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Character Quotes

Character shows up in fiction, politics and physics.

"Character" is used two distinct ways in this collection — as a literary term about how a fictional character carries moral weight, and as a description of personal integrity tied to one's politics and work. For traits and personality more broadly, see Personality quotes.

Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.

Quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte

Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.

Quotes by Napoleon Hill

You start thinking about a character in a new book, of course you're going to think pretty soon, 'Well, what's their secret? What is their problem?' Maybe, 'What is their secret?' is another way of saying, 'What is their problem?'...

Quotes by Nancy Werlin

When a story is flying along, and I'm so into it that my 'real' world goes away, it can feel magical. I cease to be, my desk and computer ceases to be, and I am my character in his world....

Quotes by Nancy Kress

Your opening should give the reader a person to focus on. In a short story, this person should turn up almost immediately; he should be integral to the story's main action; he should be an individual, not just a type....

Quotes by Nancy Kress

Pace, like everything else in writing, involves a trade-off. If you're not offering the reader a lot of action to keep her interested, you must offer something else in its stead. Slow pace is ideal for complex character development, detailed...

Quotes by Nancy Kress

A brief short story may require only a few paragraphs after the climax. On the other hand, in his massive novel 'The World According to Garp,' John Irving's denouement consisted of 10 separate sections, each devoted to an individual character's...

Quotes by Nancy Kress

Movies don't look hard, but figuring it out, getting the shape of it, getting everybody's character right and having it be funny, make sense and be romantic, it's creating a puzzle. Yes, having been a writer for so long, I...

Quotes by Nancy Meyers

When I was growing up as a young lesbian in the '50s, I looked in vain for books about my people. I did find some paperbacks with lurid covers in the local bus station, but they ended with the gay...

Quotes by Nancy Garden

Had I not gone through the struggles and the obstacles I had, I would not be as strong as I am today. I believe those impediments have forged, shaped, and strengthened my character.

Quotes by Nadya Suleman

Disappointment builds character and strength.

Quotes by Nafessa Williams

My character and my behavior is not for politics. I say what I think. I'm too liberal.

Quotes by Naguib Sawiris

You try not to become so emotionally attached to your character, but you do.

Quotes by Nadia Bjorlin

I always give much attention to military character and to psychological and morale conditions.

Quotes by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

The happiest ones are those who have a character which would prefer their services to be unknown to all generations.

Quotes by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

I grew up watching Scooby Doo and Thelma was my favourite character.

Quotes by MyAnna Buring

When I was trying to achieve my goal, I started training. I became a character, and everyone was expecting me to become the 'Prince of...' or the Middle-Eastern, and I wanted to wear a mask, and I wanted to be...

Quotes by Mustafa Ali

My message to everyone is that we truly are one, and the minute you see me as the person, not just as the Muslim - when you see me as Adeel Alam and not just the character on TV -...

Quotes by Mustafa Ali

I loved wrestling, and I wanted to go out and entertain people and all that stuff, so I get trained, and when they decided, 'Hey, you're ready for a match, and you've got to start thinking about a character,' I...

Quotes by Mustafa Ali

It may, however, be said that the level of experience to which concepts are inapplicable cannot yield any knowledge of a universal character, for concepts alone are capable of being socialized.

Quotes by Muhammad Iqbal

Frequently Asked Questions

What different meanings of "character" appear on this page?
Several - literary character in the sense of a written character's moral dimension, the idea that one's politics and the character of their work are inseparable, the freeing quality of dialogue comedy, and even a scientific reference to the "duality of character" in matter and radiation.
Is there a quote about writing and moral character in fiction?
Yes, one quote discusses how everything in fiction ultimately comes down to the relationship between the reader, the writer, and the characters, questioning whether a character addresses moral being in an important way. For more, see the Characters page.
Is there a quote connecting politics and creative work?
Yes, one quote states a belief that "one's politics and the character of his particular work are inseparable," reflecting a radical viewpoint. Browse the Personality page for more on how personal outlook shapes expression.
Is there a quote about comedy writing and characters?
Yes, one quote describes finding it liberating that in dialogue comedy, the characters and what they say aren't the writer themselves - just fleeting thoughts and observations rather than stated truths. For more on how characters take shape, see the Character Development page.
Is there a scientific quote about "character" here?
Yes, interestingly - one quote uses "duality of character" to describe how matter and radiation sometimes behave like waves and sometimes like particles, applying the word in a scientific rather than literary sense. For more on how character is portrayed, check out the Characterization page.

Unusually, one entry borrows the word from physics, describing the dual wave-and-particle character of matter and radiation. Continue with Characters quotes or Character Development quotes.