--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The metaphor is the story, not the…" description: "\"The metaphor is the story, not the character.\" — Kurt Busiek" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png" --- # The metaphor is the story, not the character. ![“The metaphor is the story, not the character.” quote by Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png) > “The metaphor is the story, not the character.” [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. The central narrative is conveyed through metaphor, not through individual characters. **In simple terms:** Metaphors carry the story, not characters. Key Takeaway Focus on underlying messages. Themes storytelling metaphor interpretation Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary educational When to use this quote - reading comics - teaching literature - creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts symbolism narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How does metaphor shape your perception? - When do characters become symbols? A Different Perspective Metaphors can be misread without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“In Western culture, we are also profoundly shaped by the ethics of individualism. We learn early on to follow our own stories wherever they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-christopher-smith/in-western-culture-we-are-also-profoundly-shaped-by-the-ethics-of/) [C. Christopher Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-christopher-smith/) > [The system metaphor is a story that everyone--customers, programmers, and managers--can tell about how the system works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/the-system-metaphor-is-a-story-that-everyone-customers-programmers/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [You can't write an image, a metaphor, a story, a phrase, without leaning a little further into the shared world, without recognizing that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/you-can-t-write-an-image-a-metaphor-a-story-a-phrase-without-leaning/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [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/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I always work from back-story, that's what I always do, so you get a character, and you think 'OK, who's this guy, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-always-work-from-back-story-that-s-what-i-always-do-so-you-get-a/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/if-there-s-ever-a-character-who-can-only-serve-one-metaphor-i-ll/) [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": "The metaphor is the story, not the character.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Busiek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/kurt-busiek-14199_character_the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-charac_574948.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The metaphor is the story, not the character.” — 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": "The metaphor is the story, not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-metaphor-is-the-story-not-the-character/#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 } } ] } ```