--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Large numbers of strangers can cooperate…" description: "\"“Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any”\" — Yuval Noah Harari" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/yuval-noah-harari-100_storytelling_large-numbers-of-strangers-can-cooperate_419190.jpg" --- # Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by… ![“Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/yuval-noah-harari-100_storytelling_large-numbers-of-strangers-can-cooperate_419190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/yuval-noah-harari-100_storytelling_large-numbers-of-strangers-can-cooperate_419190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/yuval-noah-harari-100_storytelling_large-numbers-of-strangers-can-cooperate_419190.jpg) > ““Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Common myths enable large groups of strangers to cooperate effectively. **In simple terms:** Myths bind strangers together. Key Takeaway Leverage shared narratives for collaboration. Themes cooperation myths social cohesion trust scale Mood reflective analytical Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - political movements - brand building - community projects - team sports Key Concepts cultural narratives collective belief social engineering Questions to Reflect On - Which myths unite your community? - How can myths be responsibly used? A Different Perspective Myths can be manipulated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believing Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believing-common-3652772/) [Common Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-myths-2508411/) [Cooperate Successfully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperate-successfully-3719511/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Strangers Cooperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers-cooperate-3719510/) [Successfully Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successfully-believing-3719512/) ## Related quotes > [“Any large-scale human cooperation - whether a modern state, a medieval church, an ancient city or an archaic tribe - is rooted in common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/any-large-scale-human-cooperation-whether-a-modern-state-a-medieval/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The uniquely human ability to collectively believe in myths allows strangers to cooperate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fastreads/the-uniquely-human-ability-to-collectively-believe-in-myths-allows/) [FastReads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fastreads/) > [If the EU and the US can cooperate successfully on regulating financial markets, everyone else will follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bruton/if-the-eu-and-the-us-can-cooperate-successfully-on-regulating/) [John Bruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bruton/) > [Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miracle-on-34th-street/faith-is-believing-in-something-when-common-sense-tells-you-not-to/) [Miracle On 34th Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miracle-on-34th-street/) > [Faith is believing in something even though common sense tells you not to...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/faith-is-believing-in-something-even-though-common-sense-tells-you/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [One is forced to speak not of what is held in common between the cultures, but what is held in common between the myths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/one-is-forced-to-speak-not-of-what-is-held-in-common-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Horrors, I believe, should be original - the use of common myths and legends being a weakening influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/horrors-i-believe-should-be-original-the-use-of-common-myths-and/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [the three most common myths of modern romance: 1. Single men would prefer being married. 2. Married men actually leave their wives. 3. Men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sunshine/the-three-most-common-myths-of-modern-romance-1-single-men-would/) [Linda Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sunshine/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [We can never tell what is in store for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-can-never-tell-what-is-in-store-for-us/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. 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"You have to admit." "Yeah?" He crumpled up the Kleenex, having dispatched the solitary tear. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/anyway-it-s-a-pretty-good-story-i-said-you-have-to-admit-yeah-he/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. 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The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [We can never tell what is in store for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/we-can-never-tell-what-is-in-store-for-us/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Societies everywhere have a tendency to construct a genealogically useful past for themselves in which desirable versions of their history are favored and unwanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tudor-parfitt/societies-everywhere-have-a-tendency-to-construct-a-genealogically/) [Tudor Parfitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tudor-parfitt/) > [Some stories, you use up. 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