And now you'll be telling storiesof my coming backand they won't be false, and they won't be truebut they'll be real

Mary Oliver
About This Quote

This quote is a reference to the 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns who was renowned for his love of storytelling. In this line from his poem "To a Mouse," Burns recalls a time when he had been on a voyage with the crew and had spent the night with a woman whom he hadn't been able to marry because of her poverty. In the morning, he decided that it would be good to go back into that house and leave a new pair of shoes for his intended. The woman's husband saw him coming in and decided that it would be good to go back into that house and leave a new pair of shoes for Burns. Burns was happy to tell a story about himself being there, even if it wasn't true, so long as it was real.

Source: A Thousand Mornings

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