--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Isn’t it queer: there are only two or…" description: "\"“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png" --- # Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories… ![“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png) > ““Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years.”” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observes that human narratives recycle core motifs, like birds repeating simple songs across ages. **In simple terms:** Stories repeat like larks Key Takeaway Human experience is cyclical Themes storytelling repetition human nature timelessness Mood thoughtful wry Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - teaching - cultural analysis Key Concepts literature psychology Practical Applications - creative writing - literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to familiar story arcs? - Can new narratives break the cycle? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Human Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-stories-253672/) [Larks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larks/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Larks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-larks-1098262/) [Repeating Fiercely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeating-fiercely-1098264/) [Stories Repeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-repeating-1098263/) ## Related quotes > [There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go-on-repeating-2/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never been told.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go-on-repeating/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [All human stories are migration stories because everyone is a refugee from their own childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/all-human-stories-are-migration-stories-because-everyone-is-a-refugee/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Politics should come from human stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swara-bhaskar/politics-should-come-from-human-stories/) [Swara Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swara-bhaskar/) > [I'm looking for human stories to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-michael-key/i-m-looking-for-human-stories-to-do/) [Keegan-Michael Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-michael-key/) > [Traditional news feels quite sanitised, quite statisticky. We're bombarded with images, but often, you don't see the human stories, or if you do, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-dooley/traditional-news-feels-quite-sanitised-quite-statisticky-we-re/) [Stacey Dooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-dooley/) > [I'm always trying to look for how I can find human stories that aren't just dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/i-m-always-trying-to-look-for-how-i-can-find-human-stories-that-aren/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [I write human stories. I write about people. Not as a product of their environment. But from the stance that everybody is made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-write-human-stories-i-write-about-people-not-as-a-product-of-their/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I want to tell human stories not solely based on race. There are so many great actresses and actors that are out there, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/i-want-to-tell-human-stories-not-solely-based-on-race-there-are-so/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [These are human issues. These are human stories. I think that's why 'Fences' has been able to resonate and been able to hit so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hornsby/these-are-human-issues-these-are-human-stories-i-think-that-s-why/) [Russell Hornsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hornsby/) > [“The next time you feel yourself giving in to the sometimes overwhelming urge to panic about the fate of literature in the digital age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hammond/the-next-time-you-feel-yourself-giving-in-to-the-sometimes/) [Adam Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hammond/) > [I am very interested in human-interest stories emerging from modern India. I get my inspiration and daily dose by reading the 'Hindustan Times.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/i-am-very-interested-in-human-interest-stories-emerging-from-modern/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [Men and women are both humans, so, for me, that makes my characters and the work that I do human stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/men-and-women-are-both-humans-so-for-me-that-makes-my-characters-and/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [I try to just talk about human stories and what I think about religion or teapots or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/i-try-to-just-talk-about-human-stories-and-what-i-think-about/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [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/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [A burnt dog dreads the fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/a-burnt-dog-dreads-the-fire/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More History 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. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/willa-cather-634_history_isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-thr_87606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely…” — Willa Cather", "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": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Isn’t it queer: there are only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/#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 } } ] } ```