--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked…" description: "\"“How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked. When?' they replied. In the beginning,' Aunt Velma said. Wid tears,' they assured her. Wid tears,' Dahlia chimed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/opal-palmer-adisa-267484_storytelling_how-did-it-begin-miss-cotton-asked-when_2513159.jpg" --- # How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked. When?' they replied… ![“How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked. When?' they replied. In the beginning,' Aunt Velma said. Wid tears,' they assured her. Wid tears,' Dahlia chimed. Ainsworth and the other children waited, but only silence responded to them. They were certain they had missed something; a few of them thought…” quote by Opal Palmer Adisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/opal-palmer-adisa-267484_storytelling_how-did-it-begin-miss-cotton-asked-when_2513159.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/opal-palmer-adisa-267484_storytelling_how-did-it-begin-miss-cotton-asked-when_2513159.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/opal-palmer-adisa-267484_storytelling_how-did-it-begin-miss-cotton-asked-when_2513159.jpg) > ““How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked. When?' they replied. In the beginning,' Aunt Velma said. Wid tears,' they assured her. Wid tears,' Dahlia chimed. Ainsworth and the other children waited, but only silence responded to them. They were certain they had missed something; a few of them thought perhaps they had even fallen asleep. They asked those who sat beside them, but they could offer no explanation. Ainsworth looked at his mother and she was crying. He felt ashamed for her, but he nticed the woman beside her was also crying. He saw the faces of all the adults, including the men, and tears streamed down all their faces. The story was their memory. The story was the pain that produced tears. The story was what they had lived. The story was their petty jealousy that caused them to begrudge each other every minor success and plot ways to harm one another. The story was all that was lost to them because someone was too selfish to share, too mean to forgive, too blind to see the possibilities. The story was the beginning of their lives that had been old them over and over, but out of embarrassment they hadn't listened; so when the time came for those tales to be useful, they didn't know the details and groped in self-darkness. The story was in the first drop of salty tear that was shed for them, that they shed for themselves. Ainsworht lookd around at his mother and the other adults crying and felt cheated, until he found his own tears. Salty. Sticky. Inseparable from him, like the pain of birth. That was indeed the beginning.”” [Opal Palmer Adisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-palmer-adisa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories hold collective memory, pain, and lessons; sharing them prevents loss and fosters empathy. **In simple terms:** Stories preserve memory and teach. Key Takeaway Share and listen to stories. Themes memory pain empathy Mood reflective empathetic Type Storytelling:1 Tears:0 Crying Felt:0 Tears Story:0 Tears Salty:0 Story Memory:0 When to use this quote - education - family traditions - community healing Key Concepts narrative therapy psychology cultural heritage Questions to Reflect On - What truths emerge in shared narratives? - How does storytelling heal? A Different Perspective Stories can be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crying Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying-felt-874832/) [Story Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-memory-1175600/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tears Salty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-salty-1175599/) [Tears Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-story-1175598/) ## Related quotes > [Tears are salty water with full of emotions. Everyone know its taste but few only know value too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sav-singh-gill/tears-are-salty-water-with-full-of-emotions-everyone-know-its-taste/) [Sav Singh Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sav-singh-gill/) > [Is this pain real or are we the ones who created it?? Did we create all the bad feelings or were they already created?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amjed-alaa/is-this-pain-real-or-are-we-the-ones-who-created-it-did-we-create-all/) [Amjed Alaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amjed-alaa/) > [This is the role of writers: to turn their tears into a story - and perhaps into a prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/this-is-the-role-of-writers-to-turn-their-tears-into-a-story-and/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Don’t you dare feel bad for me. I’m not writing this for you to shed tears. My story goes a whole lot deeper than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-robinson/don-t-you-dare-feel-bad-for-me-i-m-not-writing-this-for-you-to-shed/) [M. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-robinson/) > [During my grandma's funeral, I looked over once and saw my mom crying, and I felt so bad for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/during-my-grandma-s-funeral-i-looked-over-once-and-saw-my-mom-crying/) [Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/) > [“and the three women, after crying, felt united in a love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/and-the-three-women-after-crying-felt-united-in-a-love/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Some time in the night I got up, tiptoed to my window, and looked out at my doghouse. It looked so lonely and empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-rawls/some-time-in-the-night-i-got-up-tiptoed-to-my-window-and-looked-out/) [Wilson Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-rawls/) > [“And just like that she was crying. I felt a little like That Guy who holds a baby at arm's length because he's afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-gratton/and-just-like-that-she-was-crying-i-felt-a-little-like-that-guy-who/) [Tessa Gratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-gratton/) > [One day I was crying because I felt u didnt care about me so you just walked past me than came lunch you stood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/one-day-i-was-crying-because-i-felt-u-didnt-care-about-me-so-you-just/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myself/) > [“His wife was crying, and he felt nothing; only each time she sobbed in this profound, this silent, this hopeless way, he descended another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/his-wife-was-crying-and-he-felt-nothing-only-each-time-she-sobbed-in/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Even if you're in charge of the grand story there's still memory. The other stories do not go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/even-if-you-re-in-charge-of-the-grand-story-there-s-still-memory-the/) [Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/) > [I was an altar boy and heard the Bible being read out repeatedly. The stories have stayed with me, although they're completely remixed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-was-an-altar-boy-and-heard-the-bible-being-read-out-repeatedly-the/) [Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/) > [For every man with a baseball story - a memory of a moment at the plate or in the field - there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-nelson/for-every-man-with-a-baseball-story-a-memory-of-a-moment-at-the-plate/) [Mariah Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-nelson/) > [“The stories shatter. Or you wear them out or leave them behind. Over time the story of the memory loses its power. Over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-stories-shatter-or-you-wear-them-out-or-leave-them-behind-over/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More Storytelling quotes > [“Anyway, it's a pretty good story," I said. "You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [If you do weave one-liners into a story, you have to have an overall story as well, otherwise it doesn't really count as narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/if-you-do-weave-one-liners-into-a-story-you-have-to-have-an-overall/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) > [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/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We can never tell what is in store for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-can-never-tell-what-is-in-store-for-us/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Societies everywhere have a tendency to construct a genealogically useful past for themselves in which desirable versions of their history are favored and unwanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tudor-parfitt/societies-everywhere-have-a-tendency-to-construct-a-genealogically/) [Tudor Parfitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tudor-parfitt/) > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [“We take creative license with the fictional narratives that become our memories. Anthologized, these are the tales that become the story of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-ganek/we-take-creative-license-with-the-fictional-narratives-that-become/) [Danielle Ganek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-ganek/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [I make no distinction between writing and storytelling; I've always wanted to tell stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/i-make-no-distinction-between-writing-and-storytelling-i-ve-always/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) [Browse all 5,638 Storytelling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How did it begin?' Miss Cotton asked. When?' they replied. In the beginning,' Aunt Velma said. Wid tears,' they assured her. Wid tears,' Dahlia chimed. Ainsworth and the other children waited, but only silence responded to them. They were certain they had missed something; a few of them thought perhaps they had even fallen asleep. They asked those who sat beside them, but they could offer no explanation. Ainsworth looked at his mother and she was crying. He felt ashamed for her, but he nticed the woman beside her was also crying. He saw the faces of all the adults, including the men, and tears streamed down all their faces. The story was their memory. The story was the pain that produced tears. The story was what they had lived. The story was their petty jealousy that caused them to begrudge each other every minor success and plot ways to harm one another. The story was all that was lost to them because someone was too selfish to share, too mean to forgive, too blind to see the possibilities. The story was the beginning of their lives that had been old them over and over, but out of embarrassment they hadn't listened; so when the time came for those tales to be useful, they didn't know the details and groped in self-darkness. The story was in the first drop of salty tear that was shed for them, that they shed for themselves. Ainsworht lookd around at his mother and the other adults crying and felt cheated, until he found his own tears. Salty. Sticky. Inseparable from him, like the pain of birth. 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