--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always argued that we can't live…" description: "\"I have always argued that we can't live by or be made to exist outside of mythology, and that every group and nation has, possibly unacknowledged to th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/marina-warner-10971_groups_i-have-always-argued-that-we-can-t-live_1710467.jpg" --- # I have always argued that we can't live by or be made to… ![“I have always argued that we can't live by or be made to exist outside of mythology, and that every group and nation has, possibly unacknowledged to themselves, some myths by which they live. It remains important to revisit them, understand them and possibly retell them - or at least own up to…” quote by Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/marina-warner-10971_groups_i-have-always-argued-that-we-can-t-live_1710467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/marina-warner-10971_groups_i-have-always-argued-that-we-can-t-live_1710467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/marina-warner-10971_groups_i-have-always-argued-that-we-can-t-live_1710467.jpg) > “I have always argued that we can't live by or be made to exist outside of mythology, and that every group and nation has, possibly unacknowledged to themselves, some myths by which they live. It remains important to revisit them, understand them and possibly retell them - or at least own up to them - and then it becomes possible to move something. If it's obscure or invisible to you, you can't budge those understandings.” [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies construct myths that shape identity and behavior; recognizing and revisiting them enables growth and change. **In simple terms:** Myths shape us; revisiting them helps change. Key Takeaway Identify and own your cultural myths. Themes identity culture mythology growth Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - community building - education - political discourse Key Concepts Narrative Collective unconscious Symbolic meaning Questions to Reflect On - What myths influence your decisions? - How can you responsibly reinterpret a cultural myth? A Different Perspective Myths can be deeply entrenched and resistant to scrutiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible/) [Live by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-by/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology/) [Mythology Group](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythology-group-1240337/) [Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Obscure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscure/) [Outside Mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-mythology-1240335/) [Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remains/) [Unacknowledged Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unacknowledged-myths-1240339/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [I do think that this represents a kind of shift towards myth, a recovery of myth, largely through the popularity of writers like Philip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-do-think-that-this-represents-a-kind-of-shift-towards-myth-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I wish, to be honest, that there were more myths about me. I wish I was more of a mythical person, and that then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/i-wish-to-be-honest-that-there-were-more-myths-about-me-i-wish-i-was/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [It's not about superheroes. This is the method of universal storytelling that all people have... To me, they're the same as the Greek myths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/it-s-not-about-superheroes-this-is-the-method-of-universal/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) > [“For hero-worship often defeats its own ends; the boy who "cannot tell a lie," the boy who kept his finger in the hole in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-ma-guerrero/for-hero-worship-often-defeats-its-own-ends-the-boy-who-cannot-tell-a/) [Leon Ma. Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-ma-guerrero/) > [Now I'm a Catholic agnostic by the way. Yet those myths still live within me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/now-i-m-a-catholic-agnostic-by-the-way-yet-those-myths-still-live/) [Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/) > [We overhype everything. We create monumental myths. There are people who still believe that Brandi Chastain and the U.S. women's World Cup team pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/we-overhype-everything-we-create-monumental-myths-there-are-people/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [They do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-do-not-depend-upon-mere-legends-and-myths-they-are-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All my stories are like the Greek and Roman myths, and the Egyptian myths, and the Old and New Testament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/all-my-stories-are-like-the-greek-and-roman-myths-and-the-egyptian/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Like Achilles, the hero who forgot his heel, or like Icarus who, flying close to the sun, forgot that his wings were made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-longenecker/like-achilles-the-hero-who-forgot-his-heel-or-like-icarus-who-flying/) [Dwight Longenecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-longenecker/) > [Other people's beliefs may be myths, but not mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/other-people-s-beliefs-may-be-myths-but-not-mine/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/when-we-lose-our-myths-we-lose-our-place-in-the-universe/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Anachron’s Law: There is no myth which is so irrational that no one will believe it. Anachron’s Corollary: There is no truth which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hammond/anachron-s-law-there-is-no-myth-which-is-so-irrational-that-no-one/) [George Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hammond/) > [Songs are like myths. Myths are useful because they allow you to cast yourself and your life and your own experience. And for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/songs-are-like-myths-myths-are-useful-because-they-allow-you-to-cast/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [“Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/many-people-do-simply-awful-things-out-of-sincere-religious-belief/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [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/) ## More by Marina Warner > [“Ectoplasm is shapeless, it is “informe,” a kind of primordial paste—and to show itself as this, it annexes semiotic markers that designate intermediate spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/ectoplasm-is-shapeless-it-is-informe-a-kind-of-primordial-paste-and/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I was brought up a Catholic and I was quite fervent, because I was sent to a convent school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-was-brought-up-a-catholic-and-i-was-quite-fervent-because-i-was/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The female form provides the solution in which the essence itself is held; she is passio, and acted upon, the male is actio, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-female-form-provides-the-solution-in-which-the-essence-itself-is/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Love can make you turn on yourself, and it can do harmful things to you. It's a deep lesson in human psychology, as with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/love-can-make-you-turn-on-yourself-and-it-can-do-harmful-things-to/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [There is a theory, that I rather subscribe to. The frame story implies that if he doesn't change, she will kill him. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/there-is-a-theory-that-i-rather-subscribe-to-the-frame-story-implies/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [Creating simplicity often makes the heart leap; order has been restored, the crooked made straight. But order is understanding that things cannot be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/creating-simplicity-often-makes-the-heart-leap-order-has-been/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I avoid looking in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-avoid-looking-in-the-mirror/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The other thing about the Nights is that it is quite racist. One parentheses is that I think this is one of the negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-other-thing-about-the-nights-is-that-it-is-quite-racist-one/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The tales are quite hard to remember and I found that going back to it between bouts of writing fiction, I was having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-tales-are-quite-hard-to-remember-and-i-found-that-going-back-to/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [One of the metaphors of the book is the carpet. Not just the flying carpet, but the carpet as a woven surface in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/one-of-the-metaphors-of-the-book-is-the-carpet-not-just-the-flying/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The more one knows fairy tales the less fantastical they appear; they can be vehicles of the grimmest realism, expressing hope against all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-more-one-knows-fairy-tales-the-less-fantastical-they-appear-they/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [If you want to learn about a culture, you look at what buildings the people lived in but you also want to know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/if-you-want-to-learn-about-a-culture-you-look-at-what-buildings-the/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [I love titles and organizing chains of ideas. I like that very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-love-titles-and-organizing-chains-of-ideas-i-like-that-very-much/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [For example, John Law's Mississippi Company venture printed shares, and the money had gone up in smoke when it had been inscribed objects. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/for-example-john-law-s-mississippi-company-venture-printed-shares-and/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) [Explore all 62 Marina Warner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) ## More Groups quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [I have a really grounded group of friends, and they like me no matter what. I think it's really important to know who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-guthy/i-have-a-really-grounded-group-of-friends-and-they-like-me-no-matter/) [Jackson Guthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-guthy/) > [You can't have a movie with a group of people that are significant players in the story, that push forward the plot, without introducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/you-can-t-have-a-movie-with-a-group-of-people-that-are-significant/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [If you chose a particular religion, you were siding with the government religion of whatever region you were in. That's never been true in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-you-chose-a-particular-religion-you-were-siding-with-the/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Browse all 5,557 Groups quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always argued that we can't live by or be made to exist outside of mythology, and that every group and nation has, possibly unacknowledged to themselves, some myths by which they live. It remains important to revisit them, understand them and possibly retell them - or at least own up to them - and then it becomes possible to move something. 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