--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can tell stories, create…" description: "\"“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” ~Somerset Maugh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg" --- # If you can tell stories, create characters, devise… ![“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” ~Somerset Maugham” quote by Dennis Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg) > ““If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” ~Somerset Maugham”” [Dennis Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing skill matters less than genuine storytelling, character creation, and passion **In simple terms:** Passion and sincerity outweigh technical skill Key Takeaway Focus on authentic storytelling Themes writing creativity passion authenticity Mood inspirational reflective Type quote advice When to use this quote - workshop teaching - creative writing class - author mentorship - self‑publishing - literary critique Key Concepts character development narrative truth emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - How can you inject sincerity into your prose? - What story does your passion tell? A Different Perspective Technical perfection can’t compensate for lack of heart ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) [Sincerity Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity-passion-665898/) [Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somerset-maugham/) [Stories Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-create-665899/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Write Somerset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-somerset-808256/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-you-can-tell-stories-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“If you can create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somerset-maughn/if-you-can-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have-sincerity-and/) [Somerset Maughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somerset-maughn/) > [“Vision, emotion, sincerity, passion and creativity. Without these attributes a writer has only his pen with which to speak to his audience”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-knight-english-writer-copywriter-cynic/vision-emotion-sincerity-passion-and-creativity-without-these/) [Bill Knight English Writer Copywriter Cynic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-knight-english-writer-copywriter-cynic/) > [I'm sure fame is yet to come; however, it's not my ultimate goal. I really just want to be able to tell stories, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-barth/i-m-sure-fame-is-yet-to-come-however-it-s-not-my-ultimate-goal-i/) [Jessica Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-barth/) > [People create stories create people; or rather stories create people create stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/people-create-stories-create-people-or-rather-stories-create-people/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [In the degree that we remember and retell our stories and create new ones we become the authors, the authorities, of our own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/in-the-degree-that-we-remember-and-retell-our-stories-and-create-new/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [The stories I create are never as awful as reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/the-stories-i-create-are-never-as-awful-as-reality/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [“When you create stories, you create a new world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-messer/when-you-create-stories-you-create-a-new-world/) [Robert A. Messer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-messer/) > [My inspiration is my life, what I see happening around me. It can be history and, quite often, plain traditional fairy tales. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/my-inspiration-is-my-life-what-i-see-happening-around-me-it-can-be/) [Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/) > [In making up stories, as in reading stories, I could create a contained world in which an experience is shared in its entirety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/in-making-up-stories-as-in-reading-stories-i-could-create-a-contained/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I certainly knew from an early age... how to tell stories; how to create pictures in other people's heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-certainly-knew-from-an-early-age-how-to-tell-stories-how-to-create/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Stories create stories, create stories, create stories, or nothing gets done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/stories-create-stories-create-stories-create-stories-or-nothing-gets/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“One more nice thing about short stories is that you can create a story out of the smallest details -an idea that springs up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-more-nice-thing-about-short-stories-is-that-you-can-create-a/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We're writers. What do we do? We tell stories. We make up stories. We create art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-tobar/we-re-writers-what-do-we-do-we-tell-stories-we-make-up-stories-we/) [Hector Tobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-tobar/) > [I've always just wanted to tell stories, and create stuff, and I think "Creator" or "Director" would probably be the two words that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/i-ve-always-just-wanted-to-tell-stories-and-create-stuff-and-i-think/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) ## More Sincerity quotes > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/when-you-really-need-help-people-will-respond-sincerity-means/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [The sincere alone can recognize sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-sincere-alone-can-recognize-sincerity/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Sincerity is the foundation of the spiritual life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/sincerity-is-the-foundation-of-the-spiritual-life/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk. It must be a thing of action and sincerity (1 John 3:18).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/our-love-must-not-be-a-thing-of-words-and-fine-talk-it-must-be-a/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [Once you can fake sincerity, you can fake anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/once-you-can-fake-sincerity-you-can-fake-anything/) [Mary Jo Putney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-putney/) > [That humanity and sincerity which dispose men to resist injustice and tyranny render them unfit to cope with the cunning and power of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-humanity-and-sincerity-which-dispose-men-to-resist-injustice-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [A false mind is false in everything, just as a cross eye always looks askant. But one may err once, nay, a hundred times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-false-mind-is-false-in-everything-just-as-a-cross-eye-always-looks/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Perfect health, sincerity, honesty, straightforwardness, courage, disinterestedness, unselfishness, patience, endurance, perseverance, peace, calm, self control are all things that are taught infinitely better by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/perfect-health-sincerity-honesty-straightforwardness-courage/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [All sincere boys fall in love with stupid girls, all sincere girls fall in love with stupid boys, I am neither stupid nor sincere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/all-sincere-boys-fall-in-love-with-stupid-girls-all-sincere-girls/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [I have received delegations of working men who, apparently speaking with the utmost sincerity, have declared that they would regard it as a genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/i-have-received-delegations-of-working-men-who-apparently-speaking/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) [Browse all 1,088 Sincerity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” ~Somerset Maugham”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ward/if-you-can-tell-stories-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Sincerity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ward/if-you-can-tell-stories-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/dennis-ward-232343_sincerity_if-you-can-tell-stories-create-character_2475754.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t…” — Dennis Ward", "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": "Dennis Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you can tell stories, create...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ward/if-you-can-tell-stories-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ward/if-you-can-tell-stories-create-characters-devise-incidents-and-have-2/#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 } } ] } ```