And it's a human need to be told stories. The more we're governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible.
Interpretation
Human beings have a fundamental need for storytelling, especially in times of uncertainty and lack of control.
This quote emphasizes the intrinsic human desire to share and listen to stories, particularly during challenging times when society feels dominated by foolishness and individuals feel powerless. Through storytelling, people connect over their identities, histories, and hopes for the future, fostering a sense of community and possibility in the face of adversity.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of communication, one could use this quote to highlight the role of storytelling in unifying people.
Film has to be reflecting the world that we live in, and that's all you want to be a part of. Actors inhabit the same planet as everyone else. It's a weird thing that happens when you're an actor because people hold you up because you somehow embody in parts groups of people or people's hopes or something.
You can act truthfully or you can lie. You can reveal things about yourself or you can hide. Therefore, the audience recognizes something about themselves or they don't -- You hope they don't leave the theatre thinking that was nice...now where's the cab?'
I'm a lot less serious than people think, it's probably because the way my face is put together.
Those of you who are not aware of my brilliant career as a stand up comic, I'm not aware of it either so we might well wonder what we're doing here.
Acting is mostly about listening. If you just focus in on what the other person is saying, acting takes care of itself to quite a large extent.
When I am asked about influences, I always say I bow down to Fred Astaire, because when you look at him dancing you never look at his extremities, do you? You look at his centre. What you never see is the hours of work that went into the routines, you just see the breathtaking spirit and freedom.
Finding myself to exist in the world, I believe I shall, in some shape or other, always exist.
An integrated cup of coffee isn't sufficient pay for four hundred years of slave labor.
I dream. Sometimes I think that’s the only right thing to do. To dream, to live in the world of dreams. But it doesn’t last forever. Wakefulness always comes to take me back.
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
We need to have empathy. When we lose empathy, we lose our humanity.
Only when it is seen that what decides each individual's destiny is whether or not God decides to save him from his sins, and that this is a decision that God need not make in any individual case, can one begin to grasp the biblical view of grace.
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