Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.

Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.

Stories serve so many purposes. We need them because they document our truths, they magnify our dreams, they teach, they entertain, they inspire.

We owe it to each other to tell stories.

To be interesting, just tell your own story with uncommon honesty.

To survive, you must tell stories.

A story must be exceptional enough to justify its telling. We storytellers are all ancient mariners, and none of us is justified in stopping wedding guests, unless he has something more unusual to relate than the ordinary experiences of every average man and woman.

Have a story. And make sure it’s a good one. A DAMN good one.

But Andrew was right about one thing. Human beings need to tell stories. Historically, it's the quickest way we have for transmitting useful information to other members of our species. Stories are not simply nice things to have; they are essential survival tools.
And yes, the stories we tell ourselves are just as important as the stories we tell other people.

People need such stories, because however dark, a darkness with voices in it is better than a silent void.

If a story is in you, it has to come out.

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.

This story deserves to be told; all stories do. Even the waves of the sea tell a story that deserves to be read. The stories that really need to be told are those that shake the very soul of you.

If you want to be more effective when sharing yourself and your work, you need to become a better storyteller.