--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's ever a character who can only…" description: "\"If there's ever a character who can only serve one metaphor, I'll probably tell one story with that character and be done with it.\" — Kurt Busiek" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png" --- # If there's ever a character who can only serve one… ![“If there's ever a character who can only serve one metaphor, I'll probably tell one story with that character and be done with it.” quote by Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png) > “If there's ever a character who can only serve one metaphor, I'll probably tell one story with that character and be done with it.” [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single character should be used for one clear metaphor, then the story ends. **In simple terms:** Use one metaphor per character. Key Takeaway Limit a character to one symbolic role. Themes storytelling metaphor character design Mood thoughtful analytical Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - comic writing - character development - creative constraints Key Concepts Narrative focus symbolic economy Questions to Reflect On - How does a single metaphor limit depth? - When is a multi‑metaphor character effective? A Different Perspective A character may need multiple layers to feel realistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [The metaphor is the story, not the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [My job as a character actor is to make me fit the character, to serve the character. To present this human being who turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/my-job-as-a-character-actor-is-to-make-me-fit-the-character-to-serve/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [Before you are five and twenty you must establish a character that will serve you all your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuthbert-collingwood-1st-baron-collingwood/before-you-are-five-and-twenty-you-must-establish-a-character-that/) Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood > [You really have to be a character to serve it properly. Obviously, you're acting, but you have to have those things in yourself, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bryk/you-really-have-to-be-a-character-to-serve-it-properly-obviously-you/) [Greg Bryk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bryk/) > [I don't really think in terms of genre, I think in terms of story and character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-genre-i-think-in-terms-of-story-and/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [“I am going to tell a story now, and though I've made a life out of writing words, this is the first time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-palmer/i-am-going-to-tell-a-story-now-and-though-i-ve-made-a-life-out-of/) [Dexter Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-palmer/) > [I'm taken by a story and a character. I'll read a script, and if it touches me and moves me and makes waves, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-bamber/i-m-taken-by-a-story-and-a-character-i-ll-read-a-script-and-if-it/) [Ellie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-bamber/) > [If it's a good story or if it's a character I want to act in, I end up wanting to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwak-dong-yeon/if-it-s-a-good-story-or-if-it-s-a-character-i-want-to-act-in-i-end-up/) [Kwak Dong-yeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwak-dong-yeon/) > [“At this point in the story, the character looks at himself. He takes stock of where he is in the conflict and––depending on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/at-this-point-in-the-story-the-character-looks-at-himself-he-takes/) [James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/) > [Not getting bored of my own story and/or character is one of the main struggles I have had with novel writing, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/not-getting-bored-of-my-own-story-and-or-character-is-one-of-the-main/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [For Marvel, we've never looked at any of our characters in terms of gender, race, or religion. It truly is about, who is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeph-loeb/for-marvel-we-ve-never-looked-at-any-of-our-characters-in-terms-of/) [Jeph Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeph-loeb/) > [The more limitations you put on a character, often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-more-limitations-you-put-on-a-character-often-times-the-better-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [It was always about the story rather than the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dujardin/it-was-always-about-the-story-rather-than-the-character/) [Jean Dujardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dujardin/) > [Since I've had some success, story and character are always the two elements I think about first in material presented to me. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powers-boothe/since-i-ve-had-some-success-story-and-character-are-always-the-two/) [Powers Boothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/powers-boothe/) > [I wrote a story about a character who looks like Harry Styles. But it has nothing to do with Harry Styles at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/i-wrote-a-story-about-a-character-who-looks-like-harry-styles-but-it/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) ## More by Kurt Busiek > [The most fascinating powers don't mean a thing if the guy's poorly motivated or dull, and the most generic powers won't hurt a well-motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-most-fascinating-powers-don-t-mean-a-thing-if-the-guy-s-poorly/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [The reason I quit being a sales manager over twenty years now is because I hate elevator pitches. I want to write stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-reason-i-quit-being-a-sales-manager-over-twenty-years-now-is/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [If I won the lottery tomorrow - which would be a real trick, since I haven't entered - and was independently wealthy for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-i-won-the-lottery-tomorrow-which-would-be-a-real-trick-since-i/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > ["Superhero" is a term that's been borrowed in order to say "big and larger than life and loud and active and dumb." And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/superhero-is-a-term-that-s-been-borrowed-in-order-to-say-big-and/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [You've got to leave the reader with more than just a name and a costume - they need to know who the character is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/you-ve-got-to-leave-the-reader-with-more-than-just-a-name-and-a/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [That's the way it happens - some characters you set out to use, some are happy accidents. As long as it works, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/that-s-the-way-it-happens-some-characters-you-set-out-to-use-some-are/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [The metaphor is the story, not the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [I love creator-owned comics. Most of my favorite books these days are creator-owned, from stuff DC publishes, like 'Fables,' to books like 'Saga,' 'Fatale,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/i-love-creator-owned-comics-most-of-my-favorite-books-these-days-are/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [It's fun to take a piece of formula and go someplace else with it and see what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/it-s-fun-to-take-a-piece-of-formula-and-go-someplace-else-with-it-and/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [I'm not building each one character around one metaphor, so much as trying to build a heroic archetype that can be used to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/i-m-not-building-each-one-character-around-one-metaphor-so-much-as/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [Dracula, if he could see modern corporations, wouldnt like them much. He took care of his people, at least as he saw it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/dracula-if-he-could-see-modern-corporations-wouldnt-like-them-much-he/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [I seem to like playing with form, and the superhero genre has an awful lot of formula to it. It has a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/i-seem-to-like-playing-with-form-and-the-superhero-genre-has-an-awful/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [Marvel's got a crowded universe, and there are already so many characters hogging the spotlight that it's hard to break through that. First off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/marvel-s-got-a-crowded-universe-and-there-are-already-so-many/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [When you have a novel set in a fictional history, you still should get your history right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/when-you-have-a-novel-set-in-a-fictional-history-you-still-should-get/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [“And is that why we do what we do? For public approval, for fame? Do we help people because they will be appropriately grateful--or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/and-is-that-why-we-do-what-we-do-for-public-approval-for-fame-do-we/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) [Explore all 47 Kurt Busiek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) ## 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. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. 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": "If there's ever a character who can only serve one metaphor, I'll probably tell one story with that character and be done with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Busiek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38d/kurt-busiek-14199_character_if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only_1078731.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there's ever a character who can only serve one metaphor, I'll probably tell one story with that…” — Kurt Busiek", "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": "Kurt Busiek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there's ever a character who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/#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 } } ] } ```