--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know that's why people don't like…" description: "\"You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. It's not that they're not interesting. Everybody knows the most interesting character in a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/518/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_book_you-know-that-s-why-people-don-t-like-un_1277488.jpg" --- # You know that's why people don't like unlikeable… ![“You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. It's not that they're not interesting. Everybody knows the most interesting character in a book or a movie or whatever narrative is the villain.” quote by Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/518/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_book_you-know-that-s-why-people-don-t-like-un_1277488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/518/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_book_you-know-that-s-why-people-don-t-like-un_1277488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/518/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_book_you-know-that-s-why-people-don-t-like-un_1277488.jpg) > “You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. It's not that they're not interesting. Everybody knows the most interesting character in a book or a movie or whatever narrative is the villain.” [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Villains often captivate because they reveal truths and conflicts that heroes hide, making them more compelling. **In simple terms:** Villains are more interesting than heroes. Key Takeaway Embrace complex characters for richer stories. Themes character development morality conflict narrative psychology Mood intrigued reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - film criticism - character analysis - teaching literature Key Concepts anti‑hero moral ambiguity human nature Questions to Reflect On - What makes a villain relatable? - How do heroes benefit from villainous contrast? A Different Perspective Villains can be over‑glorified, reducing empathy for real moral dilemmas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) ## Related quotes > [I think I would want to be known for playing unlikeable characters that you like anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-sennott/i-think-i-would-want-to-be-known-for-playing-unlikeable-characters/) [Rachel Sennott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-sennott/) > [The most interesting character to me is someone who is stuck in the no man's land between Belief and Unbelief, Faith and Faithlessness. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dooling/the-most-interesting-character-to-me-is-someone-who-is-stuck-in-the/) [Richard Dooling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dooling/) > [I can't always pick and choose, but I try very hard to take the roles where they are a bit more human. Sometimes there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blythe-danner/i-can-t-always-pick-and-choose-but-i-try-very-hard-to-take-the-roles/) [Blythe Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blythe-danner/) > [What is deemed "unlikeable" in Washington is actually standing up to Washington and saying no, saying "The emperor has no clothes," saying "We made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/what-is-deemed-unlikeable-in-washington-is-actually-standing-up-to/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I think one's person's unlikeable is another's lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-barbash/i-think-one-s-person-s-unlikeable-is-another-s-lovable/) [Tom Barbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-barbash/) > [“And the lesson here is that people are unlikeable. They have the irritating habit of believing they are as important as you are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-nayeri/and-the-lesson-here-is-that-people-are-unlikeable-they-have-the/) [Daniel Nayeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-nayeri/) > [I don't agree with the idea that my characters are unlikeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-don-t-agree-with-the-idea-that-my-characters-are-unlikeable/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [“Wanting to be liked is often a very unlikeable characteristic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/wanting-to-be-liked-is-often-a-very-unlikeable-characteristic/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I think there's a pressure to be likeable in life, which is really hard when you're really unlikeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rowsell/i-think-there-s-a-pressure-to-be-likeable-in-life-which-is-really/) [Ellie Rowsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rowsell/) > [Most actors will tell you that villains are the most interesting to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-james-collier/most-actors-will-tell-you-that-villains-are-the-most-interesting-to/) [Rob James-Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-james-collier/) > [The script is really always the main attraction, and then there's whether there is an interesting character and great people around you. Those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/the-script-is-really-always-the-main-attraction-and-then-there-s/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [ The two things that I thought were really interesting about this character \[Bow\] for me were that she actually loved her husband, and he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/the-two-things-that-i-thought-were-really-interesting-about-this/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [I think in English history a very interesting character is John Lilburne. Very interesting character because of the way he managed to develop the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-think-in-english-history-a-very-interesting-character-is-john/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I'm always looking for a low-budget script with an interesting character to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-koenig/i-m-always-looking-for-a-low-budget-script-with-an-interesting/) Walter Koenig > [Shamshera' is a dream project and I feel blessed to have an opportunity to be a part of it and portray such a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaani-kapoor/shamshera-is-a-dream-project-and-i-feel-blessed-to-have-an/) [Vaani Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaani-kapoor/) ## More by Ottessa Moshfegh > [Sometimes I think I'm a nihilist because it doesn't matter, none of this matters. We're all following the will of some unknowable higher power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/sometimes-i-think-i-m-a-nihilist-because-it-doesn-t-matter-none-of/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [If you look at the horror genre, that work is all about making people uncomfortable by stimulating our fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/if-you-look-at-the-horror-genre-that-work-is-all-about-making-people/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“...the face I wore at work, my death mask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-face-i-wore-at-work-my-death-mask/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [I've always really enjoyed sharing my work with others. I find it really hard if I don't think the work will exist outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-ve-always-really-enjoyed-sharing-my-work-with-others-i-find-it/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [Indifference is the saddest state of being. It's like PTSD - you're not gonna fight, you're not gonna run, you're just frozen there, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/indifference-is-the-saddest-state-of-being-it-s-like-ptsd-you-re-not/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Talking to Reva about misery was insufferable. 'Look on the bright side,' was what she wanted everyone to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/talking-to-reva-about-misery-was-insufferable-look-on-the-bright-side/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [ What's inspiring me the most \[is\] injustice. My own growth as a member of the human race, in terms of the veils being lifted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/what-s-inspiring-me-the-most-is-injustice-my-own-growth-as-a-member/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Knowledge of anything current or faddish made me feel I was just a victim of isolation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/knowledge-of-anything-current-or-faddish-made-me-feel-i-was-just-a/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I wanted to hold onto the house the way you'd hold onto a love letter. It was proof that I had not always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-the-house-the-way-you-d-hold-onto-a-love-letter/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Like a favorite song you’ve heard so many times it begins to annoy you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/like-a-favorite-song-you-ve-heard-so-many-times-it-begins-to-annoy-you/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I watched that old world go by, away and away, gone gone gone, until, like me, it disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-watched-that-old-world-go-by-away-and-away-gone-gone-gone-until/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I was nervous. It had been a long time since I’d gone any place I wanted to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-was-nervous-it-had-been-a-long-time-since-i-d-gone-any-place-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“But maybe I’d need something to read on my ride to my future, I thought. I could borrow a few of the finer books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/but-maybe-i-d-need-something-to-read-on-my-ride-to-my-future-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“The stars come out. I look for the moon, but it eludes me. I can't find or measure my way. Drift, drift. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-stars-come-out-i-look-for-the-moon-but-it-eludes-me-i-can-t-find/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Right," I said, but it didn't feel very right. I didn't want to make it. I wanted to lie down with it and strangle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/right-i-said-but-it-didn-t-feel-very-right-i-didn-t-want-to-make-it-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) [Explore all 82 Ottessa Moshfegh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## 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": "You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. 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