--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian…" description: "\"I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to create a world for my characters.\" — Colson Whitehead" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/colson-whitehead-1042_characters_i-m-not-a-teacher-i-m-not-a-historian-i_2586828.png" --- # I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to… ![“I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to create a world for my characters.” quote by Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/colson-whitehead-1042_characters_i-m-not-a-teacher-i-m-not-a-historian-i_2586828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/colson-whitehead-1042_characters_i-m-not-a-teacher-i-m-not-a-historian-i_2586828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/colson-whitehead-1042_characters_i-m-not-a-teacher-i-m-not-a-historian-i_2586828.png) > “I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to create a world for my characters.” [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author’s role is to build immersive worlds for characters, not to lecture or record history. **In simple terms:** Create worlds, not teach. Key Takeaway Focus on world‑building for characters. Themes creativity storytelling imagination Mood creative inspirational Type fictional artistic When to use this quote - novel writing - game design - screenwriting - role‑playing games Key Concepts narrative design character development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance realism and imagination? - What limits does world‑building face? A Different Perspective World‑building may ignore factual accuracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Create World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-world/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Historian Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian-trying-1827042/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-create-599230/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-characters-405007/) ## Related quotes > [When forced to survive in an apocalyptic world, there are some characters that embrace their higher selves with some emerging as natural born leaders,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/when-forced-to-survive-in-an-apocalyptic-world-there-are-some/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [Normally, you spend the play convincing people of the world and the characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/normally-you-spend-the-play-convincing-people-of-the-world-and-the/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I live intimately with my characters before starting a book. I cut out pictures of them for my wall. I do time lines for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/i-live-intimately-with-my-characters-before-starting-a-book-i-cut-out/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [“I am one man with a laptop. When I give the world my characters, it's because I don't want to keep them for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-lillis/i-am-one-man-with-a-laptop-when-i-give-the-world-my-characters-it-s/) [J.C. Lillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-lillis/) > [The best thing in the world is to put two characters who hate each other side by side. Or put two people who love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/the-best-thing-in-the-world-is-to-put-two-characters-who-hate-each/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [It's always important to try and get a real sense of the world around my characters. I especially think it helps actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-haigh/it-s-always-important-to-try-and-get-a-real-sense-of-the-world-around/) [Andrew Haigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-haigh/) > [With every movie I do and every day I go to work, my goal is not just to reach for difference, but also figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/with-every-movie-i-do-and-every-day-i-go-to-work-my-goal-is-not-just/) [Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/) > [In the Marvel world, some characters have similar powers. Initially some people might bump up against it, but if they really looked into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/in-the-marvel-world-some-characters-have-similar-powers-initially/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [I loved math and science. It just made sense to me. But my hatred for world history has come to bite me in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lindsay/i-loved-math-and-science-it-just-made-sense-to-me-but-my-hatred-for/) [Kara Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-lindsay/) > [I take stuff from real life and try to make a character out of it. And I try to live the world of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searles/i-take-stuff-from-real-life-and-try-to-make-a-character-out-of-it-and/) [John Searles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searles/) > [How doe we create the world we want, rather than a world that just happens to us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kingwell/how-doe-we-create-the-world-we-want-rather-than-a-world-that-just/) [Mark Kingwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kingwell/) > [I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-believe-one-writes-because-one-has-to-create-a-world-in-which-one/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“you create your world with your thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-create-your-world-with-your-thoughts/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [I want to create a world where all the rules are different. It should be magical to enter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/i-want-to-create-a-world-where-all-the-rules-are-different-it-should/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [Before you do anything, think. If you do something to try and impress someone, to be loved, accepted or even to get someone's attention,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/before-you-do-anything-think-if-you-do-something-to-try-and-impress/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) ## More by Colson Whitehead > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I want to keep growing as a writer. I find myself doing unexpected projects and sort of challenging my idea of where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-want-to-keep-growing-as-a-writer-i-find-myself-doing-unexpected/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“Every Tuesday, James Fulton (and later, Orville Lever) stood in the downstairs drawing room and lectured on the intricacies of his science. Lectured on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/every-tuesday-james-fulton-and-later-orville-lever-stood-in-the/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I started writing in the '90s, so I was free to just have an eccentric career and not conform to some idea of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-started-writing-in-the-90s-so-i-was-free-to-just-have-an-eccentric/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“Is this the truth of our historic encounter?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/is-this-the-truth-of-our-historic-encounter/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“The Great War had always been between the white and the black. It always would be. Cora”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/the-great-war-had-always-been-between-the-white-and-the-black-it/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“The worst sort of scoundrels took up the chase. Drunkards, incorrigibles, poor whites who didn’t even own shoes delighted in this opportunity to scourge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/the-worst-sort-of-scoundrels-took-up-the-chase-drunkards/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Don’t go searching for a subject, let your subject find you. You can’t rush inspiration. … Once your subject finds you, it’s like falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/don-t-go-searching-for-a-subject-let-your-subject-find-you-you-can-t/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“its terms? Homer watched her as she dressed, like a valet who had waited on her since the cradle. “I’m caught,” Cora said. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/its-terms-homer-watched-her-as-she-dressed-like-a-valet-who-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [These days I find myself wanting to avoid being pigeon-holed, ghettoized, held in a different category than other authors. And when people ask me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/these-days-i-find-myself-wanting-to-avoid-being-pigeon-holed/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Part of any book is establishing the rules at the end of the world. My first book, 'The Intuitionist,' takes place in an alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/part-of-any-book-is-establishing-the-rules-at-the-end-of-the-world-my/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [There's always an attack on the sophomore novel from some quarters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/there-s-always-an-attack-on-the-sophomore-novel-from-some-quarters/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“All he felt now was envy. These people had expectations. Of the world, of the future, it didn't matter--expectation was such an innovative concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/all-he-felt-now-was-envy-these-people-had-expectations-of-the-world/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Growing up as a product of the black civil-rights movement, I had a lot of different models for black weirdness, whether it's Richard Pryor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/growing-up-as-a-product-of-the-black-civil-rights-movement-i-had-a/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Schools don't teach American history that well, especially a lot of black American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/schools-don-t-teach-american-history-that-well-especially-a-lot-of/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) [Explore all 302 Colson Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) ## More Characters 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'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/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [I have played several characters that are crabby and cranky. I don't know if I'm just not a very well-developed human being or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-have-played-several-characters-that-are-crabby-and-cranky-i-don-t/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [You do get fond of your characters. Handing them on is like giving a child to a nanny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-do-get-fond-of-your-characters-handing-them-on-is-like-giving-a/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/) [Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I really like all of the characters in 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt, especially Camilla, the one girl. I find her fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-murray/i-really-like-all-of-the-characters-in-the-secret-history-by-donna/) [Hannah Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-murray/) > [I've just always loved really good projects. The things that draw me into a new project have very little to do with genre and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-staite/i-ve-just-always-loved-really-good-projects-the-things-that-draw-me/) [Jewel Staite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-staite/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) [Browse all 3,066 Characters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. 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