37 Margaret Rogerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-rogerson/) ## More Storytelling quotes > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [If you do weave one-liners into a story, you have to have an overall story as well, otherwise it doesn't really count as narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/if-you-do-weave-one-liners-into-a-story-you-have-to-have-an-overall/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) > [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/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We can never tell what is in store for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-can-never-tell-what-is-in-store-for-us/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Societies everywhere have a tendency to construct a genealogically useful past for themselves in which desirable versions of their history are favored and unwanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tudor-parfitt/societies-everywhere-have-a-tendency-to-construct-a-genealogically/) Tudor Parfitt > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [“We take creative license with the fictional narratives that become our memories. Anthologized, these are the tales that become the story of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-ganek/we-take-creative-license-with-the-fictional-narratives-that-become/) [Danielle Ganek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-ganek/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [I make no distinction between writing and storytelling; I've always wanted to tell stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/i-make-no-distinction-between-writing-and-storytelling-i-ve-always/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) [Browse all 5,638 Storytelling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was all the answer Rook needed. He plunged his hand into the soil, long fingers grasping down. This was no offering to the earth, but a command to it, and the forest surged around us. Bramble roots as wide around as kitchen tables heaved up from the ground, bristling with thorns longer and more wicked than any sword. When they reached their full height they branched, heaving higher, knotting together, until they gathered us up in a fortress like something out of an old tale, a place where a cursed princess slept imprisoned. 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