--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a book is just a plot, you know, two…" description: "\"When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I immediately ask, 'Why?'\" — Nicolas Roeg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png" --- # When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for… ![“When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I immediately ask, 'Why?'” quote by Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png) > “When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I immediately ask, 'Why?'” [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a story reduces characters to simple tropes, it prompts questioning of its depth and purpose. **In simple terms:** Simple plots raise the question “Why?”. Key Takeaway Seek deeper narrative substance. Themes storytelling critique depth Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical educational When to use this quote - scriptwriting workshops - film analysis - creative writing Key Concepts character archetypes plot simplicity Questions to Reflect On - What makes a plot compelling? - How can you add layers to a simple story? A Different Perspective Complex stories may alienate casual audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fight Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-love/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Frontier Immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontier-immediately-1705331/) [Just Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-plot-1705329/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Wild Frontier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-frontier-1705330/) ## Related quotes > [It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material-where-i-m-doing-more-than/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [Our solar system is actually a wild frontier, teeming with different, diverse places: planets and moons, millions of objects of ice and rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-nugent/our-solar-system-is-actually-a-wild-frontier-teeming-with-different/) [Carrie Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-nugent/) > [“Please fight for this, Ember. We are worth the fight. I love you, and that’s something I’ve never said to any girl. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-yarros/please-fight-for-this-ember-we-are-worth-the-fight-i-love-you-and/) [Rebecca Yarros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-yarros/) > [“I am not a fighter, but I will fight for who I love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caity-po/i-am-not-a-fighter-but-i-will-fight-for-who-i-love/) [Caity Po](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caity-po/) > [Im a lover not a fighter, but ill fight for what I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-a-lover-not-a-fighter-but-ill-fight-for-what-i-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Relationships are difficult. It's life. You love life, so you fight. You fight because you love. Otherwise, you wouldn't fight. You work. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-marceau/relationships-are-difficult-it-s-life-you-love-life-so-you-fight-you/) [Sophie Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-marceau/) > [“We cannot fight for love as men may do; We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-cannot-fight-for-love-as-men-may-do-we-should-be-woo-d-and-were/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Fight for what you love otherwise you will lose it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romana-crystaallized/fight-for-what-you-love-otherwise-you-will-lose-it/) [Romana Crystaallized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romana-crystaallized/) > [I'm a love not a fighter, but I'll fight for what I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-a-love-not-a-fighter-but-i-ll-fight-for-what-i-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Put up a fucking fight for what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-up-a-fucking-fight-for-what-you-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just because we fight doesn't mean I don't love you... My love for you and us fighting are not even in the same category……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bige05/just-because-we-fight-doesn-t-mean-i-don-t-love-you-my-love-for-you/) [BigE05](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bige05/) > [Im not a fighter, I'm a lover, but I'll fight for what I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/im-not-a-fighter-i-m-a-lover-but-i-ll-fight-for-what-i-love/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [“Live to love. Fight to keep the love. Make up to do it all over again. It’s hard to love someone when they reject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-e-ann/live-to-love-fight-to-keep-the-love-make-up-to-do-it-all-over-again/) [Jewel E. Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-e-ann/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) ## More by Nicolas Roeg > [When I went to the cinema as a boy, when I saw a war film, I thought the general was the star, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-i-went-to-the-cinema-as-a-boy-when-i-saw-a-war-film-i-thought/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [There's horror in your life, believe me, whether it's coming, or you've just been lucky to miss it today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/there-s-horror-in-your-life-believe-me-whether-it-s-coming-or-you-ve/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [When my sister and I were very young, my father used to tell us fairy stories that he'd made up. My mother was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-my-sister-and-i-were-very-young-my-father-used-to-tell-us-fairy/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [Fear has many faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/fear-has-many-faces/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [Some people are very lucky, and have the story in their heads. I've never storyboarded anything. I like the idea of chance. What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/some-people-are-very-lucky-and-have-the-story-in-their-heads-i-ve/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [They think something's gone wrong, but in Don't Look Now, for instance, one scene was made by a mistake. It's the scene where Donald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/they-think-something-s-gone-wrong-but-in-don-t-look-now-for-instance/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [Nature repeats itself, but it never starts from the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/nature-repeats-itself-but-it-never-starts-from-the-beginning/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [Film remains completely mystical and mysterious to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/film-remains-completely-mystical-and-mysterious-to-me/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [I think the big studios shaped and formed the artists that they put under contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/i-think-the-big-studios-shaped-and-formed-the-artists-that-they-put/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [There's no one 'right' way of making a science fiction movie; there's no one way of making any kind of movie, really!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/there-s-no-one-right-way-of-making-a-science-fiction-movie-there-s-no/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [I like women in film. I like women in general, but I especially like to show them on film. They are not ciphers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/i-like-women-in-film-i-like-women-in-general-but-i-especially-like-to/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [I've always noticed that films set in any sort of future very rarely draw on the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/i-ve-always-noticed-that-films-set-in-any-sort-of-future-very-rarely/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [Grief is an emotion that's almost unplayable because you're in a separate emotional state; it's an inconsolable emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/grief-is-an-emotion-that-s-almost-unplayable-because-you-re-in-a/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [I've used mirrors in a lot of movies. I think the mirror is an extraordinary thing, also the reflective, a reflection in water, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/i-ve-used-mirrors-in-a-lot-of-movies-i-think-the-mirror-is-an/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [I've been told my movies are difficult to market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/i-ve-been-told-my-movies-are-difficult-to-market/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) [Explore all 78 Nicolas Roeg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I immediately ask, 'Why?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicolas Roeg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two-men-fight-for-the-love-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two-men-fight-for-the-love-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/nicolas-roeg-8708_book_when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two_153918.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I…” — Nicolas Roeg", "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": "Nicolas Roeg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a book is just a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two-men-fight-for-the-love-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two-men-fight-for-the-love-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```