--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes us love a character is a…" description: "\"What makes us love a character is a character that tries.\" — Annette Bening" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg" --- # What makes us love a character is a character that tries. ![“What makes us love a character is a character that tries.” quote by Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg) > “What makes us love a character is a character that tries.” [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love for a character stems from their effort and attempts, highlighting the appeal of striving. **In simple terms:** We love characters who try. Key Takeaway Value effort in others. Themes empathy character effort Mood empathetic thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - storytelling - leadership - personal relationships Key Concepts narrative analysis human motivation Questions to Reflect On - What attempts make a character relatable? - How does effort influence your admiration? A Different Perspective Effort alone may not guarantee likability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-character/) [Character Tries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-tries-4989753/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-character/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Tries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tries/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [Style is a form of expression! It's what makes your character your character, to put it in laymen's term.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/style-is-a-form-of-expression-it-s-what-makes-your-character-your/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [If I'm not clear with the character, I can't do anything with it. But once I get that character, the possibilities are endless. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-coupe/if-i-m-not-clear-with-the-character-i-can-t-do-anything-with-it-but/) [Eliza Coupe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-coupe/) > [Sometimes you become a character, and sometimes the character becomes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zabka/sometimes-you-become-a-character-and-sometimes-the-character-becomes/) [William Zabka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zabka/) > [As an actor, when you want to capture the spirit of the character, and the character exists in all of the iterations slightly differently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ng-chin-han/as-an-actor-when-you-want-to-capture-the-spirit-of-the-character-and/) [Ng Chin Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ng-chin-han/) > [A black character is much more than just a black character; he's a character, period. So show the world as it is. Even with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/a-black-character-is-much-more-than-just-a-black-character-he-s-a/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [TV and film both attract me equally. In both, you do search for a role that would be enjoyable to do, that has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-butterfield/tv-and-film-both-attract-me-equally-in-both-you-do-search-for-a-role/) [Asa Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-butterfield/) > [“Social Roles Do Not Define Character; Character Defines Social Roles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monk-of-yhvh/social-roles-do-not-define-character-character-defines-social-roles/) [monk of YHVH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monk-of-yhvh/) > [Bond is a classic archetype character, a character that's embedded in our heads forever, one of a lone warrior setting out to avenge a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feirstein/bond-is-a-classic-archetype-character-a-character-that-s-embedded-in/) [Bruce Feirstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feirstein/) > [The true athlete should have character, not be a character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/the-true-athlete-should-have-character-not-be-a-character/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [An actor knows much more about a character than the character knows about himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/an-actor-knows-much-more-about-a-character-than-the-character-knows/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [All characters have a voice but not all voices have character. And it's all about character and personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-bergen/all-characters-have-a-voice-but-not-all-voices-have-character-and-it/) [Bob Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-bergen/) > [I know I can't make everyone happy, but I know I can do the most justice I can possibly do to a character, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cavill/i-know-i-can-t-make-everyone-happy-but-i-know-i-can-do-the-most/) [Henry Cavill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cavill/) > [Any script, even like The Founder, if it's something that I imagine myself playing this character or that character - any of the characters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/any-script-even-like-the-founder-if-it-s-something-that-i-imagine/) [Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/) > [Most of the comedy characters I played have been extensions of my own personality and very similar to Mike Channel. It's a weird eclectic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deayton/most-of-the-comedy-characters-i-played-have-been-extensions-of-my-own/) [Angus Deayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deayton/) > [Every character is a part of you and a part of the character that you are going to evolve into that you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/every-character-is-a-part-of-you-and-a-part-of-the-character-that-you/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) ## More by Annette Bening > [I never thought my private life would be newsworthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-never-thought-my-private-life-would-be-newsworthy/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I do have to take care of myself, not only because I'm in the movies, just for mental health reasons. I exercise for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-do-have-to-take-care-of-myself-not-only-because-i-m-in-the-movies/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [We all get lost along the way, but hopefully we figure out some sort of path. It helps if you can imagine the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/we-all-get-lost-along-the-way-but-hopefully-we-figure-out-some-sort/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [One of the things on a very practical level as an actor or actress is that when you do a play, you do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/one-of-the-things-on-a-very-practical-level-as-an-actor-or-actress-is/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [We want to be seen for who we really are, and each person has his own complex story and reasons for doing what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/we-want-to-be-seen-for-who-we-really-are-and-each-person-has-his-own/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I don't see myself as competing with other actresses. I mean, I went through a time when I was in New York, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-don-t-see-myself-as-competing-with-other-actresses-i-mean-i-went/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I'm lucky: almost all my family has lived to be very old. I have one grandfather who lived to be 100.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-m-lucky-almost-all-my-family-has-lived-to-be-very-old-i-have-one/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [It's always tricky to watch yourself, always. When I first had to watch myself, it was really hard because I'd done quite a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/it-s-always-tricky-to-watch-yourself-always-when-i-first-had-to-watch/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [To me, I didn't think of acting as being a young thing only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/to-me-i-didn-t-think-of-acting-as-being-a-young-thing-only/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I act, but I am a mother first and wife second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-act-but-i-am-a-mother-first-and-wife-second/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Why I love acting is that it's totally subjective and I like that. I like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/why-i-love-acting-is-that-it-s-totally-subjective-and-i-like-that-i/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Somebody said something really smart: It's like you end up being the defense attorney for your role. Your job is to defend their point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/somebody-said-something-really-smart-it-s-like-you-end-up-being-the/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Anybody who has children and children who are well feels a sense of responsibility towards parents and kids and families that are struggling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/anybody-who-has-children-and-children-who-are-well-feels-a-sense-of/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I just want to be educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-just-want-to-be-educated/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I remember hearing someone say that good acting is more about taking off a mask than putting one on, and in movie acting, certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-remember-hearing-someone-say-that-good-acting-is-more-about-taking/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) [Explore all 141 Annette Bening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "What makes us love a character is a character that tries.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annette Bening" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-character-that-tries/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-character-that-tries/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/annette-bening-3058_character_what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-char_3037330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes us love a character is a character that tries.” — Annette Bening", "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": "Annette Bening", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What makes us love a character...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-character-that-tries/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/what-makes-us-love-a-character-is-a-character-that-tries/#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 } } ] } ```