Art Quote by Eudora Welty
““It was not my intention - it never was - to invent a character who should speak for me, the author, in person. A character is in a story to fill a role there, and the character's life along with its expression of life is defined by that surrounding - indeed is created by its own story. Yet, it seems to me now, years after I wrote The Golden Apples, that I did bring forth a character with whom I came to feel oddly in touch. She derived from what I already knew for myself, even felt I had always known. What I have put into her is my passion for my own life work, my own art. Exposing yourself to risk is a truth that Mrs. Eckhart and I had in common. What animates and possesses me is what drives Mrs. Eckhart, the love of her art and the love of giving it, the desire to give it until there is no more left. Of course any writer is in part all of his characters. How otherwise would they be known to him, occur to him, become what they are? In the making of her character out of my most inward and most deeply felt self, I would say I have found my voice in my own fiction.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Golden Apples, 1949
Creating a character can reveal the author's deepest self, turning fiction into personal voice.
In simple terms: Characters reflect author’s inner life.
Embrace characters as self‑expression.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- writing
- personal therapy
- character development
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does your favorite character say about you?
- How does fiction shape personal truth?
Characters may limit the author’s broader perspective.