--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stories are wild creatures , the monster…" description: "\"“ Stories are wild creatures , the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak? ”\" — Patrick Ness" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/patrick-ness-449_stories_stories-are-wild-creatures-the-monster-s_2577087.jpg" --- # Stories are wild creatures , the monster said. When you… ![“Stories are wild creatures , the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?” quote by Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/patrick-ness-449_stories_stories-are-wild-creatures-the-monster-s_2577087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/patrick-ness-449_stories_stories-are-wild-creatures-the-monster-s_2577087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/patrick-ness-449_stories_stories-are-wild-creatures-the-monster-s_2577087.jpg) > ““ Stories are wild creatures , the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak? ”” [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories are unpredictable forces that can cause chaos when unleashed without guidance. **In simple terms:** Stories can be wild and dangerous. Key Takeaway Guide narratives responsibly. Themes storytelling chaos creativity Mood thoughtful cautionary Type literary psychological When to use this quote - writing workshops - parenting - therapy - media production Key Concepts mythology psychology control Questions to Reflect On - How do you tame wild narratives? - When is chaos beneficial? A Different Perspective Uncontrolled stories may harm listeners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Wild creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-creatures/) ## Related quotes > [Stories were wild, wild animals and went off in directions you couldn't expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/stories-were-wild-wild-animals-and-went-off-in-directions-you-couldn/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Stories don't always have happy endings." This stopped him. Because they didn't, did they? That's one thing the monster had definitely taught him. Stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/stories-don-t-always-have-happy-endings-this-stopped-him-because-they/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“I didn’t mean it,” Conor said. You did, the monster said, but you also did not. Conor sniffed and looked up to its face,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-didn-t-mean-it-conor-said-you-did-the-monster-said-but-you-also-did/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-were-merely-wishing-for-the-end-of-pain-the-monster-said-your-own/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“What did he say?” Conor asked. He said enough to bring me walking, the monster said. I know injustice when I see it. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/what-did-he-say-conor-asked-he-said-enough-to-bring-me-walking-the/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [It is as true for the writer as for the reader that any novel worth its ink should be an experience first and foremost—not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wroblewski/it-is-as-true-for-the-writer-as-for-the-reader-that-any-novel-worth/) [David Wroblewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wroblewski/) > [“ Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/stories-are-important-the-monster-said-they-can-be-more-important/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ I did not come to heal her, the monster said. I came to heal you. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-did-not-come-to-heal-her-the-monster-said-i-came-to-heal-you/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“You do not write your life with words, the monster said. You write it with actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-do-not-write-your-life-with-words-the-monster-said-you-write-it/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“The answer is that it does not matter what you think, the monster said, because your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-answer-is-that-it-does-not-matter-what-you-think-the-monster-said/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [As destruction goes, the monster said behind him, this is all remarkably pitiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/as-destruction-goes-the-monster-said-behind-him-this-is-all/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“Because humans are complicated beasts," the monster said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-humans-are-complicated-beasts-the-monster-said/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“Conor shook his head. "That's a terrible story. And a cheat." "It is a true story," the monster said. "Many things that are true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/conor-shook-his-head-that-s-a-terrible-story-and-a-cheat-it-is-a-true/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“You’re as old as the land and you’ve never heard of sarcasm?” Conor asked. Oh, I have heard of it, the monster said, putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-re-as-old-as-the-land-and-you-ve-never-heard-of-sarcasm-conor/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. Who is to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/but-what-is-a-dream-conor-o-malley-the-monster-said-bending-down-so/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More by Patrick Ness > [“I rub the ears of my dog, my stupid goddam ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-rub-the-ears-of-my-dog-my-stupid-goddam-ruddy-great-dog-that-i/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“The Prince had fallen in love. She was only a farmer's daughter, but she was was beautiful, and also smart, as the daughters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-prince-had-fallen-in-love-she-was-only-a-farmer-s-daughter-but/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Here is the boy, drowning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/here-is-the-boy-drowning/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This is it. This is goodbye. A goodbye I wasn't even looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-is-it-this-is-goodbye-a-goodbye-i-wasn-t-even-looking-for/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. Who is to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/but-what-is-a-dream-conor-o-malley-the-monster-said-bending-down-so/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“And I feel her against me - And I think Viola - I think VIOLA! - I think VIOLA!!!! ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/and-i-feel-her-against-me-and-i-think-viola-i-think-viola-i-think/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“But I'm still thinking about being born on a spaceship, an honest to badness spaceship. Growing up while flying along the stars, able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/but-i-m-still-thinking-about-being-born-on-a-spaceship-an-honest-to/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“When luck ain't with you, it's against you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/when-luck-ain-t-with-you-it-s-against-you/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“You starting to feel hope yet?" Viola asks, her voice curious. "No," I say, fuddling my noise. "You?" Her eyebrows are up but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/you-starting-to-feel-hope-yet-viola-asks-her-voice-curious-no-i-say/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“I have two maxims that I believe, dear girl. One, if you can control yourself, you can control others. Two, if you can control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-have-two-maxims-that-i-believe-dear-girl-one-if-you-can-control/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [To live is to fight, to preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/to-live-is-to-fight-to-preserve-life-is-to-fight-everything-that-man/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Because he KNEW he was doing wrong. He felt the PAIN of his actions'-- 'But he did not amen them,' shows the Sky. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-he-knew-he-was-doing-wrong-he-felt-the-pain-of-his-actions/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This was a kingdom. (“What?” Conor said, looking around his backyard. “Here?”) (The monster cocked its head at him curiously. You have not heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-was-a-kingdom-what-conor-said-looking-around-his-backyard-here/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [If you ever see a war," she says, not looking up from her clipboard, "you'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/if-you-ever-see-a-war-she-says-not-looking-up-from-her-clipboard-you/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) [Explore all 527 Patrick Ness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More Stories 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. 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I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I think it's actually kind of sweet how there is a reciprocal effect that our stories can have on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-it-s-actually-kind-of-sweet-how-there-is-a-reciprocal-effect/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Browse all 19,094 Stories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ Stories are wild creatures , the monster said. 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