It's the story that counts.

Hear the timeless words of Vincente Minnelli, master of the golden age of cinema, who declared: “It’s the story that counts.” At first glance, the words are plain, yet within them shines an eternal truth that transcends art, time, and medium. For while costumes dazzle, while actors charm, while spectacle may astonish, it is the story alone that pierces the heart and lingers in memory. All else fades like smoke after the fire, but the tale endures, burning brightly in the souls of those who hear it.

The meaning of this saying lies in the power of narrative to bind together human experience. Music may delight the ear, light may dazzle the eye, and movement may stir the senses, but only the story speaks to the whole being. It carries the listener or viewer into the struggles, the triumphs, the tears, and the hopes of others. The story is the bridge between lives, the thread that weaves strangers into kin. Minnelli, who crafted great musicals and dramas, knew that without a tale to hold them, even the most radiant colors and the grandest sets would be empty shells.

This truth is as old as humanity. Long before the first theater, long before the first printed page, men and women gathered around the fire to tell stories. They told of heroes and monsters, of gods and lovers, of triumphs and tragedies. These tales gave shape to their fears, taught lessons to their children, and bound communities together. The strength of those ancient stories was not in spectacle, for there was none, but in the power of the narrative itself. Minnelli’s words echo this ancient lineage: art evolves, tools change, but what counts is always the story.

Consider the tale of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Written in the 19th century, its prose was not adorned with great literary flourishes, yet its story shook the conscience of a nation. Abraham Lincoln himself, upon meeting Stowe, is said to have remarked, “So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” It was not the polish of style, but the raw power of narrative that awakened sympathy, stirred outrage, and fueled the fight against slavery. Again, the story proved to be the force that counts.

Minnelli, in his art, created musicals like An American in Paris and Gigi, filled with dance, music, and color. Yet he knew that these elements alone could not carry a film. Without a story, they would dissolve like candy in the mouth—sweet for a moment, forgotten in the next. With a story, however, even a song or a dance becomes unforgettable, for it is tied to a journey, to a transformation, to a truth about the human heart. Thus, even in the most glittering of spectacles, Minnelli held fast to his principle: it is the story that counts.

The lesson for us is profound: in all endeavors, seek the story. When you speak, do not heap words without meaning, but tell the truth of your experience. When you create, let your work carry a thread of narrative that others can grasp. When you live, remember that your life itself is a story, unfolding chapter by chapter, and it will be remembered not for the ornaments you gathered, but for the tale you told with your deeds.

So, children of tomorrow, engrave this wisdom on your hearts: do not be seduced by glitter, nor distracted by noise. Ask always: what is the story? For the story is the flame, and all else are but sparks. As Vincente Minnelli proclaimed, “It’s the story that counts.” And if you live your life as story—truthful, courageous, filled with meaning—then yours too will be told long after the lights of your age have dimmed.