--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It might seem strange to start a story…" description: "\"“It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/mitch-albom-187_endings_it-might-seem-strange-to-start-a-story-w_639504.png" --- # It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But… ![“It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/mitch-albom-187_endings_it-might-seem-strange-to-start-a-story-w_639504.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/mitch-albom-187_endings_it-might-seem-strange-to-start-a-story-w_639504.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/mitch-albom-187_endings_it-might-seem-strange-to-start-a-story-w_639504.png) > ““It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories can begin with their conclusion, showing that endings are also beginnings, though we often fail to recognize this at the moment. **In simple terms:** Endings are also beginnings, though we may not see it. Key Takeaway Recognize that conclusions can seed new starts. Themes storytelling life cycles perspective Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - personal growth - reflection - acceptance Key Concepts Narrative structure cyclical time Questions to Reflect On - How can recognizing an ending as a beginning change your outlook? - What endings in your life felt like new starts? A Different Perspective Not all endings are clear; some may be ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Endings Beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endings-beginnings/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“This is the story of a man named Eddie and it starts at the end, with Eddie dying in the sun. It may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/this-is-the-story-of-a-man-named-eddie-and-it-starts-at-the-end-with/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I hope you come to hear the tale, and not just munch your way through the pages to the ending…endings are heartless. An ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-hope-you-come-to-hear-the-tale-and-not-just-munch-your-way-through/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There is no such thing as a happy ending, but there are endings with happy people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becos-mushenkye/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-happy-ending-but-there-are-endings-with/) Becos Mushenkye > [Because I think of novels as collaborative enterprises between the writer and the reader, all of my novels so far have ending with endings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/because-i-think-of-novels-as-collaborative-enterprises-between-the/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/all-endings-are-also-beginnings-we-just-don-t-know-it-at-the-time/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [All endings are beginnings; we just dont know it at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/all-endings-are-beginnings-we-just-dont-know-it-at-the-time/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I've just started school again, and it was a bit strange to start off with; it took me three or four days to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/i-ve-just-started-school-again-and-it-was-a-bit-strange-to-start-off/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [“And endings are always the beginnings of something else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-goldberg-sloan/and-endings-are-always-the-beginnings-of-something-else/) [Holly Goldberg Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-goldberg-sloan/) > [Endings are beginnings, and beginnings are ours to turn into something good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chandler/endings-are-beginnings-and-beginnings-are-ours-to-turn-into-something/) [Elizabeth Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chandler/) > [So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it's the hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/so-much-for-endings-beginnings-are-always-more-fun-true-connoisseurs/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Observe how endings become beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/observe-how-endings-become-beginnings/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Endings are beginnings-if we allow them to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-day/endings-are-beginnings-if-we-allow-them-to-be/) Laura Day > [“Thats the best thing about endings: they have to be beginnings, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/thats-the-best-thing-about-endings-they-have-to-be-beginnings-too/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“There are no endings, only beginnings that have been reborn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-tiger-and-the-year-of-the-dragon-d-byron-patterson/there-are-no-endings-only-beginnings-that-have-been-reborn/) Little Tiger and the Year of the Dragon D. Byron Patterson > [Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings, I observe how all endings become beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/amidst-the-rush-of-worldly-comings-and-goings-i-observe-how-all/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Endings quotes > [“I’m more happy than not. Don’t forget me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/i-m-more-happy-than-not-don-t-forget-me/) [Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/) > [There are no such things as happy endings. Never. They're totally manufactured by fiction writers who choose to end the story on a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-david/there-are-no-such-things-as-happy-endings-never-they-re-totally/) [Peter David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-david/) > [“You couldn't ever really fix a sad story. You could only make another. And another. And another, until you found the right one at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/you-couldn-t-ever-really-fix-a-sad-story-you-could-only-make-another/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Happy endings come in different packages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-f-wright/happy-endings-come-in-different-packages/) [Jason F. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-f-wright/) > [I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-briggs/i-don-t-believe-in-happy-endings-children-have-got-to-face-death/) Raymond Briggs > [“I hope you come to hear the tale, and not just munch your way through the pages to the ending…endings are heartless. An ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-hope-you-come-to-hear-the-tale-and-not-just-munch-your-way-through/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I won, goddammit. I beat Kollberg. I beat you. I got everything I goddamn wanted: fame, wealth, power. Shit, I even got the girl."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/i-won-goddammit-i-beat-kollberg-i-beat-you-i-got-everything-i-goddamn/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [“Every good story needs a good ending. Don't write the beginning of a novel without knowing the end of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-y-howle/every-good-story-needs-a-good-ending-don-t-write-the-beginning-of-a/) A.D.Y. Howle > [In His plan there are no true endings. Only everlasting beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/in-his-plan-there-are-no-true-endings-only-everlasting-beginnings/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“ The Prodigal Son They gave the deep end of their heart--a hue of crimson red, They whispered their desire and offered up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/the-prodigal-son-they-gave-the-deep-end-of-their-heart-a-hue-of/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [My family doesn't do happy endings. We do sad endings or frustrating endings or no endings at all. We are hardwired to expect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-solo/my-family-doesn-t-do-happy-endings-we-do-sad-endings-or-frustrating/) [Hope Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-solo/) > [I'm in the game of realism so happy endings probably feel a little bit too neat for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/i-m-in-the-game-of-realism-so-happy-endings-probably-feel-a-little/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) > [Go for the happy endings, because life doesn't have any sequels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/go-for-the-happy-endings-because-life-doesn-t-have-any-sequels/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Well, if you are to help me with my work, you had better get used to stories without endings. True stories seldom have endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/well-if-you-are-to-help-me-with-my-work-you-had-better-get-used-to/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Happy endings aren't just for fairy tales and massage parlors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gloss/happy-endings-aren-t-just-for-fairy-tales-and-massage-parlors/) [Susan Gloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gloss/) Browse all 528 Endings quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. 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