---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would love for people to think that I…"
description: "\"I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I write, but those characters are characters.\" — A..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png"
---

#  I would love for people to think that I am as quick…

![“I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I write, but those characters are characters.” quote by Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png)

> “I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I write, but those characters are characters.”

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writers often wish their characters were as heroic as they appear, but characters remain fictional constructs.

**In simple terms:** Writers idealize their creations.

Key Takeaway

Separate self from fictional personas.

Themes

identity authorial intent fiction

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- self‑esteem building
- character analysis
- public speaking

Key Concepts

narrative theory psychology of creation

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you ever feel pressure to live up to your characters?
- How does this affect your self‑image?

A Different Perspective

Readers may conflate author and character, causing misaligned expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Love For People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-for-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Playing big, heroic characters with heart is always a lot of fun. I enjoy making movies like that, and a lot of people love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/playing-big-heroic-characters-with-heart-is-always-a-lot-of-fun-i/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [As a child, I was always drawn to heroic characters. I decided I wanted to act when I realised that Superman and all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/as-a-child-i-was-always-drawn-to-heroic-characters-i-decided-i-wanted/)

[Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/)

> [I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-write-to-give-myself-strength-i-write-to-be-the-characters-that-i/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [“I write fiction not for my readers and not for myself. I write fiction for the sake of those odd heroic characters that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-trandahl/i-write-fiction-not-for-my-readers-and-not-for-myself-i-write-fiction/)

[Nicholas Trandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-trandahl/)

> [I rarely return to characters. My characters, at least most of them, are much more a part of that superorganism that is the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-rarely-return-to-characters-my-characters-at-least-most-of-them-are/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [You put books out into the world, and people form their own visuals and images and attachments to characters; those characters become part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-put-books-out-into-the-world-and-people-form-their-own-visuals/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [The 'Fargo' characters, they're the characters of my people. They're stoic, hardworking, uncomplaining, and I loved them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/the-fargo-characters-they-re-the-characters-of-my-people-they-re/)

[Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/)

> [I love managing characters. Characters make teams and I believe I can deal with all sorts. The most important thing is being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-campbell/i-love-managing-characters-characters-make-teams-and-i-believe-i-can/)

[Sol Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-campbell/)

> [I like to play very raw characters, characters who have a degree of vulnerability and passion about what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-o-mara/i-like-to-play-very-raw-characters-characters-who-have-a-degree-of/)

[Jason O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-o-mara/)

> [What's the difference between Hollywood characters and my characters? Mine are real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/what-s-the-difference-between-hollywood-characters-and-my-characters/)

[Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/)

> [All the people in Star Trek will always be known as those characters. And what characters to have attached to your name in life!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichelle-nichols/all-the-people-in-star-trek-will-always-be-known-as-those-characters/)

[Nichelle Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichelle-nichols/)

> [The reader has information about the characters that the characters themselves don't have. We all have our secret sides. Even I come to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaume-cabre/the-reader-has-information-about-the-characters-that-the-characters/)

[Jaume Cabre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaume-cabre/)

> [Comic book characters are characters who wear costumes. They're not necessarily different than other characters. The trend I think that you're seeing are comic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascal/comic-book-characters-are-characters-who-wear-costumes-they-re-not/)

[Amy Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascal/)

> [In my own work, I don't have favorite characters, but I have characters that I relate to the most. And I relate the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/in-my-own-work-i-don-t-have-favorite-characters-but-i-have-characters/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“If your characters write your story, rather than you writing your characters, it's like your dog taking YOU for a walk. Don't let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bell/if-your-characters-write-your-story-rather-than-you-writing-your/)

[Jessica Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bell/)

## More by Aaron Sorkin

> [Conflict, when used as a device, makes for good television and bad journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/conflict-when-used-as-a-device-makes-for-good-television-and-bad/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [Film doesn't have to worry. Movies are awesome. There's no war going on, theaters aren't going to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/film-doesn-t-have-to-worry-movies-are-awesome-there-s-no-war-going-on/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [People don't live their lives in a series of scenes that form a dramatic narrative, they don't speak in dialogue, they're not lit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/people-don-t-live-their-lives-in-a-series-of-scenes-that-form-a/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [One of the biggest challenges in the past for me in working on the networks was that audiences have grown accustomed to television being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/one-of-the-biggest-challenges-in-the-past-for-me-in-working-on-the/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [You're going to fall down, but the world doesn't care how many times you fall down, as long as it's one fewer than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/you-re-going-to-fall-down-but-the-world-doesn-t-care-how-many-times/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [We live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/we-live-in-a-world-that-has-walls-and-those-walls-have-to-be-guarded/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [As an audience member, I like the sound of something that's been written - I like it to sound written. And then, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/as-an-audience-member-i-like-the-sound-of-something-that-s-been/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [She's a person; the doctor pronounces her dead, not the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/she-s-a-person-the-doctor-pronounces-her-dead-not-the-news/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [It's nice that HBO is in business with the audience and not with the advertisers. There's a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/it-s-nice-that-hbo-is-in-business-with-the-audience-and-not-with-the/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [“TOBY: The world can move or not by changing some words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/toby-the-world-can-move-or-not-by-changing-some-words/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [I had never thought of doing television. But my agent wanted me to meet John Wells, who had had a lot of success producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-had-never-thought-of-doing-television-but-my-agent-wanted-me-to/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [Government should be a place where people can come together, and no one gets left behind. No one…gets left behind. An instrument of good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/government-should-be-a-place-where-people-can-come-together-and-no/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [Television from its inception had the number one goal to alienate as few people as possible. That's why if you look at 1950s, 1960s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/television-from-its-inception-had-the-number-one-goal-to-alienate-as/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [Josh: So, Toby, it’s election night. What do you say about a country that goes out of its way to protect even those citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/josh-so-toby-it-s-election-night-what-do-you-say-about-a-country-that/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [The hardest thing for me is getting started. If I'm writing a script, really 90 per cent of it would be just walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/the-hardest-thing-for-me-is-getting-started-if-i-m-writing-a-script/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

[Explore all 148 Aaron Sorkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

David Hudgins

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I write, but those characters are characters.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aaron Sorkin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i-am-as-quick-clever-smart-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i-am-as-quick-clever-smart-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/aaron-sorkin-2826_character_i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i_3100328.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I…” — Aaron Sorkin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aaron Sorkin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would love for people to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i-am-as-quick-clever-smart-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-would-love-for-people-to-think-that-i-am-as-quick-clever-smart-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
