--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We weep for characters, and then we go…" description: "\"“We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and have to face the fact that the world is warming at such a rapid pace that a terrifying numb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/christopher-beha-57982_desire_we-weep-for-characters-and-then-we-go-br_1397901.jpg" --- # We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and… ![“We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and have to face the fact that the world is warming at such a rapid pace that a terrifying number of amphibians are vanishing every month. And so through plays, through soccer games, through novels, through movies, through video games, through…” quote by Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/christopher-beha-57982_desire_we-weep-for-characters-and-then-we-go-br_1397901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/christopher-beha-57982_desire_we-weep-for-characters-and-then-we-go-br_1397901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cc/christopher-beha-57982_desire_we-weep-for-characters-and-then-we-go-br_1397901.jpg) > ““We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and have to face the fact that the world is warming at such a rapid pace that a terrifying number of amphibians are vanishing every month. And so through plays, through soccer games, through novels, through movies, through video games, through political elections - through story - we rehearse feelings we might eventually need in our own lives. ... Through drama, in the moments of greatest suspense, when the hero is hanging by a support from above, swaying to and fro ... we rehearse anxiety and longing more profoundly than any other emotions. ... And longing is the reach, the extension, the wild desire to attain the next stable platform at the end of the high wire. It's the hope against hope that the water shooting out of the fountain will stay aloft forever. (Anthony Doerr, "The Sword of Damocles: On Suspense, Shower Murders, and Shooting People on the Beach")”” [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories let us practice intense emotions like anxiety and longing, preparing us for real‑world challenges. **In simple terms:** Stories rehearse strong emotions for real life. Key Takeaway Use narrative to build emotional resilience. Themes storytelling empathy anticipation Mood thoughtful introspective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - reading fiction - watching films - playing video games - participating in sports - political discourse Key Concepts psychology of suspense emotional rehearsal Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you find hardest to rehearse? - How does a story change your view of personal anxiety? A Different Perspective Fiction may oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Video games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video-games/) ## Related quotes > [Images break with a small ping, their destruction is as wonderful as their being, they are essentially instruments of torture exploding through the individual's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/images-break-with-a-small-ping-their-destruction-is-as-wonderful-as/) [E. L. 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That's why I am exploring ways to improve our education system by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/i-absolutely-believe-in-the-power-of-innovative-entrepreneurship-on/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [There are big lines between those who play video games and those who do not. For those who don't, video games are irrelevant. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/there-are-big-lines-between-those-who-play-video-games-and-those-who/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I grew up with my little brother, and we were raised by my grandmother. I was an insider for real. I stayed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryson-tiller/i-grew-up-with-my-little-brother-and-we-were-raised-by-my-grandmother/) [Bryson Tiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryson-tiller/) > [Niggas be wanting a girl who plays video games, watch sports, have tattoos & wear jordans. Sounds like you want a boyfriend nigga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2-chainz/niggas-be-wanting-a-girl-who-plays-video-games-watch-sports-have/) [2 Chainz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2-chainz/) > [What a woman should know -When to just let him zone out on video games, his computer, or phone. -When to let him control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-love-hewitt/what-a-woman-should-know-when-to-just-let-him-zone-out-on-video-games/) [Jennifer Love Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-love-hewitt/) > [I think video games have been instrumental to me as an NBA player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hayward/i-think-video-games-have-been-instrumental-to-me-as-an-nba-player/) [Gordon Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hayward/) > [Hands down, I'm a god amongst men when it comes to video games. I walk over everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelton-benjamin/hands-down-i-m-a-god-amongst-men-when-it-comes-to-video-games-i-walk/) [Shelton Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelton-benjamin/) > [“Maybe I could use a little metal on the inside, I thought. If I'd kept my heart better armored, where would I be now?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/maybe-i-could-use-a-little-metal-on-the-inside-i-thought-if-i-d-kept/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [Playing video games is something I enjoy in my spare time. I'm a gamer, always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-garnett/playing-video-games-is-something-i-enjoy-in-my-spare-time-i-m-a-gamer/) [Kevin Garnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-garnett/) ## More by Christopher Beha > [“There's an exercise I'll do sometimes with a class in which we'll start with a word; I'll give everyone a word, and they'll write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/there-s-an-exercise-i-ll-do-sometimes-with-a-class-in-which-we-ll/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“Fans of the Peanuts comic strip may also remember Snoopy beginning his novel again and again, always starting with the line 'It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/fans-of-the-peanuts-comic-strip-may-also-remember-snoopy-beginning/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“A few years ago, I listened to a rabbi give a talk and she was explaining what a blessing is. It is a naming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-few-years-ago-i-listened-to-a-rabbi-give-a-talk-and-she-was/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“A more generous, more useful interpretation of the phrase is that we should write about what we know, \*however we come to know it,\*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/a-more-generous-more-useful-interpretation-of-the-phrase-is-that-we/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) > [“Research serves fiction best when it's dissolved entirely into the work, reprecipitated only to be embodied in characters, images, and the sensual details bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-beha/research-serves-fiction-best-when-it-s-dissolved-entirely-into-the/) [Christopher Beha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) [Explore all 6 Christopher Beha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-beha/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We weep for characters, and then we go brush our teeth and have to face the fact that the world is warming at such a rapid pace that a terrifying number of amphibians are vanishing every month. And so through plays, through soccer games, through novels, through movies, through video games, through political elections - through story - we rehearse feelings we might eventually need in our own lives. ... Through drama, in the moments of greatest suspense, when the hero is hanging by a support from above, swaying to and fro ... we rehearse anxiety and longing more profoundly than any other emotions. ... 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