--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm looking for a strong female…" description: "\"When I'm looking for a strong female character, or a strong character at all, I'm looking for a character that has a purpose in that story, that has an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/kelly-sue-deconnick-23585_character_when-i-m-looking-for-a-strong-female-cha_514321.jpg" --- # When I'm looking for a strong female character, or a… ![“When I'm looking for a strong female character, or a strong character at all, I'm looking for a character that has a purpose in that story, that has an interior life of some sort. They don't have to be physically strong; they don't have to be morally strong or ethically strong, because men and…” quote by Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/kelly-sue-deconnick-23585_character_when-i-m-looking-for-a-strong-female-cha_514321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/kelly-sue-deconnick-23585_character_when-i-m-looking-for-a-strong-female-cha_514321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/kelly-sue-deconnick-23585_character_when-i-m-looking-for-a-strong-female-cha_514321.jpg) > “When I'm looking for a strong female character, or a strong character at all, I'm looking for a character that has a purpose in that story, that has an interior life of some sort. They don't have to be physically strong; they don't have to be morally strong or ethically strong, because men and women come in a huge variety of all of those things. Emotionally, ethically - I'm less concerned with that. I just don't want them to be props. That's the only thing that offends me.” [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character should have depth and purpose, not just serve as a plot device; strength can be emotional or moral, not only physical. **In simple terms:** Characters need purpose and interior life, not just physical strength. Key Takeaway Create characters with agency and depth. Themes character development gender representation storytelling Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - screenwriting - novel writing - character design Key Concepts purpose interior life strength diversity Questions to Reflect On - How can you give a character meaningful agency? - What aspects of interior life enrich a story? A Different Perspective Physical strength alone doesn't define a strong character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-character/) [Female characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-characters/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Strong female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-female/) [Strong female characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-female-characters/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) ## Related quotes > [I don't try and write strong female characters or strong male characters, I just try and write, hopefully, strong characters and sometimes they happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-don-t-try-and-write-strong-female-characters-or-strong-male/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [I do feel privileged to play Elektra, because definitely she is a strong female character. She's a strong character. It would be nice if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elodie-yung/i-do-feel-privileged-to-play-elektra-because-definitely-she-is-a/) [Elodie Yung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elodie-yung/) > [Strong female characters - even if they don't necessarily make the same decisions that we might - make such great narrative material, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/strong-female-characters-even-if-they-don-t-necessarily-make-the-same/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [I think there is a wonderful trend of strong female characters on television right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/i-think-there-is-a-wonderful-trend-of-strong-female-characters-on/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [The love and support from the Witches of East End fans continues to blow us away and renews our faith that storytelling matters, strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-boston/the-love-and-support-from-the-witches-of-east-end-fans-continues-to/) [Rachel Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-boston/) > [It's nice to do something about something that scares you rather than just run from it and hope that someone saves you. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/it-s-nice-to-do-something-about-something-that-scares-you-rather-than/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [I'm attracted to films that have strong female characters because there are strong female characters in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/i-m-attracted-to-films-that-have-strong-female-characters-because/) [Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/) > [I wanted to have very strong female characters. I just thought it was always the way the world should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hand/i-wanted-to-have-very-strong-female-characters-i-just-thought-it-was/) [Elizabeth Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hand/) > [It was a great joy for me to develop a strong female character in the spirit of an Icelandic woman. Icelandic women tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-briem/it-was-a-great-joy-for-me-to-develop-a-strong-female-character-in-the/) Anita Briem > [I think it's important that we have strong, female characters in movies now, which can really leave an impression on people - especially young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-it-s-important-that-we-have-strong-female-characters-in/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I'm really attracted to strong women. Let me rephrase that, I'm really attracted to strong female characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/i-m-really-attracted-to-strong-women-let-me-rephrase-that-i-m-really/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [I like strong female characters. I try to write them as role models for young girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith-2/i-like-strong-female-characters-i-try-to-write-them-as-role-models/) [L. J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith-2/) > [I find it's bizarre that science fiction is the one branch of television to push the idea of strong female characters. And I only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/i-find-it-s-bizarre-that-science-fiction-is-the-one-branch-of/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity, we need it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/equality-is-not-a-concept-it-s-not-something-we-should-be-striving/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I find that in the science fiction world, you have almost more women fans than male fans and I think it's because there's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katee-sackhoff/i-find-that-in-the-science-fiction-world-you-have-almost-more-women/) [Katee Sackhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katee-sackhoff/) ## More by Kelly Sue DeConnick > [My husband makes fun of me, because I know I can use strong prose to jazz-hand my way through plot that isn't as interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/my-husband-makes-fun-of-me-because-i-know-i-can-use-strong-prose-to/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [You can't write something actively trying to please everyone - you're going to end up with watery soup that way. You just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/you-can-t-write-something-actively-trying-to-please-everyone-you-re/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [If you're not interested in your work, you're not doing it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/if-you-re-not-interested-in-your-work-you-re-not-doing-it-right/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [Having my brain doing different work is helping me a lot in terms of retro-feeding from the other experiences. It makes me feel inspired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/having-my-brain-doing-different-work-is-helping-me-a-lot-in-terms-of/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [My creator owned books sell better than my mainstream books. And that makes no sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/my-creator-owned-books-sell-better-than-my-mainstream-books-and-that/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [I wish I could say confidently that pacing remains my weak point, if you could talk about your own stuff without sounding like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/i-wish-i-could-say-confidently-that-pacing-remains-my-weak-point-if/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [Comics are reflective of what's going on in larger culture. Wonder Woman came to be in her position when women were first entering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/comics-are-reflective-of-what-s-going-on-in-larger-culture-wonder/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [What I worry about is working in this serial medium, where people are talking about your stories before they're done, we have this instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/what-i-worry-about-is-working-in-this-serial-medium-where-people-are/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [The reader is not the customer. The retailer is the customer. So I try to have as much interaction with the retailers as possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/the-reader-is-not-the-customer-the-retailer-is-the-customer-so-i-try/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [ I don't think we're supposed to say \[expletive deleted\] anymore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/i-don-t-think-we-re-supposed-to-say-expletive-deleted-anymore/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [There's a difference between feeling like I don't need to explain and deliberately confusing you. If the impression is that I'm deliberately confusing you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/there-s-a-difference-between-feeling-like-i-don-t-need-to-explain-and/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [ There's a thing that creeps into this conversation ... that if you complain about the depiction of women \[in comics\], it becomes, 'Well, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/there-s-a-thing-that-creeps-into-this-conversation-that-if-you/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [The dirty little secret about comics is that the wall to getting published is actually not that high. You can publish your own comic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/the-dirty-little-secret-about-comics-is-that-the-wall-to-getting/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [“We are all shaped by what we do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/we-are-all-shaped-by-what-we-do/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) > [One of the things about comics is people can linger on images and words as long as they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/one-of-the-things-about-comics-is-people-can-linger-on-images-and/) [Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) [Explore all 25 Kelly Sue DeConnick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/) ## More Character 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 always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm looking for a strong female character, or a strong character at all, I'm looking for a character that has a purpose in that story, that has an interior life of some sort. They don't have to be physically strong; they don't have to be morally strong or ethically strong, because men and women come in a huge variety of all of those things. Emotionally, ethically - I'm less concerned with that. I just don't want them to be props. 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