--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But myth is something else than an…" description: "\"But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg" --- # But myth is something else than an explanation of the… ![“But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to…” quote by Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg) > “But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.” [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Myths convey deep self‑understanding; interpreting them links external stories to inner meaning. **In simple terms:** Myths reveal inner truths. Key Takeaway Interpret myths to uncover personal insights. Themes myth interpretation self‑knowledge philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - literary analysis - counseling - education - personal journaling - cultural studies Key Concepts Symbolism existential cognitive Questions to Reflect On - What personal beliefs do you project onto myths? - How can myth analysis inform your life choices? A Different Perspective Myths can be ambiguous, leading to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Other worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-worlds/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/myth-expresses-in-terms-of-the-world-that-is-of-the-other-world-or/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of-2/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [If you live with the myths in your mind, you will find yourself always in mythological situations. They cover everything that can happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-you-live-with-the-myths-in-your-mind-you-will-find-yourself-always/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“we also need to consider letting go of the myth of self-sufficiency. One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-also-need-to-consider-letting-go-of-the-myth-of-self-sufficiency/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [There is a Hindu myth about the Self or God of the universe who sees life as a form of play. But since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-horace-blyth/there-is-a-hindu-myth-about-the-self-or-god-of-the-universe-who-sees-2/) [Reginald Horace Blyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-horace-blyth/) > [There is a Hindu myth about the Self or God of the universe who sees life as (play). But since the Self is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-horace-blyth/there-is-a-hindu-myth-about-the-self-or-god-of-the-universe-who-sees/) [Reginald Horace Blyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-horace-blyth/) > [I don't believe in the myth of the "self made man". Nobody gets through alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/i-don-t-believe-in-the-myth-of-the-self-made-man-nobody-gets-through/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [The myth of the self-made man, has to be profoundly hypocritical: it is the self-serving demonstration that a lie is the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/the-myth-of-the-self-made-man-has-to-be-profoundly-hypocritical-it-is/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge. For if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/a-man-is-saved-no-faster-than-he-gets-knowledge-for-if-he-does-not/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [To the great pharaohs it mattered a great deal to bury their treasures in the pyramids, which they thought they would bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/to-the-great-pharaohs-it-mattered-a-great-deal-to-bury-their/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality, and benevolence; the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/generosity-during-life-is-a-very-different-thing-from-generosity-in/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [This is the age of electrical energy. The age of atomic energy hasn't really dawned yet, not in the way that atomic energy has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/this-is-the-age-of-electrical-energy-the-age-of-atomic-energy-hasn-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/you-re-a-religious-man-you-believe-in-god-and-life-after-death-i-also/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [It's really nice to be able to do something that you've never done. I think that's the gift of being an actor because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/it-s-really-nice-to-be-able-to-do-something-that-you-ve-never-done-i/) [Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/) > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-whether-in-this-world-or-any-other-is-the-sum-of-our-attainment/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) ## More by Paul Ricoeur > [If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/if-it-is-true-that-there-is-always-more-than-one-way-of-construing-a/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [What must be the nature of the world... if human beings are able to introduce changes into it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/what-must-be-the-nature-of-the-world-if-human-beings-are-able-to/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Although there has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity, the hermeneutic question today seems to us a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/although-there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of-2/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Man is this plural and collective unity in which the unity of destination and the differences of destinies are to be understood through each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/man-is-this-plural-and-collective-unity-in-which-the-unity-of/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There was a wise old owl who sat in a tree The less he spoke the more he heard The more he heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-was-a-wise-old-owl-who-sat-in-a-tree-the-less-he-spoke-the-more/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Wisdom finds its literary expression in wisdom literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/wisdom-finds-its-literary-expression-in-wisdom-literature/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity because Christianity proceeds from a proclamation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity-because/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [It is always possible to argue against an interpretation, to confront interpretations, to arbitrate between them and to seek for an agreement, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/it-is-always-possible-to-argue-against-an-interpretation-to-confront/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Hope, insofar as it is hope of resurrection, is the living contradiction of what it proceeds from and what is placed under the sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/hope-insofar-as-it-is-hope-of-resurrection-is-the-living/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Testimony should be a philosophical problem and not limited to legal or historical contexts where it refers to the account of a witness who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/testimony-should-be-a-philosophical-problem-and-not-limited-to-legal/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-narrative-constructs-the-identity-of-the-character-what-can-be/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Narrative identity takes part in the story's movement, in the dialectic between order and disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/narrative-identity-takes-part-in-the-story-s-movement-in-the/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [“The dictionary contains no metaphors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-dictionary-contains-no-metaphors/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Living is already having been born, in a condition we have not chosen, a situation in which we find ourselves, a quarter of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/living-is-already-having-been-born-in-a-condition-we-have-not-chosen/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) [Explore all 39 Paul Ricoeur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## More Destiny quotes > [... War on the destiny of man! Doom on the sun! Before death takes you, O take back this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-on-the-destiny-of-man-doom-on-the-sun-before-death-takes-you-o/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/to-be-a-sufi-is-to-detach-from-fixed-ideas-and-from-preconceptions/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [ Man blindly works the will of fate. \[Ger., Blindlings that er blos den Willen des Geschickes.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-martin-wieland/man-blindly-works-the-will-of-fate-ger-blindlings-that-er-blos-den/) [Christoph Martin Wieland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-martin-wieland/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“It's morning now, and I miss the soft rasp of her voice already. Ugh. I'm in trouble, aren't I?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/it-s-morning-now-and-i-miss-the-soft-rasp-of-her-voice-already-ugh-i/) [Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/somehow-destiny-comes-into-play-these-children-end-up-with-you-and/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Destiny is the ordained intention God has sacredly prepared with your name on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-lynch/destiny-is-the-ordained-intention-god-has-sacredly-prepared-with-your/) [John S. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-lynch/) > [“There is no interaction without God with interaction with men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-interaction-without-god-with-interaction-with-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“Fate and future both are servant to the determined, for they are nothing but creation of human determination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fate-and-future-both-are-servant-to-the-determined-for-they-are/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) [Browse all 7,925 Destiny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Ricoeur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Destiny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d02/paul-ricoeur-16430_destiny_but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-expla_175020.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in…” — Paul Ricoeur", "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": "Paul Ricoeur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But myth is something else than...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/#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 } } ] } ```