---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To try and imagine that I'm another…"
description: "\"To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going to be hard - whether I'm writing about a truck driver or someone who is gay, who's trans, wh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png"
---

#  To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going…

![“To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going to be hard - whether I'm writing about a truck driver or someone who is gay, who's trans, who is of a different ethnicity or creed. But it would be boring if I always had to write about myself and my limited viewpoint.” quote by Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png)

> “To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going to be hard - whether I'm writing about a truck driver or someone who is gay, who's trans, who is of a different ethnicity or creed. But it would be boring if I always had to write about myself and my limited viewpoint.”

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

## About This Quote

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

Empathy requires effort; writers must step beyond personal experience to portray diverse lives.

**In simple terms:** Writing for others needs imagination and effort.

Key Takeaway

Expand perspective through research and empathy.

Themes

empathy diversity writing creativity

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- screenwriting
- journalism
- role‑playing games

Key Concepts

character development cultural awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you research unfamiliar experiences?
- What safeguards prevent misrepresentation?

A Different Perspective

Assuming perspective can lead to stereotypes if not researched.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Ethnicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnicity/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Viewpoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewpoints/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I think people appreciate a songwriter who shows different sides. The whole angst thing is cool, but if thats all youve got, its just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-think-people-appreciate-a-songwriter-who-shows-different-sides-the-2/)

[Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/)

> [All writers have strengths and weaknesses. I am terrified of being boring, so I write short, compressed stories that sometimes don't give a reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/all-writers-have-strengths-and-weaknesses-i-am-terrified-of-being/)

[Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/)

> [It had become boring to write: 'I like Clare Balding'. To say: 'I don't like Clare Balding' is much more newsworthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/it-had-become-boring-to-write-i-like-clare-balding-to-say-i-don-t/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [“I’m not beholden to the confirmation of your prejudices; to be perfectly frank, the prospect of confining the female characters in my story to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/i-m-not-beholden-to-the-confirmation-of-your-prejudices-to-be/)

[Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/)

> [“I read about a famous mystery writer who worked for one week in a department store. One day she saw a woman come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-read-about-a-famous-mystery-writer-who-worked-for-one-week-in-a/)

[Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/)

> [Just imagine that you are the person you want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-viscott/just-imagine-that-you-are-the-person-you-want-to-be/)

[David Viscott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-viscott/)

> [“When you are not shrinking away from who you are, it is a lot easier to imagine the person you might become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/when-you-are-not-shrinking-away-from-who-you-are-it-is-a-lot-easier/)

[Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/)

> [“Try to imagine what the person who passed away would have wanted. If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/try-to-imagine-what-the-person-who-passed-away-would-have-wanted-if/)

[Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/)

> [I can't imagine a person becoming a success who doesn't give this game of life everything he's got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-can-t-imagine-a-person-becoming-a-success-who-doesn-t-give-this/)

[Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/)

> [If a person made you smile and laugh as loud as you can imagine, that person can also make you cry harder than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-person-made-you-smile-and-laugh-as-loud-as-you-can-imagine-that/)

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

> [If you're playing somebody who is not you, then you can imagine that you are that person. You can feel like he feels, move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/if-you-re-playing-somebody-who-is-not-you-then-you-can-imagine-that/)

[Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/)

> [All along — not only since she left, but for a decade before — I had been imagining her without listening, without knowing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-along-not-only-since-she-left-but-for-a-decade-before-i-had-been/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [If woman had no existence save in the fiction written by men, one would imagine her a person of utmost importance; very various; heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-woman-had-no-existence-save-in-the-fiction-written-by-men-one/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“we imagine ourselves as the other person will see us, mirroring our own desire in them, and most of what we do is borrowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/we-imagine-ourselves-as-the-other-person-will-see-us-mirroring-our/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“Imagine a person created for you. Another being so in tune with you that their voice was the clearest you’ve ever heard in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hunter/imagine-a-person-created-for-you-another-being-so-in-tune-with-you/)

[Elizabeth Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hunter/)

## More by Brian K. Vaughan

> [“By the time they're out of preschool, most children have already seen thousands of acts of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/by-the-time-they-re-out-of-preschool-most-children-have-already-seen/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I'm really happiest living life 22 pages at a time and putting things in little boxes on pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-m-really-happiest-living-life-22-pages-at-a-time-and-putting-things/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [You'd never be able to convince someone to give you money to do a bilingual story where you're not translating half of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/you-d-never-be-able-to-convince-someone-to-give-you-money-to-do-a/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“I´ve held you in my heart since the day you left me. But you´re too heavy to carry another step. And I need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-ve-held-you-in-my-heart-since-the-day-you-left-me-but-you-re-too/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [Every issue, the characters and I duke it out. They usually win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/every-issue-the-characters-and-i-duke-it-out-they-usually-win/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [ I love that the book \[Paper Girls \] gets to kind of evolve and change in each era. Our third storyline is our best… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-love-that-the-book-paper-girls-gets-to-kind-of-evolve-and-change-in/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I know I'm a grumpy old man, but I'm always more delighted by readers talking about the actual comics than people talking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-know-i-m-a-grumpy-old-man-but-i-m-always-more-delighted-by-readers/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I'm still digesting the '90s. It takes some time to get perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-m-still-digesting-the-90s-it-takes-some-time-to-get-perspective/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Ask a child's guardians what it takes to be good at their jobs, and most will answer with a single word... SACRIFICE. Parents give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/ask-a-child-s-guardians-what-it-takes-to-be-good-at-their-jobs-and/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I think some people are just very passionate that things remain the way they were when they were kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-think-some-people-are-just-very-passionate-that-things-remain-the/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Fuck the Bureau! Their entire outfit is half the size of the NYPD. I've got more officers who speak Arabic in one precinct that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/fuck-the-bureau-their-entire-outfit-is-half-the-size-of-the-nypd-i-ve/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [In film, you have the luxury of accomplishing what you need in 24 frames every second. Comics, you only have five or six panels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/in-film-you-have-the-luxury-of-accomplishing-what-you-need-in-24/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Sooner or later, every last echo fades. Even the loudest thunder in the deepest valley.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/sooner-or-later-every-last-echo-fades-even-the-loudest-thunder-in-the/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [There's just something about that late '80s that suddenly feels like it has something to teach us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/there-s-just-something-about-that-late-80s-that-suddenly-feels-like/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [Fans of my books have just been supremely nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/fans-of-my-books-have-just-been-supremely-nice/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

[Explore all 166 Brian K. Vaughan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

## More Boring quotes

> [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/)

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

> [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/)

[Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/)

> [I'd be very controversial if I said why, and I don't do controversial anymore. That's too passé. So last year. Being controversial is boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-d-be-very-controversial-if-i-said-why-and-i-don-t-do-controversial/)

M.I.A

> [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/)

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

> [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/)

[Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/)

[Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/)

> [The films I find boring are the ones that have no space for the audience's misconceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-decker/the-films-i-find-boring-are-the-ones-that-have-no-space-for-the/)

[Josephine Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-decker/)

> [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I've always felt that dark lyrics with dark music is pretty useless. Maybe that's a strong statement - not useless, but for me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-felt-that-dark-lyrics-with-dark-music-is-pretty-useless/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [Something is wrong if workers do not look around each day, find things that are tedious or boring, and then rewrite the procedures. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/something-is-wrong-if-workers-do-not-look-around-each-day-find-things/)

[Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/)

> [Plumbing is usually boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/plumbing-is-usually-boring/)

[Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/)

> [If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/if-something-is-boring-after-two-minutes-try-it-for-four-if-still/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

> [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/)

[Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/)

Browse all 3,123 Boring quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going to be hard - whether I'm writing about a truck driver or someone who is gay, who's trans, who is of a different ethnicity or creed. But it would be boring if I always had to write about myself and my limited viewpoint.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brian K. Vaughan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-person-is-always-going-to-be-hard/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boring"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-person-is-always-going-to-be-hard/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/brian-k-vaughan-2421_boring_to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-pers_430161.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To try and imagine that I'm another person is always going to be hard - whether I'm writing about a truck…” — Brian K. Vaughan",
                "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": "Brian K. Vaughan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To try and imagine that I'm...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-person-is-always-going-to-be-hard/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/to-try-and-imagine-that-i-m-another-person-is-always-going-to-be-hard/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
