--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it…" description: "\"Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it may depart from the material order, teaches us to love ourselves in a wholesome manner by loving our neighbor...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/michael-o-brien-29331_believing_healthy-fiction-no-matter-how-wildly-it_2258426.png" --- # Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it may depart from… ![“Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it may depart from the material order, teaches us to love ourselves in a wholesome manner by loving our neighbor. Indeed, even by loving our enemies - at least by trying to learn to love them, and by believing that it is right to do so. With grace this is…” quote by Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/michael-o-brien-29331_believing_healthy-fiction-no-matter-how-wildly-it_2258426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/michael-o-brien-29331_believing_healthy-fiction-no-matter-how-wildly-it_2258426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/michael-o-brien-29331_believing_healthy-fiction-no-matter-how-wildly-it_2258426.png) > “Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it may depart from the material order, teaches us to love ourselves in a wholesome manner by loving our neighbor. Indeed, even by loving our enemies - at least by trying to learn to love them, and by believing that it is right to do so. With grace this is possible.” [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction that stretches reality can teach self‑love and empathy, even toward enemies, when approached with grace. **In simple terms:** Fiction can foster self‑love and empathy. Key Takeaway Embrace imaginative stories to grow compassion. Themes empathy self‑love fiction grace Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - reading fiction - volunteering - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology ethical growth narrative therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does imaginative reading change your view of others? - Can empathy be taught through stories? A Different Perspective May overlook practical solutions in favor of idealism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing/) [Depart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depart/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Healthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healthy/) [Healthy Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healthy-fiction-5187765/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Indeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indeed/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Wholesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-wholesome-5187766/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Loving Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-enemies-454407/) [Manner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manner/) [Material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Neighbor Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor-loving-835850/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ourselves/) [Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Teaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaches/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [To love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/to-love/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Wholesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholesome/) [Wholesome Manner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholesome-manner-1685548/) [Wildly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildly/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I like to behave in an extremely normal, wholesome manner for the most part in my daily life. Even if mentally I'm consumed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-like-to-behave-in-an-extremely-normal-wholesome-manner-for-the-most/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [You are obliged to love your neighbor as yourself, and loving him, you ought to help him spiritually, with prayer, counseling him with words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/you-are-obliged-to-love-your-neighbor-as-yourself-and-loving-him-you/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I do not believe in loving enemies; I have pretty hard work to love my friends. Neither do I believe in revenge. No man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-do-not-believe-in-loving-enemies-i-have-pretty-hard-work-to-love-my/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“We were outsider, yes, but insiders to a hard-won truth: giving your life away is the only way to truly find it. Loving our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/we-were-outsider-yes-but-insiders-to-a-hard-won-truth-giving-your/) [Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/) > [If you form the habit of taking what someone else says about a thing without checking it out for yourself, you'll find that other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-you-form-the-habit-of-taking-what-someone-else-says-about-a-thing/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [We are saved by a man who died loving his enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/we-are-saved-by-a-man-who-died-loving-his-enemies/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, Love your enemies. It is this: that love has within it a redemptive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-there-is-a-final-reason-i-think-that-jesus-says-love-your-enemies-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “\[Martin Luther King, Jr.\] concluded the learned discourse that came to be known as the 'loving your enemies' sermon this way: 'So this morning,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/martin-luther-king-jr-concluded-the-learned-discourse-that-came-to-be/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [Instead of loving your enemies, have no enemies to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/instead-of-loving-your-enemies-have-no-enemies-to-love/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Instead of loving your enemies - treat your friends a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-loving-your-enemies-treat-your-friends-a-little-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Loving, of enemies is another dogma of feigned morality, and has besides no meaning. It is incumbent on man, as a moralist, that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/loving-of-enemies-is-another-dogma-of-feigned-morality-and-has/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Happiness is loving your enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-loving-your-enemies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Loving our enemies also teaches us that the gospel is bigger and more important than any other issue. It trumps all divisions, prejudices, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-leonard/loving-our-enemies-also-teaches-us-that-the-gospel-is-bigger-and-more/) [John S. Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-leonard/) > [Loving Your Enemies... Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this demand is an absolute necessity for the survival of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/loving-your-enemies-far-from-being-the-pious-injunction-of-a-utopian/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Loving your enemies does not mean you have to agree with or accept what they do. You can still love all of mankind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-jane-andrews-hoey/loving-your-enemies-does-not-mean-you-have-to-agree-with-or-accept/) [Bethany Jane Andrews Hoey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-jane-andrews-hoey/) ## More by Michael O'Brien > [Corrupt fantasy points us, or forms us, in a consciousness that can lead to thinking that evil is good and good is evil. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/corrupt-fantasy-points-us-or-forms-us-in-a-consciousness-that-can/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [J.K. Rowling is a talented storyteller, but she has also used the style and technique of modern television and cinema media, which seizes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/j-k-rowling-is-a-talented-storyteller-but-she-has-also-used-the-style/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [“I am coming to see that it is not so much a question of finding the right place, the right time, the ideal marriage.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/i-am-coming-to-see-that-it-is-not-so-much-a-question-of-finding-the/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [“I have been defeated, and in the defeat I have won myself. It is a pleasure to die at the hands of Life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/i-have-been-defeated-and-in-the-defeat-i-have-won-myself-it-is-a/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Harry Potter represents a much larger wave of cultural revolution that we're all immersed in, and I believe it's a spiritual revolution as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/harry-potter-represents-a-much-larger-wave-of-cultural-revolution/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [I knew there would be some controversy over the 'Potter' series between religious people and secular-minded people - that was inevitable - what astonished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/i-knew-there-would-be-some-controversy-over-the-potter-series-between/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Love cannot long survive without truth. Nor is truth really truth unless it is integrated with love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/love-cannot-long-survive-without-truth-nor-is-truth-really-truth/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [There are indeed 'values' in the Harry Potter series, but they're confused with anti-values. Potterworld is a scrambled moral universe. There are Christian symbols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/there-are-indeed-values-in-the-harry-potter-series-but-they-re/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Genuine freedom is possible only where there is genuine love. And genuine love is not possible without truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/genuine-freedom-is-possible-only-where-there-is-genuine-love-and/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [If creators of Christian culture hope to produce work that will bear good fruit, we must draw our life from the true source -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/if-creators-of-christian-culture-hope-to-produce-work-that-will-bear/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Imagination is a screen onto which the evil spirits can 'project' images, temptations presented as stimulating entertainments, offering us pleasurable rewards if we give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/imagination-is-a-screen-onto-which-the-evil-spirits-can-project/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [My Catholic faith is my life. Any artist, if he is to be faithful to how he perceives the world and to the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/my-catholic-faith-is-my-life-any-artist-if-he-is-to-be-faithful-to/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [We must become a people who are in submission, that is, submitted completely to the mission of the Church, 'in statu missionis.' Thus, living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/we-must-become-a-people-who-are-in-submission-that-is-submitted/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Providence The will of God acting together with human will. But he respects our will absolutely. He does not force. Love never forces. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/providence-the-will-of-god-acting-together-with-human-will-but-he/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [Whether one is Marian or Charismatic or both, or prays in one or more of the many other ways open to us, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/whether-one-is-marian-or-charismatic-or-both-or-prays-in-one-or-more/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) [Explore all 18 Michael O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) ## More Believing quotes > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I've never let anyone talk me into not believing in myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-never-let-anyone-talk-me-into-not-believing-in-myself/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“Believing is not the same as knowing. Believing is second-hand knowledge, whereas knowing is first-hand experience. When your action comes from a level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-kanna/believing-is-not-the-same-as-knowing-believing-is-second-hand/) [Yogi Kanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-kanna/) > [Things aren't always as they appear. I've been believing things to be a certain way because I want them to be that way. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/things-aren-t-always-as-they-appear-i-ve-been-believing-things-to-be/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [You cannot will yourself to be happy while believing that you have no right to happiness, or that you are unworthy of it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/you-cannot-will-yourself-to-be-happy-while-believing-that-you-have-no/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [It's never late to go after your dreams. All it takes is believing and hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitor-belfort/it-s-never-late-to-go-after-your-dreams-all-it-takes-is-believing-and/) [Vitor Belfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitor-belfort/) > [“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/there-are-five-important-things-for-living-a-successful-and/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Start believing that things are going to change for the better. Not because you deserve it, but simply because God loves you that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-believing-that-things-are-going-to-change-for-the-better-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never stopped believing in my ability or what I was doing. I want to pass that sense of faith and perseverance on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vantile-whitfield/i-never-stopped-believing-in-my-ability-or-what-i-was-doing-i-want-to/) [Vantile Whitfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vantile-whitfield/) > [“It’s not easy to believe in anything when your whole world turns upside down. The main thing is to keep believing in yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-jayne-ashford/it-s-not-easy-to-believe-in-anything-when-your-whole-world-turns/) [Lindsay Jayne Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-jayne-ashford/) > [Stop expecting, Start believing¦ If you truly love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-expecting-start-believing-if-you-truly-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This idea that once you get into politics... you are now signed up for lifelong duty being in elective office, makes a fundamental error…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/this-idea-that-once-you-get-into-politics-you-are-now-signed-up-for/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tang/chairman-mao-not-only-introduced-pinyin-in-china-but-also-simplified/) [David Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tang/) > [It's one thing believing in yourself, it's another thing having other people believe in you, and that is the greatest gift, honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-magnussen/it-s-one-thing-believing-in-yourself-it-s-another-thing-having-other/) [Billy Magnussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-magnussen/) > [We have been deceived into believing prayer is all about persuading God to release His power. We no longer need to beg or plead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wommack/we-have-been-deceived-into-believing-prayer-is-all-about-persuading/) [Andrew Wommack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wommack/) [Browse all 1,471 Believing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Healthy fiction, no matter how wildly it may depart from the material order, teaches us to love ourselves in a wholesome manner by loving our neighbor. Indeed, even by loving our enemies - at least by trying to learn to love them, and by believing that it is right to do so. 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