--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot help but be interested in the…" description: "\"“We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.”\" — Min Jin Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg" --- # We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people… ![“We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.” quote by Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg) > ““We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.”” [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History marginalizes certain stories, prompting curiosity. **In simple terms:** History often ignores some lives. Key Takeaway Seek out overlooked narratives. Themes history marginalization storytelling Mood empathetic inquisitive Type literary reflective When to use this quote - education - media representation - family histories Key Concepts social justice memory Questions to Reflect On - Which voices are missing in your community? - How can you amplify them? A Different Perspective Dominant narratives can dominate public memory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aside Thoughtlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aside-thoughtlessly-1478988/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Pushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-pushes-1478987/) [Interested Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-stories-1147850/) [Stories People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-people-382871/) [Thoughtlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtlessly-353336/) ## Related quotes > [For if I do something, I never do it thoughtlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/for-if-i-do-something-i-never-do-it-thoughtlessly/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Never give birth to children thoughtlessly!'' I want to shout it out loud.That is why, stroke by faltering stroke, I've written this all down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayo-masuda/never-give-birth-to-children-thoughtlessly-i-want-to-shout-it-out/) [Sayo Masuda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayo-masuda/) > [Verily, men do foolish things thoughtlessly, knowing not why; but no woman doeth aught without a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gelett-burgess/verily-men-do-foolish-things-thoughtlessly-knowing-not-why-but-no/) [Gelett Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gelett-burgess/) > [So thoughtlessly we sling on our destinies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/so-thoughtlessly-we-sling-on-our-destinies/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“Time is precious, but we squander it thoughtlessly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders-2/time-is-precious-but-we-squander-it-thoughtlessly/) [J Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders-2/) > [I refresh Twitter as thoughtlessly as some twirl their hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-refresh-twitter-as-thoughtlessly-as-some-twirl-their-hair/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [This is one of the reasons I'm so interested in stories. Because everyone has a story in their life, and when their story doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/this-is-one-of-the-reasons-i-m-so-interested-in-stories-because/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [I feel that, as a person of color, I've always been interested in the stories that are quiet and the stories that often get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/i-feel-that-as-a-person-of-color-i-ve-always-been-interested-in-the/) [Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/) > [I'm always interested in are stories that challenge people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/i-m-always-interested-in-are-stories-that-challenge-people/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [I'm not interested in stories. Stories are interesting but I don't think my head works that way. I remember at age 10 I dreamt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-m-not-interested-in-stories-stories-are-interesting-but-i-don-t/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [I'm interested in stories that help me, people navigate in this broken world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-m-interested-in-stories-that-help-me-people-navigate-in-this-broken/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [I'm interested in stories. I think I'm a bit of a pathfinder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-harlech/i-m-interested-in-stories-i-think-i-m-a-bit-of-a-pathfinder/) [Amanda Harlech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-harlech/) > [I found that while it was interesting to travel around and take the photographs, I would find that I was more interested in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-marston/i-found-that-while-it-was-interesting-to-travel-around-and-take-the/) [Joshua Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-marston/) > [I'm interested in stories that aren't getting told: it's where my interests lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-m-interested-in-stories-that-aren-t-getting-told-it-s-where-my/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [First I think I was interested in the stories, and later on, I became more interested in the language itself, so the stories became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/first-i-think-i-was-interested-in-the-stories-and-later-on-i-became/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More by Min Jin Lee > [If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/if-i-meet-a-wise-person-i-think-yes-tell-me-more-about-parenting/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I was told many times that my writing was either too Korean - or not Korean enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-was-told-many-times-that-my-writing-was-either-too-korean-or-not/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [ “\[...\] I talk to the dead although I don't believe in ghosts. But it makes me feel good to speak with them. Maybe that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-talk-to-the-dead-although-i-don-t-believe-in-ghosts-but-it-makes-me/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“Casey glanced at her plate again, recalling the posters of her elementary school lunchroom: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. So, how much you ate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/casey-glanced-at-her-plate-again-recalling-the-posters-of-her/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“Hoonie used to listen carefully to all the men who brought him news, and he would nod, exhale resolutely, and then get up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/hoonie-used-to-listen-carefully-to-all-the-men-who-brought-him-news/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I don't hold any contempt for people who are practicing law. I know how hard it is, I know how hard they work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-don-t-hold-any-contempt-for-people-who-are-practicing-law-i-know/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I moved to Queens, New York, when I was seven and a half. I went to middle school in a foreign country, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-moved-to-queens-new-york-when-i-was-seven-and-a-half-i-went-to/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I have romantic ideas about home and what it should mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-have-romantic-ideas-about-home-and-what-it-should-mean/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“It wasn't uncommon to hear rationalizations of this sort--the longing to transform bad deeds into good ones. No one ever wanted to hear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/it-wasn-t-uncommon-to-hear-rationalizations-of-this-sort-the-longing/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“People are rotten everywhere you go. They’re no good. You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/people-are-rotten-everywhere-you-go-they-re-no-good-you-want-to-see-a/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I like making things. I enjoy putting words and images on a blank space. There should be joy in the writing itself because parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-like-making-things-i-enjoy-putting-words-and-images-on-a-blank/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“What did Joseph say to his brothers who had sold him into slavery when he saw them again? “You intended to harm me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/what-did-joseph-say-to-his-brothers-who-had-sold-him-into-slavery/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“Sunja-ya, a woman’s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It’s better to expect it, you know. You’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/sunja-ya-a-woman-s-life-is-endless-work-and-suffering-there-is/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I really love Japan, and I liked living there very much, and there are so many terrific things about Japan. However, I do think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-really-love-japan-and-i-liked-living-there-very-much-and-there-are/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“Don't do what I do but what you think is right. But whatever you do, you can't keep yourself from getting hurt. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/don-t-do-what-i-do-but-what-you-think-is-right-but-whatever-you-do/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) [Explore all 89 Min Jin Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Min Jin Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the-stories-of-people-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the-stories-of-people-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a6/min-jin-lee-7625_history_we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the_2546267.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.” — Min Jin Lee", "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": "Min Jin Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We cannot help but be interested...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the-stories-of-people-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/we-cannot-help-but-be-interested-in-the-stories-of-people-that/#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 } } ] } ```