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

L’Engle’s line asserts that narrative is not mere entertainment but a formative human practice. Stories enlarge inner life (“more alive”) by sharpening perception and emotion; they deepen empathy (“more human,” “more loving”) by letting us inhabit other minds and circumstances; and they cultivate moral imagination (“more courageous”) by rehearsing choices, risks, and responsibilities in symbolic form. The claim also reflects L’Engle’s lifelong defense of literature—especially children’s and young-adult fiction—as a serious arena for spiritual and ethical growth. In this view, storytelling becomes a means of connection: to others, to oneself, and to the values that guide action.