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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.

My favorite actors are people who I don't know anything about, and I can project any character onto them.

Quotes by Matt Bomer

I think when you play a role, you always have to be a defense attorney for that character.

Quotes by Matt Bomer

Well, when you're playing a role, you have to think, 'What is ultimately motivating the character?'

Quotes by Matt Bomer

I consider 'White Collar' my home base. I'm so lucky to get to play a character that's very multifaceted and the writers take risks on and never get into a staid process with.

Quotes by Matt Bomer

For some reason, they always gave me a fat suit in high-school productions. If there was a character who needed to be robust, they gave me a fat suit, and I put on a silly voice.

Quotes by Matt Bomer

If somebody has no sense of humor, I think that's a great place to start for British comedy in terms of your character.

Quotes by Matt Berry

At its core, 'Heroes' is an ensemble character drama with genre elements.

Quotes by Masi Oka

I often feel like a pretender when wearing makeup. The most beautiful features in a woman are her character and her experiences. Why hide that?

Quotes by Masiela Lusha

I was always a character actress, even when I was an ingenue. But as you age, people know what to do with you, and you're not quite as dependent on maintaining leading-lady beauty.

Quotes by Marylouise Burke

You need to be able to build a character, you need to have time, you need to have a microphone and be able to talk so people can relate to you.

Quotes by Maryse Mizanin

You always want to put your character through different experiences and see how it shapes their worldview.

Quotes by Mary Wiseman

Spock is a huge mythical character that even people who aren't 'Star Trek' fans like.

Quotes by Mary Wiseman

In every age there has been a stream of popular opinion that has carried all before it, and given a family character, as it were, to the century.

Quotes by Mary Wollstonecraft

The same energy of character which renders a man a daring villain would have rendered him useful in society, had that society been well organized.

Quotes by Mary Wollstonecraft

What is more important is finding the soul of the character, and making sure it fits well into this story. And that it be dramatic and interesting and captivating, because these people weren't entertainers, you know.

Quotes by Mary Stuart Masterson

I'm not an actress who can create a character. I play me.

Quotes by Mary Tyler Moore

The American character looks always as if it had just had a rather bad haircut, which gives it, in our eyes at any rate, a greater humanity than the European, which even among its beggars has an all too professional...

Quotes by Mary McCarthy

I do think that it's extremely important with this character show her assuming power with a great deal of grace, and find out how to do things she won't like - the things she's called upon to do.

Quotes by Mary McDonnell

As soon as I started reading, I found myself drawn to fictional character's homes as much as I was to the characters themselves.

Quotes by Mary Kay Andrews

The more I get to do this character, the more I realize that she's not just annoying. It's that her strength is not interacting with people socially. She just doesn't have time because she has so much going on in...

Quotes by Mary Lynn Rajskub

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.