Q0524
“Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.” — Hannah Arendt (Men in Dark Times (1968))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Men in Dark Times (1968). Theme: meaning.
English
Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Men in Dark Times (1968) and files it under Political Phenomenology. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German-Jewish political theorist who fled Nazism and wrote in the United States in English and German. A student of Heidegger and Jaspers, she refused the label “philosopher” yet produced lasting works on totalitarianism, revolution, and the vita activa.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Viktor Frankl and Ludwig Wittgenstein), meaning is framed through Logotherapy and Analytic Philosophy. Some passages define meaning; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through meaning, understanding.
Concepts in this quote
- Meaning
- Meaning appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat meaning as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Understanding
- Understanding appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat understanding as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Hannah Arendt. (n.d.). Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0524
MLA: Hannah Arendt. “Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0524.
Chicago: Hannah Arendt. “Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0524.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of…”?
The passage is attributed to Hannah Arendt, Men in Dark Times (1968). The archive attributes this English wording to Men in Dark Times (1968) and files it under Political Phenomenology. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Hannah Arendt mean by meaning?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Viktor Frankl and Ludwig Wittgenstein), meaning is framed through Logotherapy and Analytic Philosophy. Some passages define meaning; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through meaning, understanding.