--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the reader cares, I dont think it…" description: "\"If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.\" — Barry Eisler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png" --- # If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much… ![“If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png) > “If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.” [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. The reader's engagement matters more than the hero's moral alignment. **In simple terms:** Reader interest outweighs hero type. Key Takeaway Focus on compelling storytelling. Themes storytelling morality reader engagement Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - film adaptation - marketing Key Concepts anti-hero character analysis Questions to Reflect On - Do readers care about hero ethics? - How does hero type affect plot? A Different Perspective Anti-hero may alienate some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-hero/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If the reader cares, I don't think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-don-t-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Everybody cares when you dont give a damn. nobody gives a damn when you care. cant be alone when you want to. and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/everybody-cares-when-you-dont-give-a-damn-nobody-gives-a-damn-when/) [Ne-yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader-cares-about-and-stories-that/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Good characters the reader cares about combined with an intriguing plot. Do those two and you've got it made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mayer/good-characters-the-reader-cares-about-combined-with-an-intriguing/) [Bob Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mayer/) > [ There are two tests that we \[writers\] have for all of our writing: So What? and Who Cares? There is an answer to both.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/there-are-two-tests-that-we-writers-have-for-all-of-our-writing-so/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“A novel requires a hero, and here there's a deliberate collection of all the traits for an anti-hero”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dostoyevsky-fyodor/a-novel-requires-a-hero-and-here-there-s-a-deliberate-collection-of/) [Dostoyevsky, Fyodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dostoyevsky-fyodor/) > [It's always more fun to be an anti-hero. They're more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/it-s-always-more-fun-to-be-an-anti-hero-they-re-more-interesting/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [I'm always attracted to anti-hero roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-m-always-attracted-to-anti-hero-roles/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [The great thing about Burgess's work is the dichotomy of making the hero or anti-hero an immoral man. And that's what makes it interesting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mcdowell/the-great-thing-about-burgess-s-work-is-the-dichotomy-of-making-the/) [Malcolm McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mcdowell/) > [“What were you doing with her?” The words burst from my lips. Before I can take them back, he stares at me. I stare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jayne/what-were-you-doing-with-her-the-words-burst-from-my-lips-before-i/) L. Jayne > [Perhaps some of the appeal of the dangerous-but-yummy paranormal anti-hero lies in his scorn for societal expectations. Yes, women have come a long way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/perhaps-some-of-the-appeal-of-the-dangerous-but-yummy-paranormal-anti/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [I don't think the Hulk is a superhero. He's the first Marvel character who is a tragic monster. Really an anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-don-t-think-the-hulk-is-a-superhero-he-s-the-first-marvel-character/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [I went to film school so I have a writing and directing background, and I think a lot of the material I'm interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/i-went-to-film-school-so-i-have-a-writing-and-directing-background/) [Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/) > [“A grim expression came over Syah’s face. “The colt you speak of lost its mother during a storm. If this stallion was that colt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-raver/a-grim-expression-came-over-syah-s-face-the-colt-you-speak-of-lost/) Danielle Raver > [I think, generally, the flawed anti-hero is much more interesting than the normal hero, and that's really what we're talking about here as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-think-generally-the-flawed-anti-hero-is-much-more-interesting-than/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) ## 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. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“That I was apparently into body building at all at this stage in my life probably meant affairs with young women, for whom a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/that-i-was-apparently-into-body-building-at-all-at-this-stage-in-my/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/immediately-the-sounds-of-the-street-below-grew-detached-distant-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“I heard laughter and looked up. Some kids at the terminal next to me, playing an online game. 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. Give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-picked-up-the-earthen-cup-and-went-to-take-a-sip-not-like-that/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“It seemed he’d recently learned the value of playing up the difficulty of accomplishing whatever he was tasked with, the better to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-seemed-he-d-recently-learned-the-value-of-playing-up-the/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Yukiko walked over, her mouth stretching into a feline grin at the sight of Murakami. Naomi followed a moment later. 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 Anti hero quotes > [I think, generally, the flawed anti-hero is much more interesting than the normal hero, and that's really what we're talking about here as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-think-generally-the-flawed-anti-hero-is-much-more-interesting-than/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [“A grim expression came over Syah’s face. “The colt you speak of lost its mother during a storm. If this stallion was that colt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-raver/a-grim-expression-came-over-syah-s-face-the-colt-you-speak-of-lost/) Danielle Raver > [I went to film school so I have a writing and directing background, and I think a lot of the material I'm interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/i-went-to-film-school-so-i-have-a-writing-and-directing-background/) [Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/) > [I don't think the Hulk is a superhero. He's the first Marvel character who is a tragic monster. Really an anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-don-t-think-the-hulk-is-a-superhero-he-s-the-first-marvel-character/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [Perhaps some of the appeal of the dangerous-but-yummy paranormal anti-hero lies in his scorn for societal expectations. Yes, women have come a long way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/perhaps-some-of-the-appeal-of-the-dangerous-but-yummy-paranormal-anti/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“What were you doing with her?” The words burst from my lips. Before I can take them back, he stares at me. I stare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jayne/what-were-you-doing-with-her-the-words-burst-from-my-lips-before-i/) L. Jayne > [The great thing about Burgess's work is the dichotomy of making the hero or anti-hero an immoral man. And that's what makes it interesting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mcdowell/the-great-thing-about-burgess-s-work-is-the-dichotomy-of-making-the/) [Malcolm McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mcdowell/) > [I'm always attracted to anti-hero roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-m-always-attracted-to-anti-hero-roles/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [It's always more fun to be an anti-hero. They're more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/it-s-always-more-fun-to-be-an-anti-hero-they-re-more-interesting/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [“A novel requires a hero, and here there's a deliberate collection of all the traits for an anti-hero”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dostoyevsky-fyodor/a-novel-requires-a-hero-and-here-there-s-a-deliberate-collection-of/) [Dostoyevsky, Fyodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dostoyevsky-fyodor/) > [“The Punisher: If there are no consequences to your mistakes...you have no reason...not to make them...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-van-lente/the-punisher-if-there-are-no-consequences-to-your-mistakes-you-have/) [Fred Van Lente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-van-lente/) > [Look, we're in the time of the anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-norris/look-we-re-in-the-time-of-the-anti-hero/) [Dean Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-norris/) > [The range of Shakespeare's characters is just enormous. Each one of them, whether it's a man or woman, prince or pauper, hero or anti…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-kapoor/the-range-of-shakespeare-s-characters-is-just-enormous-each-one-of/) [Kunal Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-kapoor/) > [I think it's doubly important, now that we see so many people failing. When the norm is an anti-hero, there's a serious loss when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-gleeson/i-think-it-s-doubly-important-now-that-we-see-so-many-people-failing/) [Brendan Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-gleeson/) > [“While gently pushing her towards the dressing room, Lazarus ventured, "Can I ask you something kind of personal?" Pulling her shirt over her head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-noelle-long/while-gently-pushing-her-towards-the-dressing-room-lazarus-ventured/) [Shannon Noelle Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-noelle-long/) [Browse all 49 Anti hero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-hero/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Eisler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your-hero/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your-hero/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/barry-eisler-1009_anti-hero_if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matt_3207373.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.” — 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": "If the reader cares, I dont...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your-hero/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your-hero/#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 } } ] } ```