Character quotes

Character

14.8K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

14.8K quotes

Explore further

Browse quotes that often appear alongside character — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.

Thinking 95.1K quotes Writing 30.7K quotes Men 68.6K quotes People 100.4K quotes Play 12.5K quotes Real 21.1K quotes

Quote collection

Character quotes (page 98 of 739)

Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.

Stephen King Author
Character

"Once I start work on a project, I don’t stop and I don’t slow down unless I absolutely have to. If I don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale off in my mind – they begin to seem like characters instead of real people. The tale’s narrative cutting edge starts to rust and I begin to lose my hold on the story’s plot and pace. Worst of all, the excitement of spinning something new begins to fade. The work starts to feel like work, and for most writers that is the smooch of death."

Writing Real Character
Read quote 4 likes
Stephen King Author
Character

"Most gothics are overplotted novels whose success or failure hinges on the author's ability to make you believe in the characters and partake of the mood."

Believe Writing Character
Read quote 4 likes
Robert Stone Novelist
Character

"You should let dialogue get as nearly out of control as you can. Characters should say what they say to each other instead of what they mean to say. The worst purpose of dialogue is to elicit information: "You know why we're out on this space station, Carruthers - to save the universe!""

Mean Character Space
Read quote 4 likes
Ronald Reagan Politician, Actor
Character

"A nation's greatness is measured not just by its gross national product or military power, but by the strength of its devotion to the principles and values that bind its people and define their character."

Character Military Greatness
Read quote 4 likes
Swami Vivekananda Spiritual Leader, Philosopher
Character

"Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character-makin g, assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library."

Heart Character Running
Read quote 4 likes
Sylvester Stallone Actor, Filmmaker
Character

"On the sequel, you've lost the element of surprise. Usually, on the first one you may not go very, very deep into character; the second one you start to explore the character a bit more."

Character May Elements
Read quote 4 likes
Sylvia Plath Poet, Novelist
Character

"I can't deceive myself out of the bare stark realization that no matter how enthusiastic you are, no matter how sure that character is fate, nothing is real, past or future, when you are alone in your room with the clock ticking loudly into the false cheerful brilliance of the electric light. And if you have no past or future which, after all, is all that the present is made of, why then you may as well dispose of the empty shell of present and commit suicide."

Real Character Suicide
Read quote 4 likes
Character

"The thing is, about a character, it's not about being right, it's about the truth. The truth comes from within, so you have to search as an artist for the truth."

Character Artist
Read quote 4 likes
Character

"Hollywood is so strange because a lot of times the battlefield is just a meeting. It's not necessarily like an audition. They've seen clips of you and they know that you can perform and it's a matter of "what is your take on a character"?"

Character Matter Hollywood
Read quote 4 likes
Character

"This movie [ Buried] is strange, because it's such an extraordinary situation, both as a character and as an actor. Both of us are going through an extraordinary situation at the same time, and it was odd. It was weird not having a co-star to cut away to for the most part. It just forces you to never have a deficit in the performance."

Character Stars Cutting
Read quote 4 likes
H. G. Wells Writer
Character

"The history of India for many centuries had been happier, less fierce, and more dreamlike than any other history. In these favorable conditions, they built a character - meditative and peaceful and a nation of philosophers such as could nowhere have existed except in India."

Character India Peaceful
Read quote 4 likes
Gabriel Mann Actor, Musician
Character

"My role models were always the Pacinos and the Oldmans, the guys who get dirty with their characters, and I arrived in L.A. during the big boom of 'Dawson's Creek.' I was getting cast as the boy next door, or the friend of the jock. I thought, 'Did I really have to do all that studying?'"

Character Boys Dirty
Read quote 4 likes
Omar Sy Actor
Character

"Each movie was a challenge for me, as a man, as an actor. After each movie, something changed in my life, in my character."

Men Character Challenges
Read quote 4 likes
Naomi Watts Actress
Character

"Noah Baumbach writing is really wonderful. I think the way he plays out each character with a unique voice is really impressive, and rhythmically his dialogue works."

Thinking Writing Character
Read quote 4 likes
Naomi Watts Actress
Character

"Never say never - and I certainly don't judge anyone who does it. But most of the characters I play are going through some kind of emotional turmoil, so my job requires me to have expression. If my face was froze, what right do I have to play that part? All the women who haven't done anything to their faces are still able to play great roles. And some of the ones who have done something have messed it up - they look freakish. Anyway, for me it's about playing women with rich lives - and the longer the life, the deeper the wrinkles."

Character Jobs Emotional
Read quote 4 likes