--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more limitations you put on a…" description: "\"The more limitations you put on a character, often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the ch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/brandon-sanderson-112_character_the-more-limitations-you-put-on-a-charac_300314.jpg" --- # The more limitations you put on a character, often times… ![“The more limitations you put on a character, often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the character can't simply wave a hand and make something happen. They have to work within the framework.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/brandon-sanderson-112_character_the-more-limitations-you-put-on-a-charac_300314.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/brandon-sanderson-112_character_the-more-limitations-you-put-on-a-charac_300314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/brandon-sanderson-112_character_the-more-limitations-you-put-on-a-charac_300314.jpg) > “The more limitations you put on a character, often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the character can't simply wave a hand and make something happen. They have to work within the framework.” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Limiting a character’s abilities forces creative problem‑solving, making narratives richer and more engaging. **In simple terms:** Restrictions spark creativity. Key Takeaway Embrace constraints in storytelling. Themes creativity character development storytelling Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑playing games Key Concepts narrative structure conflict agency Questions to Reflect On - What constraints could improve your own project? - How do limits reveal deeper traits? A Different Perspective Too many limits can stifle character growth if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) ## Related quotes > [Your success stops where your character stops. You can never rise above the limitations of your character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/your-success-stops-where-your-character-stops-you-can-never-rise/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morley/no-man-can-climb-out-beyond-the-limitations-of-his-own-character/) [John Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morley/) > [Character is simply habit long continued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/character-is-simply-habit-long-continued/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Personally, I believe that playing the lead antagonist is always better than a character artiste, whose weightage isn't much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhimanyu-singh/personally-i-believe-that-playing-the-lead-antagonist-is-always/) [Abhimanyu Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhimanyu-singh/) > [Character is, for the most part, simply habit become fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/character-is-for-the-most-part-simply-habit-become-fixed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Character: The ability to carry out a worthy decision after the emotion of making that decision has passed. Character simply stated is doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyrum-w-smith/character-the-ability-to-carry-out-a-worthy-decision-after-the/) [Hyrum W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyrum-w-smith/) > [“Success in moderation was no doubt better for the character than failure, but too much of it and he would lose his cutting edge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-2/success-in-moderation-was-no-doubt-better-for-the-character-than/) [P.D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-2/) > [I am pretty sure I will never get a better character name than Japonica Fenway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-pieterse/i-am-pretty-sure-i-will-never-get-a-better-character-name-than/) [Sasha Pieterse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-pieterse/) > [For Marvel, we've never looked at any of our characters in terms of gender, race, or religion. It truly is about, who is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeph-loeb/for-marvel-we-ve-never-looked-at-any-of-our-characters-in-terms-of/) [Jeph Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeph-loeb/) > [I wrote a story about a character who looks like Harry Styles. But it has nothing to do with Harry Styles at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/i-wrote-a-story-about-a-character-who-looks-like-harry-styles-but-it/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Since I've had some success, story and character are always the two elements I think about first in material presented to me. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powers-boothe/since-i-ve-had-some-success-story-and-character-are-always-the-two/) [Powers Boothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/powers-boothe/) > [I'm taken by a story and a character. I'll read a script, and if it touches me and moves me and makes waves, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-bamber/i-m-taken-by-a-story-and-a-character-i-ll-read-a-script-and-if-it/) [Ellie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-bamber/) > [It was always about the story rather than the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dujardin/it-was-always-about-the-story-rather-than-the-character/) [Jean Dujardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dujardin/) > [If it's a good story or if it's a character I want to act in, I end up wanting to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwak-dong-yeon/if-it-s-a-good-story-or-if-it-s-a-character-i-want-to-act-in-i-end-up/) [Kwak Dong-yeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwak-dong-yeon/) > [I don't really think in terms of genre, I think in terms of story and character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-genre-i-think-in-terms-of-story-and/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## 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": "The more limitations you put on a character, often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the character can't simply wave a hand and make something happen. 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