Beware of the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.
Interpretation
Be cautious about the narratives you accept or share, as they can influence your perception of reality.
This quote by Ben Okri emphasizes the profound impact that stories—whether read or told—can have on our subconscious mind. It suggests that the narratives we engage with shape our worldview in subtle yet significant ways, urging us to be mindful of the influences we allow into our lives and how they may alter our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
In practice
In a book club discussion about the influence of literature on personal growth, this quote can highlight the importance of critical reading.
One human life is deeper than the ocean. Strange fishes and sea-monsters and mighty plants live in the rock-bed of our spirits. The whole of human history is an undiscovered continent deep in our souls. There are dolphins, plants that dream, magic birds inside us. The sky is inside us. The earth is in us.
Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique, in. It's the only space.
Don't despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish. Because the best things are always growing in secret.
I began my writing life as a poet, so poetry has always been fundamental. I evolved from poetry to journalism to stories to novels. But poetry was always there.
The acknowledged legislators of the world take the world as given. They dislike mysteries, for mysteries cannot be coded, or legislated, and wonder cannot be made into law. And so these legislators police the accepted frontiers of things.
We can still astonish the gods in humanity_x000D_ _x000D_ And be the stuff of future legends,_x000D_ _x000D_ If we but dare to be real,_x000D_ _x000D_ And have the courage to see_x000D_ _x000D_ That this is the time to dream_x000D_ _x000D_ The best dream of them all.
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know.
Before any of it could make sense, it had to be heard.
No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.
Immature strategy is the cause of grief.
Be warned against all 'good' advice because 'good' advice is necessarily 'safe' advice, and though it will undoubtedly follow a sane pattern, it will very likely lead one into total sterility--one of the crushing problems of our time.
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