There’s an old saying you might have seen floating around the internet that states, “Those who tell the stories rule the world”. Even without the modern neurological research that proves storytelling is the best way to capture people’s attention, bake information into their memories, and forge close, personal bonds, humanity has always inherently known that people crave and seek out great stories almost as much as food and water. And the people (and brands) who can tell the most compelling stories are able to command the most influence within their community. In the marketing industry, where 5% of branded content attracts 90% of total engagement, the need for storytelling is more pressing than ever before. Brands are creating content at a record pace and volume, but producing more content doesn’t necessarily mean it’s attracting more attention -- it’s really just making more noise. If brands actually want to slash through the clutter and engage an audience, solely focusing on listicles and ultimate guides won’t suffice anymore -- they must also tell gripping stories.
To help you channel your inner storyteller, we’ve curated 15 quotes about storytelling from some of the world’s most insightful authors and filmmakers. Read on to get inspired.
Storytelling Quotes
- “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” - J.K. Rowling, author
- “There is no friend as loyal as a book” - Ernest Hemingway, author
- “I’m obsessed with giving the audience something they don’t see coming.” - Jordan Peele, writer and director of Get Out
- "You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” - Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale
- “The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences, but through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time.” - Steven Spielberg, filmmaker
- “I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” - Lena Waithe, screenwriter for Bones and Master of None
- “I'll tell you a secret. Old storytellers never die. They disappear into their own story.” - Vera Nazarian, author
- “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.” - Zadie Smith, author
- “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author
- “Think about the word destroy. Do you know what it is? De-story. Destroy. Destory. You see. And restore. That's re-story. Do you know that only two things have been proven to help survivors of the Holocaust? Massage is one. Telling their story is another. Being touched and touching. Telling your story is touching. It sets you free.” - Francesca Lia Block, author
- “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal
- “Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution -- more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.” - Lisa Cron, Wired for Story
- “Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” - Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge
- “Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.” - Shawn Coyne, The Story Grid
- “Create those things where human protagonists relate to us, where the stakes and conflict grip us, and where the emotions move us. Craft those simple things, those glorious things, those things so often forgotten but so desperately needed. There’s no hidden or corporate meaning behind the word ‘story.’ We know what they are. And we need to start telling them.” - Jay Acunzo, founder of Unthinkable Media
15 Inspiring Storytelling Quotes to Help You Move an Audience
1. “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” - J.K. Rowling, author
2. “There is no friend as loyal as a book” - Ernest Hemingway, author
3. “I’m obsessed with giving the audience something they don’t see coming.” - Jordan Peele, writer and director of Get Out
4. "You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” - Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale
5. “The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences, but through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time.” - Steven Spielberg, filmmaker
6. “I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” - Lena Waithe, screenwriter for Bones and Master of None
7. “I'll tell you a secret. Old storytellers never die. They disappear into their own story.” - Vera Nazarian, author
8. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.” - Zadie Smith, author
9. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author
10. “Think about the word destroy. Do you know what it is? De-story. Destroy. Destory. You see. And restore. That's re-story. Do you know that only two things have been proven to help survivors of the Holocaust? Massage is one. Telling their story is another. Being touched and touching. Telling your story is touching. It sets you free.” - Francesca Lia Block, author
11. “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal
12. “Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution -- more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.” - Lisa Cron, Wired for Story
13. “Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” - Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge
14. “Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.” - Shawn Coyne, The Story Grid
15. “Create those things where human protagonists relate to us, where the stakes and conflict grip us, and where the emotions move us. Craft those simple things, those glorious things, those things so often forgotten but so desperately needed. There’s no hidden or corporate meaning behind the word ‘story.’ We know what they are. And we need to start telling them.” - Jay Acunzo, founder of Unthinkable Media
FAQs
What are the 4 P's of storytelling? ›
As Patrick said, before his team takes on a project, they make sure they have a firm understanding of what they call the Four P's: People, Place, Plot, and Purpose. 1. People: Who is in the story? Characters are what make us emotionally invested in a story.
How do you charm your audience? ›Use subtle expressions, both facial and when gesturing, rather than bold or commanding body language. It might sound like a fluffy word, but warmth is an incredibly powerful approach to take with an audience. The ability to present a warm, glowing front can easily disarm even the most enraged customer or tough crowd.
Why are stories powerful quotes? ›- “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ...
- “Inside each of us is a natural-born storyteller, waiting to be released.” ...
- “Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader's arsenal.”
- help your child get to know sounds, words and language, and develop early literacy skills.
- learn to value books and stories.
- spark your child's imagination and stimulate curiosity.
- help develop your child's brain, ability to focus, concentration, social skills and communication skills.
- They have great enthusiasm for their story.
- They use psychology to engage and excite their audience.
- They use suspense to keep their audiences engaged.
- They break down and explain complex topics using relatable examples.
- They build relationships through their storytelling.
A good storyteller will typically identify their two most salient points and bookend their story with them—they will open with an exciting anecdote to grab the audience's attention, and then they will make sure the last thing they say is something that can resonate with the audience long after the story is over.
What to say before telling a story? ›Before you start telling a story, tell your listeners why it's important. You must attract their interest. But don't use a word like “interesting” when describing your story — it's an overused word that's lost all of its allure. Instead, use bold adjectives to introduce your story.
What are the 5 C's of storytelling? ›Following are the 5 C's of storytelling that help improve a story. A good story has a sequence that usually happens in five parts that are called the 5 C's of storytelling: Circumstance, Curiosity, Characters, Conversations, and Conflicts.
What are the 3 C's of storytelling? ›In sum, the three keys for successful storytelling are - the conflict, the characters and the climax.
How do I connect my audience in 30 seconds? ›Deliver a compelling sound bite.
Top hook ideas include using a catchy phrase or sound bite that perks up the audience. To create your sound bite, consider your message and package it in a brief and compelling statement. Then explain how it fits into your overall topic or message.
What are 4 ways to grab the audience's attention? ›
- Describe a scene or a character.
- Tell a story.
- Share a personal experience.
- Relate to a recent event.
- Piggyback on a previous speaker's remark or theme.
- Point out something important about the audience or the current setting.
- Tell a story.
- Surprise your audience.
- Use their imaginations.
- Make them laugh.
- Imply action.
- Interact with the audience.
- Grab them with a quote.
- Trigger their senses.
2. ”A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
What is a famous short quote? ›“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” “There is no sin except stupidity.” “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
What are the strongest quotes? ›- “Complaining is truly my strongest weakness.” ...
- “I am strong... ...
- “The kind of love which makes us stand against everyone and defend a stranger is the strongest one.” ...
- “The strongest person is not the one who is able to do something, but the one who is able not to do what he has the power to do.
Lots of things make a story powerful – the way that it's structured, the skill of the storyteller, the content of the story, the way that a voice is used.
What lesson does the story teach us? ›A theme is the message, or lesson, that the reader learns by reading the story. Sometimes a story has a particular kind of message, known as a moral. A moral is a type of message that teaches a reader a life lesson, such as what is right or wrong, how to make decisions, or how to treat other people.
What are the storytelling skills? ›- Copywriting. One of the most common ways people tell stories is through writing. ...
- Impression management. ...
- Directness. ...
- Attention to detail. ...
- Empathy. ...
- Creativity. ...
- Editing. ...
- Strategic thinking.
Hence, we conclude that storytelling promotes a whole language approach is the most important about storytelling. Detailed Notification for CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) December 2022 cycle released on 31st October 2022.
What are 20 positive quotes? ›- It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. ...
- Nothing lasts forever. ...
- There are only two ways to live your life. ...
- Take chances, make mistakes. ...
- Being strong means rejoicing in who you are, complete with imperfections.
What are some 3 word quotes? ›
- “I'll be there.”
- “I love you.”
- “Maybe you're right.”
- “I trust you.”
- “Go for it.”
- “Got your back.”
- “How are you?”
- “I want you.”
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” – Confucius.
- “Magic is believing in yourself. ...
- “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” – Walt Disney.
- “The real test is not whether you avoid this failure…
A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", spoken by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in the 1939 American Civil War epic Gone with the Wind, as the most memorable American movie quotation of all time.
What is a good deep quote? ›“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” “If I were a tree, I would have no reason to love a human.” “Once someone's hurt you, it's harder to relax around them, harder to think of them as safe to love.
What is today's inspiring quote? ›Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
What's a short positive message? ›“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” “When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go.” “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
What are the 3 storytelling elements? ›- Characters: introduce the people involved. ...
- Conflict: the lesson is often illustrated in how the character transforms through challenge. ...
- Resolution: how did the character(s) change?
Special congratulations to David Scholes, who is our Storyteller of the Year, with 11 Story Awards won in 2021 – amazing! You can see one of his Story Awards above.
How do you become a great storyteller and win over an audience? ›...
- Don't read what's on the slide. ...
- Don't block the audience's view. ...
- Engage the audience by asking questions. ...
- Be accessible. ...
- Pause for effect and emphasis.
Good stories are easy to understand. They're also told in a language that matches the way the intended audience communicates, so they don't need to spend time interpreting and then absorbing. Simplicity also aides in memorability, because the overall lesson is easy to grasp in summary.
How do you talk like a storyteller? ›
Speak from within the experience. When you're telling your story, try not to speak from OUTSIDE the experience using memorized words. Speak from within the experience, using personal perspective to help the audience feel, see, and hear what YOU feel about your topic.
How do I tell a story without saying I? ›Try recasting sentences that start with 'I' more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your 'I' count.
What words tell a story? ›- characterize.
- chronicle.
- delineate.
- depict.
- descant.
- disclose.
- discourse.
- enumerate.
In traditional oral storytelling, it's common practice to just tell the audience you've finished the story with a standard phrase such as, 'So that was the story of …' Movies often use a version of this, simply finishing with 'The End'.
How do you introduce a story in a speech? ›There are two easy ways to introduce a story when giving a speech: 1) Don't introduce it — just jump right in; or 2) Say, “Imagine…” When beginning a speech with a story — one of my favorite techniques — it's not necessary, helpful, or wise to say anything about it. Just begin telling it.
How do you prepare an audience to listen to a story? ›- Describe a scene or a character.
- Tell a story.
- Share a personal experience.
- Relate to a recent event.
- Piggyback on a previous speaker's remark or theme.
- Point out something important about the audience or the current setting.
- Discuss a difficult time in your life, and how you overcame it. ...
- Talk about a funny moment, that changed the way you think and feel about something. ...
- Share something you learned during your career that changed the trajectory of your gifts.
- 1) Thank the Organizers and Audience. ...
- 2) Start With a Positive Statement. ...
- 3) Compliment the Audience. ...
- 4) Start Your Speech By Referring to Current Events. ...
- 5) Refer to a Historical Event. ...
- 6) Refer to a Well Known Person. ...
- 7) Refer to a Recent Conversation. ...
- 8) Make a Shocking Statement.
- Quote. Opening with a relevant quote can help set the tone for the rest of your speech. ...
- “What If” Scenario. Immediately drawing your audience into your speech works wonders. ...
- “Imagine” Scenario. ...
- Question. ...
- Silence. ...
- Statistic. ...
- Powerful Statement/Phrase.
Before you start telling a story, tell your listeners why it's important. You must attract their interest. But don't use a word like “interesting” when describing your story — it's an overused word that's lost all of its allure. Instead, use bold adjectives to introduce your story.
How do you grab an audience's attention? ›
- Use a contrarian approach. ...
- Ask a series of rhetorical questions. ...
- Deliver a compelling sound bite. ...
- Make a startling assertion. ...
- Provide a reference to a historical event. ...
- Use the word imagine. ...
- Add a little show business. ...
- Arouse curiosity.
- Start with what you know. ...
- Use social media to engage audiences. ...
- Focus on audience preferences. ...
- Use postcards to stand out. ...
- Expand your landing page traffic. ...
- Team up with complementary businesses. ...
- Create an omnichannel marketing strategy.
Attention-getters can include references to the audience, quotations, references to current events, historical references, anecdotes, startling statements, questions, humor, personal references, and references to the occasion.
How do I tell a story confidently? ›- Choose a clear central message. A great story usually progresses towards a central moral or message. ...
- Embrace conflict. ...
- Have a clear structure. ...
- Mine your personal experiences. ...
- Engage your audience. ...
- Observe good storytellers. ...
- Narrow the scope of your story.
- Avoid the intro. There's virtually no preamble here, just an immediate incident to get the story going. ...
- Go for the emotion. ...
- Make it about life and death. ...
- Give us texture. ...
- Complete the arc.
- Invoke multiple senses.
- Create intriguing, complex characters.
- Evoke strong emotions.
- Use rich character voice.
- Pull the reader into the action.
- Do go out and look for inspiration – don't wait for it to come to you. ...
- Do use character as a starting point for story ideas. ...
- Do carry a notebook with you at all times. ...
- Do work on developing your story ideas. ...
- Do read novels – constantly.
- Step 1: Analyze Yourself. First and foremost, take time to analyze yourself and your emotions. ...
- Step 2: Make a List. ...
- Step 3: Fill in the Gaps. ...
- Tip: Use Your Senses. ...
- Step 4: Find the Action. ...
- Step 5: Focus on the Audience. ...
- Step 6: Edit. ...
- Wrapping Up.