--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A story has the opportunity to enlighten…" description: "\"A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we connect the extraordinary moments on film with the ordinary moments of our lives, we ask our..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/tom-hanks-1717_asks_a-story-has-the-opportunity-to-enlighten_779659.jpg" --- # A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we… ![“A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we connect the extraordinary moments on film with the ordinary moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, "What am I going to do the next time I'm scared? What would it be like to say goodbye to my family for the last time?"” quote by Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/tom-hanks-1717_asks_a-story-has-the-opportunity-to-enlighten_779659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/tom-hanks-1717_asks_a-story-has-the-opportunity-to-enlighten_779659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/tom-hanks-1717_asks_a-story-has-the-opportunity-to-enlighten_779659.jpg) > “A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we connect the extraordinary moments on film with the ordinary moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, "What am I going to do the next time I'm scared? What would it be like to say goodbye to my family for the last time?"” [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories let us map cinematic extremes onto everyday fears, prompting personal reflection on courage and loss. **In simple terms:** Stories help us relate film moments to our own fears and farewells. Key Takeaway Use stories to confront fear and cherish relationships. Themes courage reflection mortality connection Mood thoughtful empathetic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - watching films - writing personal journals - discussing movies with friends - preparing for difficult conversations Key Concepts narrative empathy psychological projection meaning-making Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply a film's lesson to a real fear? - What does saying goodbye teach you about living now? A Different Perspective Stories may oversimplify complex emotions, leading to unrealistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Enlightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightening/) [Extraordinary moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-moments/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Ordinary moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-moments/) [Saying goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-goodbye/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [A good life happens when you stop and are grateful for the ordinary moments that so many of us just steamroll over to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/a-good-life-happens-when-you-stop-and-are-grateful-for-the-ordinary/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/joy-is-not-a-constant-it-comes-to-us-in-moments-often-ordinary/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I find it difficult to write with reference to the most memorable moments in film, when for me the best moments in films are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/i-find-it-difficult-to-write-with-reference-to-the-most-memorable/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [“I believed that if I had the whole story, if I had the opportunity to really know the person I was sitting with, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/i-believed-that-if-i-had-the-whole-story-if-i-had-the-opportunity-to/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Television provides the opportunity for an ongoing story - the opportunity to meld the cast and the characters and a world, and to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/television-provides-the-opportunity-for-an-ongoing-story-the/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Our home tells a story about us, so we may as well take the opportunity to make it a stylish one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-needleman/our-home-tells-a-story-about-us-so-we-may-as-well-take-the/) [Deborah Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-needleman/) > [Most of my favourite moments in film have been when I've had an opportunity to say something from scratch, something original, whether I jotted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/most-of-my-favourite-moments-in-film-have-been-when-i-ve-had-an/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [I love moments in film where there's no dialogue, and somebody communicates something with a look that kills you. That's why I love going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-love-moments-in-film-where-there-s-no-dialogue-and-somebody/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [I try to do what I call the three E's - educate, entertain, and enlighten. If you don't entertain, no one will show up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-try-to-do-what-i-call-the-three-e-s-educate-entertain-and-enlighten/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/i-always-say-to-myself-what-is-the-most-important-thing-we-can-think/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [I think, when someone say, "When did you feel like an actor?" it's those moments when I feel like, "I'm an actor, wow." That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-think-when-someone-say-when-did-you-feel-like-an-actor-it-s-those/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I would like to prove that on TV, everyday lives can be as compelling as the life-styles of the rich and famous. Especially lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-would-like-to-prove-that-on-tv-everyday-lives-can-be-as-compelling/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [“...today, I’m writing about the extraordinary; those ‘moments’ in life that reach us, and change us. Those moments take place all the time, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/today-i-m-writing-about-the-extraordinary-those-moments-in-life-that/) [Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/) > [“If you simply pause and heed once in a while, you can find fragments of extraordinary moments in the midst of an ordinary life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitali-meelan/if-you-simply-pause-and-heed-once-in-a-while-you-can-find-fragments/) [Mitali Meelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitali-meelan/) > [ It \[winning Oscar\] is the most important event in the career of an actor, an extraordinary moment, beautiful. Some people live their whole life… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/it-winning-oscar-is-the-most-important-event-in-the-career-of-an/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) ## More by Tom Hanks > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Mass-market movies have become about one thing. They kind of declare themselves right off the bat. . . . 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If you don't entertain, no one will show up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-try-to-do-what-i-call-the-three-e-s-educate-entertain-and-enlighten/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [But actors with political views are a dime a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/but-actors-with-political-views-are-a-dime-a-dozen/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [We're part of a greater humanity and we can actually affect the world by the choices we make once we leave the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/we-re-part-of-a-greater-humanity-and-we-can-actually-affect-the-world/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Saying no to something is actually much more powerful than saying yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/saying-no-to-something-is-actually-much-more-powerful-than-saying-yes/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If things were easy to find, they wouldn’t be worth finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-things-were-easy-to-find-they-wouldn-t-be-worth-finding/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Reading a script is usually as exciting as reading a boilerplate legal document, so when you read one that makes you feel as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/reading-a-script-is-usually-as-exciting-as-reading-a-boilerplate/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Let's not pretend there isn't a huge industry driven by the choices made by editors and writers who decide what a story is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/let-s-not-pretend-there-isn-t-a-huge-industry-driven-by-the-choices/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [It just so happens that my body type and my lifestyle gives me a preclusion for high blood sugars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/it-just-so-happens-that-my-body-type-and-my-lifestyle-gives-me-a/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Are you crying? 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And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. 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