--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that those of us who are ordinary…" description: "\"I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily into the backdrop of life and we take things for granted. We often wake up in our lives and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/chris-abani-7393_backdrop_i-think-that-those-of-us-who-are-ordinar_825910.jpg" --- # I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily… ![“I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily into the backdrop of life and we take things for granted. We often wake up in our lives and wonder how we got there. But the characters I create, the people I am drawn to, are quite extraordinary (and not always in wholesome ways), and…” quote by Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/chris-abani-7393_backdrop_i-think-that-those-of-us-who-are-ordinar_825910.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/chris-abani-7393_backdrop_i-think-that-those-of-us-who-are-ordinar_825910.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/chris-abani-7393_backdrop_i-think-that-those-of-us-who-are-ordinar_825910.jpg) > “I think that those of us who are ordinary disappear easily into the backdrop of life and we take things for granted. We often wake up in our lives and wonder how we got there. But the characters I create, the people I am drawn to, are quite extraordinary (and not always in wholesome ways), and they offer us the chance to understand who we really are and how we became who we are.” [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary people blend into life’s background, while fictional characters reveal deeper truths about ourselves and our origins. **In simple terms:** Ordinary fades, stories reveal us. Key Takeaway Seek extraordinary perspectives to understand yourself. Themes identity reflection creativity Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - writing workshops - therapy sessions Key Concepts self‑discovery narrative psychology Questions to Reflect On - What hidden traits do you see in your favorite characters? - How can fiction help you confront personal blind spots? A Different Perspective Stories may oversimplify complex identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backdrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backdrop/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-create-500005/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-disappear-514337/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Taking things for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-things-for-granted/) [Think Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-ordinary-514338/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Who we are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-we-are/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“An author has to fit into the skin of her characters, to imagine being trapped by unfortunate and sometimes violent circumstances she herself has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-h-marion/an-author-has-to-fit-into-the-skin-of-her-characters-to-imagine-being/) [Loretta H. Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-h-marion/) > [Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/writers-must-be-fair-and-remember-even-bad-guys-most-of-them-anyway/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The opposing missions of the various characters create the plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/the-opposing-missions-of-the-various-characters-create-the-plot/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [While I've written in the POV (point of view) of adolescent characters before... 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Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I put a lot of time and energy and thought behind what I do and the characters that I create, and I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crudup/i-put-a-lot-of-time-and-energy-and-thought-behind-what-i-do-and-the/) [Billy Crudup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crudup/) > [When I create characters, I create a world to inhabit and they begin to feel very real for me. I don't belong in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/when-i-create-characters-i-create-a-world-to-inhabit-and-they-begin/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [As an actor you use your imagination to put yourself in the shoes of bad guy characters. You create a story as to why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dayan-fisher/as-an-actor-you-use-your-imagination-to-put-yourself-in-the-shoes-of/) [David Dayan Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dayan-fisher/) > [You meet people and you hear the way they talk and the way they behave, and that subconsciously gets fed into the characters you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/you-meet-people-and-you-hear-the-way-they-talk-and-the-way-they/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [“We never end up with the book we began writing. Characters twist it and turn it until they get the life that is perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-webb/we-never-end-up-with-the-book-we-began-writing-characters-twist-it/) [C.K. Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-webb/) > [“Listen to the characters that you create. They have a lot to say and they’re smarter than you think.” — Christy King”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-king/listen-to-the-characters-that-you-create-they-have-a-lot-to-say-and/) [Christy King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-king/) > [Storylines are how characters create the plots involved in their stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-quinn-yarbro/storylines-are-how-characters-create-the-plots-involved-in-their/) [Chelsea Quinn Yarbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-quinn-yarbro/) > [The characters that I create are parts of myself and I send them on little missions to find out what I don’t know yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/the-characters-that-i-create-are-parts-of-myself-and-i-send-them-on/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [Characters I create are just mixtures of the people I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taika-waititi/characters-i-create-are-just-mixtures-of-the-people-i-know/) [Taika Waititi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taika-waititi/) ## More by Chris Abani > [“Story is powerful. 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I think we all know this, know that deeper truths can be approached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/fiction-is-more-dangerous-than-nonfiction-because-it-can-seduce/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [My grand uncle was a traditional priest, and he would always say to me as a kid, 'We stand in our own light,' which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/my-grand-uncle-was-a-traditional-priest-and-he-would-always-say-to-me/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [Unlike other books or TV shows or sometimes life, my narrative worlds are stripped of implicit moral centers. There is only what you bring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/unlike-other-books-or-tv-shows-or-sometimes-life-my-narrative-worlds/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [Nigerians are everywhere. There's an old joke, particularly about the Ibos, that when you finally land on Mars, you're going to find a Nigerian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/nigerians-are-everywhere-there-s-an-old-joke-particularly-about-the/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [“Circuses are about entertainment and juggling and animals and all that shit. Sideshows are about freaks, about people and the limits of acceptability. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/circuses-are-about-entertainment-and-juggling-and-animals-and-all/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [It takes me forever to actually finish something like a ten-page essay. But, when I do, I usually love what they are. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/it-takes-me-forever-to-actually-finish-something-like-a-ten-page/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [I had amazing intellectual privilege as a kid. My mom taught me to read when I was two or three. When I was five,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-had-amazing-intellectual-privilege-as-a-kid-my-mom-taught-me-to/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [If you want to know about Africa, read our literature - and not just 'Things Fall Apart,' because that would be like saying, 'I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/if-you-want-to-know-about-africa-read-our-literature-and-not-just/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) [Explore all 91 Chris Abani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) ## More Backdrop quotes > [I have the appetite to do different roles that have different backdrops. 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