--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning…" description: "\"Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning was . . .” That’s the way it always starts off. Every story, gospel, history, chronicle, myth, legend, folkta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/steven-tyler-2778_beginning_once-upon-a-time-in-the-beginning-was-th_594263.jpg" --- # Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning was . . .”… ![“Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning was . . .” That’s the way it always starts off. Every story, gospel, history, chronicle, myth, legend, folktale, or old wives’ tale blues riff begins with “Woke up this mornin’. . . .” quote by Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/steven-tyler-2778_beginning_once-upon-a-time-in-the-beginning-was-th_594263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/steven-tyler-2778_beginning_once-upon-a-time-in-the-beginning-was-th_594263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/steven-tyler-2778_beginning_once-upon-a-time-in-the-beginning-was-th_594263.jpg) > “Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning was . . .” That’s the way it always starts off. Every story, gospel, history, chronicle, myth, legend, folktale, or old wives’ tale blues riff begins with “Woke up this mornin’. . . .” [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories across cultures start with a familiar opening, a cue that signals the beginning of a narrative. **In simple terms:** Many tales begin with a classic opening line. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of a strong opening. Themes storytelling culture tradition structure mythology Mood creative inspirational Type literary analysis creative writing When to use this quote - writing a novel - teaching storytelling - creating a brand narrative - crafting a speech Key Concepts narrative theory cultural motifs story arcs Questions to Reflect On - What fresh ways can you start a story? - How does an opening shape audience expectations? A Different Perspective Overreliance on clichés can make stories feel unoriginal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Folktales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folktales/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Legends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legends/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [Once upon a time, I thought faeries lived only in books, old folktales, and the past. That was before they burst upon my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-froud/once-upon-a-time-i-thought-faeries-lived-only-in-books-old-folktales/) [Brian Froud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-froud/) > [I like music because it starts a story; you can invent, dream. There is no beginning, no end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/i-like-music-because-it-starts-a-story-you-can-invent-dream-there-is/) [Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/) > [I always work from back-story, that's what I always do, so you get a character, and you think 'OK, who's this guy, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-always-work-from-back-story-that-s-what-i-always-do-so-you-get-a/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [Every project starts with a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/every-project-starts-with-a-story/) [Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/) > [Everything starts with a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/everything-starts-with-a-story/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“I love children. Eating them, that is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-mcgowan/i-love-children-eating-them-that-is/) Keith McGowan > [“The old folktales from Mexico often have the same beginning. "One day a man met the devil in the road," or "The devil came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-forier-edie/the-old-folktales-from-mexico-often-have-the-same-beginning-one-day-a/) Elise Forier Edie > [In The Jack Daniels Sessions, folktales and modern landscapes collide, exploding and reforming in the form of an intriguing and intelligent collection. Cotman seizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-rambo/in-the-jack-daniels-sessions-folktales-and-modern-landscapes-collide/) Cat Rambo > [“There were good places and bad places to tell stories and there were of course stories that could not be told in any place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-hausman/there-were-good-places-and-bad-places-to-tell-stories-and-there-were/) [Gerald Hausman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-hausman/) > [But this is a story, and in a story there is always someone beautiful enough." - 'The Girl with Two Skins' from A Guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/but-this-is-a-story-and-in-a-story-there-is-always-someone-beautiful/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Things, very strange things, happen in folktales and there is never much attention given to the whys and wherefores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-silver/things-very-strange-things-happen-in-folktales-and-there-is-never/) [Marisa Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-silver/) > [“In these evenings he sat by our beds weaving folktales like vivid little scarves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-shihab-nye/in-these-evenings-he-sat-by-our-beds-weaving-folktales-like-vivid/) [Naomi Shihab Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-shihab-nye/) > [“A storm in Scotland was like nothing she'd ever experienced in London. Here, the elements felt alive, sentient. This storm was a raging monster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-ranney/a-storm-in-scotland-was-like-nothing-she-d-ever-experienced-in-london/) [Karen Ranney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-ranney/) > [“Everybody knew that Theodore Dinkins was dead. But Theodore Dinkins sat on the graveyard fence and said that he was not; and grew angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bennett/everybody-knew-that-theodore-dinkins-was-dead-but-theodore-dinkins/) John Bennett > [While writing 'Cold Mountain,' I held maps of two geographies, two worlds, in my mind as I wrote. One was an early map of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/while-writing-cold-mountain-i-held-maps-of-two-geographies-two-worlds/) [Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/) ## More by Steven Tyler > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Aerosmith-one of the 10 best bands today? Yeah definitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/aerosmith-one-of-the-10-best-bands-today-yeah-definitely/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Drugs will get you out of your own way, but we lived it, and that's dangerous. It can actually turn around on itself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/drugs-will-get-you-out-of-your-own-way-but-we-lived-it-and-that-s/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [“By the end of the seventies, some nights I was so out of it our road manager, Joe Baptista, would have to carry me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/by-the-end-of-the-seventies-some-nights-i-was-so-out-of-it-our-road/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [“Gay sex just doesn't do it for me. I tried it one time when I was younger, but just didn't dig it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/gay-sex-just-doesn-t-do-it-for-me-i-tried-it-one-time-when-i-was/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [I know why we're here. We're all here because we're not all there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-know-why-we-re-here-we-re-all-here-because-we-re-not-all-there/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [What makes me feel good is that after all these years, the ideas that Joe Perry came up with worked and all the kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/what-makes-me-feel-good-is-that-after-all-these-years-the-ideas-that/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [If you don't have a dream, there is no way to make one come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/if-you-don-t-have-a-dream-there-is-no-way-to-make-one-come-true/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/you-should-have-felt-the-buzz-the-moment-all-five-of-us-got-together/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [I can't live off the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-can-t-live-off-the-ego/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Sing with me, sing for the years. Sing for the laughter'n sing for the tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/sing-with-me-sing-for-the-years-sing-for-the-laughter-n-sing-for-the/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Im very judgmental of the guys in the band. I know when to say, Dont bore us...get to the chorus! and I think Id…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/im-very-judgmental-of-the-guys-in-the-band-i-know-when-to-say-dont/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [“Everybody's got their dues in life to pay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/everybody-s-got-their-dues-in-life-to-pay/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [It's amazing in the blink of an eye you finally see the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/it-s-amazing-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-you-finally-see-the-light/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Imagine taking off your makeup and nobody knows who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/imagine-taking-off-your-makeup-and-nobody-knows-who-you-are/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Explore all 150 Steven Tyler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) Manae Poet Of Carisis > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) Jacklyn H Lucas [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once upon a time . . .” “In the beginning was . . .” That’s the way it always starts off. 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