--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What really matters is not how well a…" description: "\"What really matters is not how well a character fits a definition, but how strongly he or she resonates. Characters with strong, resonant ideas at thei..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/kurt-busiek-14199_attributes_what-really-matters-is-not-how-well-a-ch_2912923.jpg" --- # What really matters is not how well a character fits a… ![“What really matters is not how well a character fits a definition, but how strongly he or she resonates. Characters with strong, resonant ideas at their core will have more of an impact on the cultural consciousness than a character who's just an empty collection of attributes.” quote by Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/kurt-busiek-14199_attributes_what-really-matters-is-not-how-well-a-ch_2912923.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/kurt-busiek-14199_attributes_what-really-matters-is-not-how-well-a-ch_2912923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efb/kurt-busiek-14199_attributes_what-really-matters-is-not-how-well-a-ch_2912923.jpg) > “What really matters is not how well a character fits a definition, but how strongly he or she resonates. Characters with strong, resonant ideas at their core will have more of an impact on the cultural consciousness than a character who's just an empty collection of attributes.” [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 character's lasting influence depends on the resonance of their core ideas, not just fitting a definition or having attributes. **In simple terms:** Impact comes from deep, resonant ideas. Key Takeaway Focus on core values to create memorable characters. Themes storytelling character design impact culture Mood inspirational thoughtful analytical Type creative educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - character workshops - media analysis Key Concepts narrative theory symbolism archetypes Questions to Reflect On - What makes a character resonate? - How can creators embed resonant ideas? A Different Perspective Strong traits alone may not engage audiences without meaningful ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attributes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-just/) [Collections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collections/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-character-4204513/) [Core](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matters Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-character-1081629/) [Resonates Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resonates-characters-4204512/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Turgenev saw human beings as individuals always endowed with consciousness, character, feelings, and moral strengths and weaknesses; Marx saw them always as snowflakes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/turgenev-saw-human-beings-as-individuals-always-endowed-with/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [What matters in a character is not whether one holds this or that opinion: what matters is how proudly one upholds it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/what-matters-in-a-character-is-not-whether-one-holds-this-or-that/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [I can honestly say Ive never thought for a second about whether a character reflects poorly on any group. All that matters to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-can-honestly-say-ive-never-thought-for-a-second-about-whether-a/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Remember what Bogie and my mother both used to say: 'Character is the most important thing. All that matters is character!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/remember-what-bogie-and-my-mother-both-used-to-say-character-is-the/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [In my ideal world, it would be a soulful connection to the role because you've shared a lot of the same experiences as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/in-my-ideal-world-it-would-be-a-soulful-connection-to-the-role/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Happiness has never been a sad character to anyone,its just a matter of how you aproach it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-has-never-been-a-sad-character-to-anyone-its-just-a-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best of my songs are more than just a joke. There's something else going on - a character, or it's not just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-newman/the-best-of-my-songs-are-more-than-just-a-joke-there-s-something-else/) [Randy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-newman/) > [When I first got my ring name as Carmella, I knew I was just going to do whatever I could to create this over-ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/when-i-first-got-my-ring-name-as-carmella-i-knew-i-was-just-going-to/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [Anyone has outside influences. They are the results of the cosmic roll of the dice: this person is born Aragon the Ranger, this person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/anyone-has-outside-influences-they-are-the-results-of-the-cosmic-roll/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [It's nice to create a character, not just within two scenes, but within the journey of a whole movie. It's fun to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/it-s-nice-to-create-a-character-not-just-within-two-scenes-but-within/) [Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/) > [I was curious. Here was a character where I just didn't know how they were going to write him into 13 episodes without it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-hatosy/i-was-curious-here-was-a-character-where-i-just-didn-t-know-how-they/) [Shawn Hatosy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-hatosy/) > [In acting you have to not be yourself. It's like whatever character is put on, you have to just to turn into that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/in-acting-you-have-to-not-be-yourself-it-s-like-whatever-character-is/) [Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/) > [I never set out to make any statements about a specific character, I just set out to tell what feels like is a truthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-never-set-out-to-make-any-statements-about-a-specific-character-i/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [No matter what the character is, I just say to myself 'If I, Melissa George, was in that situation, how would I react?' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-george/no-matter-what-the-character-is-i-just-say-to-myself-if-i-melissa/) [Melissa George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-george/) > [Every so often you read a play and a character just speaks to you - almost seems to speak through you, in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/every-so-often-you-read-a-play-and-a-character-just-speaks-to-you/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) ## 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/) > [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/) [Explore all 47 Kurt Busiek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) ## More Attributes quotes > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I think the greatest imagination we can exercise is one that imagines how someone else feels. Because you know how you feel, but so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-think-the-greatest-imagination-we-can-exercise-is-one-that-imagines/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the greatest attributes of jazz, I think, is that it is that open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/one-of-the-greatest-attributes-of-jazz-i-think-is-that-it-is-that-open/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. WE can't sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/god-is-compassionate-and-just-loving-and-holy-wrathful-and-forgiving/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [“It is this spirit of godliness that will bring forth the attributes, the principles and the life style of godliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/it-is-this-spirit-of-godliness-that-will-bring-forth-the-attributes/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/a-pivotal-spiritual-attribute-is-that-of-self-mastery-th-e-strength/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [I have often noticed that the two nuclear powers on the Indian subcontinent, India and Pakistan, attribute to Kashmiris an inferior intellect, a lineage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/i-have-often-noticed-that-the-two-nuclear-powers-on-the-indian/) [Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/) > [Primarily affecting low-information voters and members of the mainstream media, Obama Worship Syndrome attributes impossible capabilities to Obama's political opponents, finds excuses for every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/primarily-affecting-low-information-voters-and-members-of-the/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Developing Christlike attributes in our lives is not an easy task, especially when we move away from generalities and abstractions and begin to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/developing-christlike-attributes-in-our-lives-is-not-an-easy-task/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [If I have any attribute that serves me well, it's I don't have a long-range plan in life. I have no idea. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wilbon/if-i-have-any-attribute-that-serves-me-well-it-s-i-don-t-have-a-long/) [Michael Wilbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wilbon/) [Browse all 852 Attributes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What really matters is not how well a character fits a definition, but how strongly he or she resonates. 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