---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're responsible for your own character…"
description: "\"You're responsible for your own character to a degree, because when it comes to the final draft of the script, you might say, \"Well, I think maybe I co..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg"
---

#  You're responsible for your own character to a degree…

![“You're responsible for your own character to a degree, because when it comes to the final draft of the script, you might say, &quot;Well, I think maybe I could add this here, add that there.&quot; But I find that I write just as well for the other characters as I do for myself. I think.” quote by Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg)

> “You're responsible for your own character to a degree, because when it comes to the final draft of the script, you might say, "Well, I think maybe I could add this here, add that there." But I find that I write just as well for the other characters as I do for myself. I think.”

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

## About This Quote

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

A writer must balance personal voice with character development, sharing responsibility for the story’s integrity.

**In simple terms:** Writers share ownership of all characters, not just themselves.

Key Takeaway

Treat every character with equal care.

Themes

creativity responsibility craft

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

creative process

When to use this quote

- screenwriter drafting a script
- author revising a novel

Key Concepts

character agency authorial humility

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain your voice while serving characters?
- When does character needs outweigh author intent?

A Different Perspective

Risk of losing personal style when over‑collaborating.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [In the big picture I write for an audience of people I've never met. By the final draft I'm looking for anything in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/in-the-big-picture-i-write-for-an-audience-of-people-i-ve-never-met/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [The people are responsible for the character of their Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-people-are-responsible-for-the-character-of-their-congress/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/now-more-than-ever-the-people-are-responsible-for-the-character-of/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [I have always felt responsible for every character I played, devoting myself to learning everything about the craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rubina-dilaik/i-have-always-felt-responsible-for-every-character-i-played-devoting/)

[Rubina Dilaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rubina-dilaik/)

> [I have to be responsible with my character, my image and my reputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polo-g/i-have-to-be-responsible-with-my-character-my-image-and-my-reputation/)

[Polo G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polo-g/)

> [When I'm writing, I don't put faces on the characters. When I finish the first draft of the script, I start visualizing, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/when-i-m-writing-i-don-t-put-faces-on-the-characters-when-i-finish/)

[Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/)

> [ We have written a draft of the script in every calendar year since \[2010\]. Quite honestly. Our Deadpool file is... full, to capacity. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wernick/we-have-written-a-draft-of-the-script-in-every-calendar-year-since/)

[Paul Wernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wernick/)

> [ I don't think writing stops until the film is out. In the edit, it's another draft. \[The script\] is the food for set, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/i-don-t-think-writing-stops-until-the-film-is-out-in-the-edit-it-s/)

[Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/)

> [When I'm writing a first draft of a script, I can disappear into that for two, three months exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kinberg/when-i-m-writing-a-first-draft-of-a-script-i-can-disappear-into-that/)

[Simon Kinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kinberg/)

> [Writing, yeah. Me and my friend Scott Bloom just finished the first rough draft of a script. It's taken us three years to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-suplee/writing-yeah-me-and-my-friend-scott-bloom-just-finished-the-first/)

[Ethan Suplee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-suplee/)

> ['City of Bohane' has been optioned for film, and I've finished a first draft of the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/city-of-bohane-has-been-optioned-for-film-and-i-ve-finished-a-first/)

[Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/)

> [You hate to see yourself do one draft of a script and then have somebody else come back in and change what you've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lennon/you-hate-to-see-yourself-do-one-draft-of-a-script-and-then-have/)

[Thomas Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lennon/)

> [I still always think the greatest moment for me, as a writer, is when I press that button and send the first draft of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-still-always-think-the-greatest-moment-for-me-as-a-writer-is-when-i/)

[Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/)

> [Fox came to us with the concept for ICE AGE and they came to us with the first draft of the script. They also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wedge/fox-came-to-us-with-the-concept-for-ice-age-and-they-came-to-us-with/)

[Chris Wedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wedge/)

> [With my first book, I was hired to write a draft of the script. I was so young and less confident. They put me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/with-my-first-book-i-was-hired-to-write-a-draft-of-the-script-i-was/)

[Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/)

## More by Charlie Day

> [You're happy that people are seeing your work. As for the critics, it really hurts when they knock you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-re-happy-that-people-are-seeing-your-work-as-for-the-critics-it/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [In my theater days I assumed that you had to get rid of yourself to do a character well, and I don’t think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/in-my-theater-days-i-assumed-that-you-had-to-get-rid-of-yourself-to/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [I went to college to be a jock and to play on the baseball team. And then, I got cut and realized that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/i-went-to-college-to-be-a-jock-and-to-play-on-the-baseball-team-and/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [It doesn't really matter to me whether the 7-year-olds are big fans of my work. I'm happy just to be working at all. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/it-doesn-t-really-matter-to-me-whether-the-7-year-olds-are-big-fans/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [I was the world's smallest man, covered in freckles with a squeaky, scratchy voice. And I still am, but I've learned to love myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/i-was-the-world-s-smallest-man-covered-in-freckles-with-a-squeaky/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [As an actor, sometimes you feel a pressure to change yourself from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/as-an-actor-sometimes-you-feel-a-pressure-to-change-yourself-from/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [You live your comedic life close to the edge, you're gonna cross the line and offend people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-live-your-comedic-life-close-to-the-edge-you-re-gonna-cross-the/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [I'm not the biggest fan of comedies where nothing is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/i-m-not-the-biggest-fan-of-comedies-where-nothing-is-real/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [There are certain episodes that on the page I thought, "Oh boy, this is going to be the funniest episode." And there are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/there-are-certain-episodes-that-on-the-page-i-thought-oh-boy-this-is/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [Writing is like pulling your hair out. You have nothing, and you can't think of anything, but you have to think of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/writing-is-like-pulling-your-hair-out-you-have-nothing-and-you-can-t/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [If we were on NBC we would have been canceled by now. It's the perfect marriage with FX, they let us get away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/if-we-were-on-nbc-we-would-have-been-canceled-by-now-it-s-the-perfect/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [Im choosing my words carefully cause Im sure, when it comes to being naked with Jennifer Aniston, they will be printed. But, believe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/im-choosing-my-words-carefully-cause-im-sure-when-it-comes-to-being/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [I love Queen. Not all of it. Some of it, I can't get into. But "Don't Stop Me Now" is a pretty hilarious song.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/i-love-queen-not-all-of-it-some-of-it-i-can-t-get-into-but-don-t-stop/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [Everyone knows what it's like to feel like the underdog. Everyone wants to be accepted. Ultimately, everybody wants to be loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/everyone-knows-what-it-s-like-to-feel-like-the-underdog-everyone/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [Sometimes even hearing a bad idea is a great way to get to a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/sometimes-even-hearing-a-bad-idea-is-a-great-way-to-get-to-a-good-idea/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

[Explore all 88 Charlie Day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

## More Add quotes

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/)

[Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/)

> [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/)

[Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/)

> [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/)

[Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/)

[Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/)

Browse all 2,710 Add quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You're responsible for your own character to a degree, because when it comes to the final draft of the script, you might say, \"Well, I think maybe I could add this here, add that there.\" But I find that I write just as well for the other characters as I do for myself. I think.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charlie Day"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-re-responsible-for-your-own-character-to-a-degree-because-when-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Add"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-re-responsible-for-your-own-character-to-a-degree-because-when-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlie-day-7729_add_you-re-responsible-for-your-own-characte_594764.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You're responsible for your own character to a degree, because when it comes to the final draft of the…” — Charlie Day",
                "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": "Charlie Day",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You're responsible for your own character...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-re-responsible-for-your-own-character-to-a-degree-because-when-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/you-re-responsible-for-your-own-character-to-a-degree-because-when-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
