--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Collective achievement, of course, is…" description: "\"“Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both to the participants and to those later reading about it as the human impulse is to look for ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg" --- # Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both… ![“Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both to the participants and to those later reading about it as the human impulse is to look for the heroes and villains.” quote by Matthew Restall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg) > ““Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both to the participants and to those later reading about it as the human impulse is to look for the heroes and villains.”” [Matthew Restall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-restall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People prefer heroes and villains over collective achievements, focusing on individuals. **In simple terms:** Stories favor heroes over groups. Key Takeaway Recognize collective contributions. Themes history heroes villains collective achievement narrative Mood analytical inspirational Type historical social When to use this quote - education - media analysis - public policy Key Concepts storytelling theory social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we make collective narratives engaging? - What benefits arise from highlighting groups? A Different Perspective Collective stories can be less compelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-achievement-953078/) [Heroes and villains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-and-villains/) [Heroes Villains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-villains-855099/) [Later Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-reading-519579/) [Look Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-heroes-3281620/) [Participants Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participants-later-4402576/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Look for the contradictions in every character, especially in your heroes and villains. No one should be what they first seem to be. Surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/look-for-the-contradictions-in-every-character-especially-in-your/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [We are the only Heroes and Villains standing in our plans in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlixcollins/we-are-the-only-heroes-and-villains-standing-in-our-plans-in-life/) [CarlixCollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlixcollins/) > [Cinema is much more than heroes and villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/cinema-is-much-more-than-heroes-and-villains/) [Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/) > [“I hated this business of being grown-up. I hated having to make decisions where I didn't know what was behind the door. I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-hated-this-business-of-being-grown-up-i-hated-having-to-make/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“The problem with heroes and villains is that it’s not always easy to tell which is which. Particularly when you are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-meats/the-problem-with-heroes-and-villains-is-that-it-s-not-always-easy-to/) [Jessica Meats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-meats/) > [It was so much more comfortable to be able to divide people into heroes and villains and expect them to play their allotted part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/it-was-so-much-more-comfortable-to-be-able-to-divide-people-into/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [Not everything that is good make everyone happy. A heroic act may be considered as an act of a villain by others. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-matobo/not-everything-that-is-good-make-everyone-happy-a-heroic-act-may-be/) [Frank Matobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-matobo/) > [I was very interested in what happens to the husband when his wife goes missing, and how quickly they can be turned into heroes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-was-very-interested-in-what-happens-to-the-husband-when-his-wife/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I try to give both my heroes and villains an emotional dimensionality which provides the motivation for their actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/i-try-to-give-both-my-heroes-and-villains-an-emotional-dimensionality/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [We love a tale of heroes and villains and conflicts requiring a neat resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/we-love-a-tale-of-heroes-and-villains-and-conflicts-requiring-a-neat/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/history-is-moving-pretty-quickly-these-days-and-the-heroes-and/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [I gained a great appreciation for what I would call the collective achievement of the country. I began thinking of America as a much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/i-gained-a-great-appreciation-for-what-i-would-call-the-collective/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [“..reading a book doesn’t mean just turning the pages. It means thinking about it, identifying parts that you want to go back to, asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/reading-a-book-doesn-t-mean-just-turning-the-pages-it-means-thinking/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think a book should be judged 10 years later, after reading and re-reading it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-a-book-should-be-judged-10-years-later-after-reading-and-re/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [When you feel the world is against you or you give up hope, you look at your heroes and say, "They were able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/when-you-feel-the-world-is-against-you-or-you-give-up-hope-you-look/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) ## More by Matthew Restall > [“The origin myth of the Mexica included a tale of descent from seven lineages, who emerged from seven caves in a mythical location in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/the-origin-myth-of-the-mexica-included-a-tale-of-descent-from-seven/) [Matthew Restall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-restall/) > [“To distinguish between the curved and the straight. —Horace (ca. 30 B.C.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/to-distinguish-between-the-curved-and-the-straight-horace-ca-30-b-c/) [Matthew Restall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-restall/) [Explore all 3 Matthew Restall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-restall/) ## More Heroes and villains quotes > [“war. Or, rather, wars. Not one, not two, but many wars, both big and small, just and unjust, wars with shifting casts of supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/war-or-rather-wars-not-one-not-two-but-many-wars-both-big-and-small/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He needed time to adjust to real life, where heroes and villains could not be told apart by their looks or their accents, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/he-needed-time-to-adjust-to-real-life-where-heroes-and-villains-could/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [Look for the contradictions in every character, especially in your heroes and villains. No one should be what they first seem to be. Surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/look-for-the-contradictions-in-every-character-especially-in-your/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [We love a tale of heroes and villains and conflicts requiring a neat resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/we-love-a-tale-of-heroes-and-villains-and-conflicts-requiring-a-neat/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [“Free folk and kneelers are more alike than not, Jon Snow. Men are men and women women, no matter which side of the Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/free-folk-and-kneelers-are-more-alike-than-not-jon-snow-men-are-men/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“There are eaters and the eaten. The tiger does not resent the deer that gets away. The doe does not resent the tiger that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/there-are-eaters-and-the-eaten-the-tiger-does-not-resent-the-deer/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [Embracing and rejecting tradition, bound and liberated by faith, torn between obscurantism and reason, self-assured and self-critical, they were a kaleidoscope of fragments, positions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-shenker/embracing-and-rejecting-tradition-bound-and-liberated-by-faith-torn/) [Israel Shenker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-shenker/) > [With 'Invincible', I wanted to create my own version of the Marvel or DC universe, with my own heroes and villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-grossman/with-invincible-i-wanted-to-create-my-own-version-of-the-marvel-or-dc/) [Austin Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-grossman/) > [I try to give both my heroes and villains an emotional dimensionality which provides the motivation for their actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/i-try-to-give-both-my-heroes-and-villains-an-emotional-dimensionality/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [“The sky pulsed with stars. Some people say it makes them lonesome when they stare up at the night sky. I can't imagine why.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/the-sky-pulsed-with-stars-some-people-say-it-makes-them-lonesome-when/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [I was very interested in what happens to the husband when his wife goes missing, and how quickly they can be turned into heroes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-was-very-interested-in-what-happens-to-the-husband-when-his-wife/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Basketball games - and seasons - make great narratives; they feature distinct acts, heroes and villains, and guaranteed resolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/basketball-games-and-seasons-make-great-narratives-they-feature/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [I was always fascinated by the Torah, the Bible, in terms of story telling: heroes and villains, morality and flaws. There's no better epic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-tassler/i-was-always-fascinated-by-the-torah-the-bible-in-terms-of-story/) [Nina Tassler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-tassler/) > [I love playing all kinds of roles. I hope it doesn’t sound too pretentious, but I always feel human nature is like a piano,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-love-playing-all-kinds-of-roles-i-hope-it-doesn-t-sound-too/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/i-also-try-very-hard-to-create-characters-both-heroes-and-villains/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) [Browse all 47 Heroes and villains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-and-villains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both to the participants and to those later reading about it as the human impulse is to look for the heroes and villains.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Restall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/collective-achievement-of-course-is-less-appealing-both-to-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heroes and villains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/collective-achievement-of-course-is-less-appealing-both-to-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/matthew-restall-87010_heroes-and-villains_collective-achievement-of-course-is-less_2943854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Collective achievement, of course, is less appealing both to the participants and to those later reading…” — Matthew Restall", "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": "Matthew Restall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-restall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Collective achievement, of course, is less...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/collective-achievement-of-course-is-less-appealing-both-to-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-restall/collective-achievement-of-course-is-less-appealing-both-to-the/#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 } } ] } ```