--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easy to show terrible people's…" description: "\"It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen, and we all just kind of nod and go, 'Isn't that terrible.' It's more interesting when you can s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/449/damien-chazelle-8242_behavior_it-s-easy-to-show-terrible-people-s-beha_1879461.jpg" --- # It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen… ![“It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen, and we all just kind of nod and go, 'Isn't that terrible.' It's more interesting when you can show terrible behavior in the interest of something good.” quote by Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/449/damien-chazelle-8242_behavior_it-s-easy-to-show-terrible-people-s-beha_1879461.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/449/damien-chazelle-8242_behavior_it-s-easy-to-show-terrible-people-s-beha_1879461.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/449/damien-chazelle-8242_behavior_it-s-easy-to-show-terrible-people-s-beha_1879461.jpg) > “It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen, and we all just kind of nod and go, 'Isn't that terrible.' It's more interesting when you can show terrible behavior in the interest of something good.” [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Portraying immoral actions can be compelling, but showing them serving a greater good adds depth. **In simple terms:** Bad behavior is more interesting when it serves a noble cause. Key Takeaway Show flaws that serve higher purpose. Themes morality artistic storytelling conflict Mood thoughtful critical Type film philosophical When to use this quote - film criticism - creative writing - ethical debates Key Concepts redemption narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - When does depicting immorality become endorsement? - How can creators ensure moral clarity? A Different Perspective Glorifying bad behavior can mislead audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Nod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nod/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People's Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peoples-behavior/) [Terrible People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-people/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s one of humanity’s worst traits. Good intentions justify all kinds of terrible behavior.” Myron”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/it-s-one-of-humanity-s-worst-traits-good-intentions-justify-all-kinds/) [Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/) > [Well in the history of the See's Candy Company they always say, "I never did it before, and I'm never going to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/well-in-the-history-of-the-see-s-candy-company-they-always-say-i/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [“I guess once you'd had a taste of the worst, pretty bad isn't all that terrible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-guess-once-you-d-had-a-taste-of-the-worst-pretty-bad-isn-t-all-that/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Isn't it terrible the way some unworthy folks are loved, while others that deserve it far more, you'd think, never get much affection?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/isn-t-it-terrible-the-way-some-unworthy-folks-are-loved-while-others/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love you, you see...and I fear I have no way to say or show it that isn't terrible, except coming here. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/i-love-you-you-see-and-i-fear-i-have-no-way-to-say-or-show-it-that/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [I smoke, isn't that terrible?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hudson/i-smoke-isn-t-that-terrible/) [Kate Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hudson/) > [“In other words: Whatever happens as a result of their behavior (good or bad) must happen... pretty much instantaneously.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-g-katz/in-other-words-whatever-happens-as-a-result-of-their-behavior-good-or/) Adam G. Katz > [Rewarding good behavior is good policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/rewarding-good-behavior-is-good-policy/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [Science attempts to analyze how things and people and animals behave; it has no concern whether this behavior is good or bad, is purposeful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-weaver/science-attempts-to-analyze-how-things-and-people-and-animals-behave/) [Warren Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-weaver/) > [For me, being in someone's good books is to keep your behavior good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/for-me-being-in-someone-s-good-books-is-to-keep-your-behavior-good/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [At the core of all human behavior, the good feelings we all want are more or less the same. Therefore, what we get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/at-the-core-of-all-human-behavior-the-good-feelings-we-all-want-are/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“4. Reward appropriate behavior openly and generously If you want to persuade people to do the right thing, add some sort of public display…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/businessnews-publishing/4-reward-appropriate-behavior-openly-and-generously-if-you-want-to/) [BusinessNews Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/businessnews-publishing/) > [“So much more comforting to see bad in others; gives us all sorts of excuses for our own bad behavior. But good? No, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/so-much-more-comforting-to-see-bad-in-others-gives-us-all-sorts-of/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [If I hold back any part of me, I suppress that much energy and potential. The question I want to ask myself now is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/if-i-hold-back-any-part-of-me-i-suppress-that-much-energy-and/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [Sometimes people's behavior is seemingly unexplainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-scott/sometimes-people-s-behavior-is-seemingly-unexplainable/) [Adam Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-scott/) ## More by Damien Chazelle > [My motivation for being a good drummer was born out of fear, which, in a way, seems so antithetical to what art should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/my-motivation-for-being-a-good-drummer-was-born-out-of-fear-which-in/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [It's interesting when you wind up distilling all your ambitions and your goals and dreams into one single person. It's giving that person a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/it-s-interesting-when-you-wind-up-distilling-all-your-ambitions-and/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [In a weird way, I'm always going to ground myself. I'm an insecure kind of pessimist, but I'm always kind of waiting for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/in-a-weird-way-i-m-always-going-to-ground-myself-i-m-an-insecure-kind/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [Real practice means working on stuff you're not good at. Real practice is about butting your head against the wall repeatedly until you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/real-practice-means-working-on-stuff-you-re-not-good-at-real-practice/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [It's a little difficult when something goes from being an utter obsession - a thing where your skill defines you as a person -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/it-s-a-little-difficult-when-something-goes-from-being-an-utter/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [I love the ending of 'The Wrestler.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/i-love-the-ending-of-the-wrestler/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [It was only through getting interested in more out-there and avant-garde forms that the musical suddenly seemed like such a wonderful genre to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/it-was-only-through-getting-interested-in-more-out-there-and-avant/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [I feel like a lot of directing is casting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/i-feel-like-a-lot-of-directing-is-casting/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [If you're an artist, you want to draw from real life; you want to draw from experiences, emotion, and it's something that a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/if-you-re-an-artist-you-want-to-draw-from-real-life-you-want-to-draw/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [I was interested in music and making movies about musicians, but my own experiences, and doing what it felt like for me to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/i-was-interested-in-music-and-making-movies-about-musicians-but-my/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [There are a lot of musicians in my life. But movies came first for me. That was my original passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/there-are-a-lot-of-musicians-in-my-life-but-movies-came-first-for-me/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [By the end of high school, I had this fork-in-the-road moment where part of me considered going to vocational music school to really pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/by-the-end-of-high-school-i-had-this-fork-in-the-road-moment-where/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [At the upper echelon of musicians in general, I guess performers in general, you have to have this kind of live-or-die, cutthroat mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/at-the-upper-echelon-of-musicians-in-general-i-guess-performers-in/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [If you want to make a movie, there may be many forces trying to pull you down, but really, a lot of it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/if-you-want-to-make-a-movie-there-may-be-many-forces-trying-to-pull/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [I would break a lot of cymbals. You whack the cymbals hard enough, and they will crack in half. Drums are not actually as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/i-would-break-a-lot-of-cymbals-you-whack-the-cymbals-hard-enough-and/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) [Explore all 82 Damien Chazelle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen, and we all just kind of nod and go, 'Isn't that terrible.' 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