--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes…" description: "\"I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and confl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png" --- # I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things… ![“I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters.” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png) > “I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters.” [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are drawn to complex characters whose moral shades create tension and depth. **In simple terms:** Moral ambiguity makes characters interesting. Key Takeaway Explore characters with mixed motives. Themes character morality conflict Mood curious analytical Type literary psychological When to use this quote - novel writing - film analysis - role‑playing games - personal reflection Key Concepts ethical ambiguity psychology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What makes a morally ambiguous character compelling? - How does conflict shape your own values? A Different Perspective Some audiences prefer clear heroes and villains; ambiguity can alienate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Good guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-guy/) [Good guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-guys/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-ambiguity/) [Villains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villains/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Heroes aren't supposed to do bad things. That's what villains are for. So either the good supersedes the bad, or the bad makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lz-granderson/heroes-aren-t-supposed-to-do-bad-things-that-s-what-villains-are-for/) [LZ Granderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lz-granderson/) > [I have a lot of fun playing quote unquote villains because I think the bad guys get to have more fun, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii/i-have-a-lot-of-fun-playing-quote-unquote-villains-because-i-think/) [Yahya Abdul-Mateen II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii/) > [I don't think villains think they are villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/i-don-t-think-villains-think-they-are-villains/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [There's jerks, and there's villains. Villains, I think, are very aware of who they are and what they're doing and their effect on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-livingston/there-s-jerks-and-there-s-villains-villains-i-think-are-very-aware-of/) [Ron Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-livingston/) > [If you look at the Disney Villains, I think you'll find that they do have mass appeal in some way, and it usually has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-freeman/if-you-look-at-the-disney-villains-i-think-you-ll-find-that-they-do/) [Jonathan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-freeman/) > [I think that sometimes when they see me in a movie they expect me to be something nasty. I mean, I play a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-that-sometimes-when-they-see-me-in-a-movie-they-expect-me-to/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [If you want to demonise the Mughals, please base it on some research and make us understand why; why they were the villains that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/if-you-want-to-demonise-the-mughals-please-base-it-on-some-research/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [When you're writing a story or an actor playing a role, you should never think of your characters as heroes or villains. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-neville/when-you-re-writing-a-story-or-an-actor-playing-a-role-you-should/) [Morgan Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-neville/) > [“We're the good guys. That we're scary doesn't mean we're the villains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/we-re-the-good-guys-that-we-re-scary-doesn-t-mean-we-re-the-villains/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [You need to try to find a way to humanize your villains. Genuine villains, in real life, still have mothers and daughters and sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/you-need-to-try-to-find-a-way-to-humanize-your-villains-genuine/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [But you see, I have played more good guys than I have played villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/but-you-see-i-have-played-more-good-guys-than-i-have-played-villains/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [The thing about villains is most people play them with the shifty eyes and all that, whereas I play them as good guys. 'Cos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/the-thing-about-villains-is-most-people-play-them-with-the-shifty/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [“One of history's most dangerous games begins with dividing the world into the good guys and the bad guys and ends with using any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-prothero/one-of-history-s-most-dangerous-games-begins-with-dividing-the-world/) [Stephen Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-prothero/) > [When I wrote my eighth thriller, 'Inside Out,' in 2009, the villains were a group of CIA and other government officials who colluded to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/when-i-wrote-my-eighth-thriller-inside-out-in-2009-the-villains-were/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [One of my favourite films is called 'Lacombe Lucien,' directed by Louis Malle. The lead character in that film, like the lead characters in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cornish/one-of-my-favourite-films-is-called-lacombe-lucien-directed-by-louis/) [Joe Cornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cornish/) ## More by Barry Eisler > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“She’s a bargirl. You don’t know where her loyalties lie. That one was unconvincing. No one had directed her against me—I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/she-s-a-bargirl-you-don-t-know-where-her-loyalties-lie-that-one-was/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“In my unpleasant experience, unarmed against a knife, you’ve basically got four options. Your best bet is to run like hell, if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-my-unpleasant-experience-unarmed-against-a-knife-you-ve-basically/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. 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I wondered for a moment how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-heard-laughter-and-looked-up-some-kids-at-the-terminal-next-to-me/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-shifted-my-head-slightly-the-corners-of-our-mouths-brushed-together/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I looked at her. Why was it her question seemed suffused with double entendre? She was attractive, of course, more than attractive, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-looked-at-her-why-was-it-her-question-seemed-suffused-with-double/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I picked up the earthen cup and went to take a sip. “Not like that,” Miyamoto said. “Let it cool a little. 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She was wearing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/yukiko-walked-over-her-mouth-stretching-into-a-feline-grin-at-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-would-be-awesome-to-be-so-impressive-that-we-could-sway-people-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) [Explore all 305 Barry Eisler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## More Ambiguity quotes > [The position is clear - there is no ambiguity in Sinn Fein's position. We, along with all the other parties, have signed up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/the-position-is-clear-there-is-no-ambiguity-in-sinn-fein-s-position/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I blame my grandfather 100 percent for his oldest son's death. I don't think there's any ambiguity there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/i-blame-my-grandfather-100-percent-for-his-oldest-son-s-death-i-don-t/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! For what stories do, above all else, is hold up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/yet-again-an-ancient-answer-echoes-across-the-centuries-listen-listen/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-order-to-be-as-free-as-i-possibly-can-in-my-own-imagination-i-can/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-am-in-the-utmost-perplexity-yand-have-wished-a-hundred-times-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/there-s-a-lot-of-ambiguity-in-life-and-so-often-our-art-is-very/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“Man must not attempt to dispel the ambiguity of his being but, on the contrary, accept the task of realizing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/man-must-not-attempt-to-dispel-the-ambiguity-of-his-being-but-on-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Browse all 431 Ambiguity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Eisler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes-who-do-bad-things-and-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes-who-do-bad-things-and-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/barry-eisler-1009_ambiguity_i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes_1320992.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys…” — Barry Eisler", "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": "Barry Eisler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not sure why I'm so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes-who-do-bad-things-and-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-m-not-sure-why-i-m-so-drawn-to-heroes-who-do-bad-things-and-to/#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 } } ] } ```