--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not every story begins with \"Once upon a…" description: "\"“Not every story begins with \"Once upon a time\" or ends with \"Happily ever after.\" Written in Blood is one of those stories.”\" — Nathan Bush" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg" --- # Not every story begins with "Once upon a time" or ends… ![“Not every story begins with "Once upon a time" or ends with "Happily ever after." Written in Blood is one of those stories.” quote by Nathan Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg) > ““Not every story begins with "Once upon a time" or ends with "Happily ever after." Written in Blood is one of those stories.”” [Nathan Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bush/) ## 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 subvert classic fairy‑tale expectations, using visceral imagery to explore darker narratives. **In simple terms:** Not all stories follow happy endings; some are gritty. Key Takeaway Embrace unconventional storytelling. Themes narrative subversion dark fantasy literary style Mood thoughtful intense Type literary analytical When to use this quote - novel writing - creative workshops - literary analysis Key Concepts blood metaphor fairy‑tale structure Questions to Reflect On - How does blood symbolism affect your perception? - What makes a story compelling without a happy ending? A Different Perspective Some readers may find graphic content off‑putting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Blood Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood-stories-4709100/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Happily Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happily-written-5405141/) [Story Begins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-begins-651124/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Written Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-blood-254065/) ## Related quotes > [“You mean fiction?" I said. "I mean flesh-and-blood stories about what happens outside your head, Albert. Stories that touch your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-hesketh/you-mean-fiction-i-said-i-mean-flesh-and-blood-stories-about-what/) [Peggy Hesketh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-hesketh/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [In the house of poetry nothing endures that is not written with blood to be heard with blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/in-the-house-of-poetry-nothing-endures-that-is-not-written-with-blood/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“That would be just dandy. All we’d have to do is sit back and wait for them to wipe each other out. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-nicholson/that-would-be-just-dandy-all-we-d-have-to-do-is-sit-back-and-wait-for/) [Scott Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-nicholson/) > [Of all writings I love only that which is written with blood. Write with blood: and you will discover that blood is spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-writings-i-love-only-that-which-is-written-with-blood-write/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Goodbye my friend, goodbye my love, you're in my heart It was preordained that we should part, and be united by and by, united…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/goodbye-my-friend-goodbye-my-love-you-re-in-my-heart-it-was/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [“Of all that is written, I love only what a person hath written with his blood. Write with blood, and thou wilt find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-person-hath-written-with-2/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“He was to be their page, their book, the vessel for their autobiographies. A book of blood. A book made of blood. A book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/he-was-to-be-their-page-their-book-the-vessel-for-their/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I began to think that the finest modern writer was the screen actor. This was in the spirit of the Fifties where a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-began-to-think-that-the-finest-modern-writer-was-the-screen-actor/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“it is the violent peotry of the times written in the blood of the youth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodriguez/it-is-the-violent-peotry-of-the-times-written-in-the-blood-of-the/) [Luis J Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodriguez/) > [Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-person-has-written-with-his/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“it is the violent of the times ,written in the blood of the youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-mendoza/it-is-the-violent-of-the-times-written-in-the-blood-of-the-youth/) [Linda Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-mendoza/) > [The history of each and every territory is written in the blood of those who died trying to fulfill the aspirations of their ambitious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-history-of-each-and-every-territory-is-written-in-the-blood-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Of all that is written, I love only what a person hath written with his blood. Write with blood, and thou wilt find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-2/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-person-hath-written-with/) [Nietzsche, Friedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nietzsche-friedrich-2/) > [“A sign read "Free drinks for billiards competitors only." Hand-lettered below read "All others will pay." It was written in blood. I could tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-tash/a-sign-read-free-drinks-for-billiards-competitors-only-hand-lettered/) [Red Tash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-tash/) ## More by Nathan Bush > [“There is no perfect crime. God sees everything. - Senior Detective John Filcher - The Foley Chronicles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bush/there-is-no-perfect-crime-god-sees-everything-senior-detective-john/) [Nathan Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bush/) [Explore all 2 Nathan Bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bush/) ## More Blood quotes > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Don't trust everyone, because one day you will shed tears of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/don-t-trust-everyone-because-one-day-you-will-shed-tears-of-blood/) [SunShine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [I have no intention of retiring. Even my blood sugar is better when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-even-my-blood-sugar-is-better-when-i/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [What about you three, where are you going?" Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/what-about-you-three-where-are-you-going-even-before-halt-answered/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/a-day-without-blood-is-like-a-day-without-sunshine/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 6,234 Blood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not every story begins with \"Once upon a time\" or ends with \"Happily ever after.\" Written in Blood is one of those stories.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Bush" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bush/not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a-time-or-ends-with-happily/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bush/not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a-time-or-ends-with-happily/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/nathan-bush-100265_blood_not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a_2294666.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not every story begins with \"Once upon a time\" or ends with \"Happily ever after.\" Written in Blood is one of…” — Nathan Bush", "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": "Nathan Bush", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bush/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Not every story begins with \"Once...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bush/not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a-time-or-ends-with-happily/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bush/not-every-story-begins-with-once-upon-a-time-or-ends-with-happily/#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 } } ] } ```