---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one…"
description: "\"One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.\" — H. G. Wells"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png"
---

#  One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few…

![“One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png)

> “One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.”

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Belief in fictional characters mirrors belief in real ideas.

**In simple terms:** Fiction reflects belief.

Key Takeaway

Value ideas over characters.

Themes

fiction belief ideas

Mood

reflective intellectual

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading
- teaching
- creative writing
- critical thinking

Key Concepts

literary analysis philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do characters shape your worldview?
- What real ideas do you hold?

A Different Perspective

May over‑identify with fiction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

## Related quotes

> [“olemnly he came forward and mounted the round gunrest. He faced about and blessed gravely thrice the tower, the surrounding land and the awaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/olemnly-he-came-forward-and-mounted-the-round-gunrest-he-faced-about/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [I think a fictional invention grows according to its own development, not the author's. Characters in fiction are not simply as alive as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-think-a-fictional-invention-grows-according-to-its-own-development/)

[Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/)

> [People who are well-known, famous people, I think, make very poor characters for fiction. They make good characters for gossip columns. But not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/people-who-are-well-known-famous-people-i-think-make-very-poor/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“Good characters in fiction are the very devil. Not only because most authors have too little material to make them of, but because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/good-characters-in-fiction-are-the-very-devil-not-only-because-most/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [There are two kinds of characters in all fiction, the born and the synthetic. If the writer has to ask himself questions - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/there-are-two-kinds-of-characters-in-all-fiction-the-born-and-the/)

[Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/)

> [“Is it the freedom of characters in fiction that we find so inspiring, or the way that freedom transforms them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-levy/is-it-the-freedom-of-characters-in-fiction-that-we-find-so-inspiring/)

[Marc Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-levy/)

> [The first act of insight is throw away the labels. In fiction, while we do not necessarily write about ourselves, we write out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/the-first-act-of-insight-is-throw-away-the-labels-in-fiction-while-we/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“I think there should be more black characters, and more of all kinds of characters, in fiction. Almost all of the main characters in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-think-there-should-be-more-black-characters-and-more-of-all-kinds/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Others are to us like the characters in fiction, eternal and incorrigible; the surprises they give us turn out in the end to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/others-are-to-us-like-the-characters-in-fiction-eternal-and/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [I believe that to create real-seeming characters, the writer must be willing to go on a voyage of self-exploration. It can be revealing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-believe-that-to-create-real-seeming-characters-the-writer-must-be/)

[Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/)

> [One of the things I find in writing about people who are dead is that, after a short or long time, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/one-of-the-things-i-find-in-writing-about-people-who-are-dead-is-that/)

[Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/)

> [As far as characters in fiction that I really admire - it's pretty strong to say you would wish that you had created another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/as-far-as-characters-in-fiction-that-i-really-admire-it-s-pretty/)

[Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/)

> [There are lots of great characters in fiction who viewers and readers have engaged with that behave badly. Great characters can be unfaithful. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/there-are-lots-of-great-characters-in-fiction-who-viewers-and-readers/)

[Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/)

> [When I was writing stories about Chinese American characters in my fiction classes, I'd get comments like, 'You should consider writing more universal stories.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/when-i-was-writing-stories-about-chinese-american-characters-in-my/)

[Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

## More by H. G. Wells

> [... life falls into place only with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/life-falls-into-place-only-with-god/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The true sweetness of chess, if it ever can be sweet, is to see a victory snatched, by some happy impertinence, out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-true-sweetness-of-chess-if-it-ever-can-be-sweet-is-to-see-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [A priest is a man vowed, trained, and consecrated, a man belonging to a special corps, and necessarily with an intense esprit de corps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-priest-is-a-man-vowed-trained-and-consecrated-a-man-belonging-to-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The man who raises a fist has run out of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-man-who-raises-a-fist-has-run-out-of-ideas/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The choice is: the Universe...or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-choice-is-the-universe-or-nothing/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [ The crisis \[the Great Depression\] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-crisis-the-great-depression-discovered-a-great-man-in-franklin/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [For all my desire to be interesting, I have to confess that for most things and people I don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/for-all-my-desire-to-be-interesting-i-have-to-confess-that-for-most/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The Jews looked for a special savior, a messiah, who was to redeem mankind by the agreeable process of restoring the fabulous glories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-jews-looked-for-a-special-savior-a-messiah-who-was-to-redeem/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [“And I have by me, for my comfort, two strange white flowers—shrivelled now, and brown and flat and brittle—to witness that even when mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/and-i-have-by-me-for-my-comfort-two-strange-white-flowers-shrivelled/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [ \[A novel by Henry James\] is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with every light and line focused on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-novel-by-henry-james-is-like-a-church-lit-but-without-a/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/in-england-we-have-come-to-rely-upon-a-comfortable-time-lag-of-fifty/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [We must end war before war ends us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-must-end-war-before-war-ends-us/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/what-good-is-religion-if-it-collapses-under-calamity/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

[Explore all 280 H. G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "H. G. Wells"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-believes-in-few-characters-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-believes-in-few-characters-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/h-g-wells-1122_believe_one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-b_2596278.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One believes in Stephen Dedalus as one believes in few characters in fiction.” — H. G. Wells",
                "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": "H. G. Wells",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One believes in Stephen Dedalus as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-believes-in-few-characters-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/one-believes-in-stephen-dedalus-as-one-believes-in-few-characters-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
