--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One has to be able to twist and change…" description: "\"One has to be able to twist and change and distort characters, play with them like clay, so everything fits together. Real people don't permit you to d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/peter-carey-4293_able_one-has-to-be-able-to-twist-and-change-a_458099.jpg" --- # One has to be able to twist and change and distort… ![“One has to be able to twist and change and distort characters, play with them like clay, so everything fits together. Real people don't permit you to do that.” quote by Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/peter-carey-4293_able_one-has-to-be-able-to-twist-and-change-a_458099.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/peter-carey-4293_able_one-has-to-be-able-to-twist-and-change-a_458099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/peter-carey-4293_able_one-has-to-be-able-to-twist-and-change-a_458099.jpg) > “One has to be able to twist and change and distort characters, play with them like clay, so everything fits together. Real people don't permit you to do that.” [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative freedom allows reshaping characters like malleable material, unlike real people who resist manipulation. **In simple terms:** You can mold fictional characters, but not real people. Key Takeaway Respect boundaries between fiction and reality. Themes creativity control fiction reality ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing - character development - storyboarding Key Concepts narrative theory psychology artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - What ethical lines exist in portraying others? - How does control affect storytelling? A Different Perspective Real people have agency that cannot be overridden. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-play/) [Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clay/) [Distort Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distort-characters-3983492/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Like Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-clay-900705/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-like/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-people/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Twists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twists/) ## Related quotes > [“There's a unique substance in each one of us. A raw matter known as the child, pure and impressionable, flexible enough to be molded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zohreh-ghahremani/there-s-a-unique-substance-in-each-one-of-us-a-raw-matter-known-as/) [Zohreh Ghahremani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zohreh-ghahremani/) > [People cannot be molded like clay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/people-cannot-be-molded-like-clay/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [The original lists were probably carved in stone and represented longer periods of time. They contained things like 'Get More Clay. Make Better Oven.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-viscott/the-original-lists-were-probably-carved-in-stone-and-represented/) [David Viscott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-viscott/) > [I feel like I can move well on the clay. 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Our friends? Our teachers or bosses? What about the one who molded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-maxon/who-should-we-be-trying-to-make-the-most-proud-our-family-our-friends/) [James D. Maxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-maxon/) > [Creative work is more accurately a machine that digs down and finds stuff, emotional stuff that will someday be raw material that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/creative-work-is-more-accurately-a-machine-that-digs-down-and-finds/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“…having learned that people cannot be moulded like clay…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/having-learned-that-people-cannot-be-moulded-like-clay/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Truth was like clay. Whoever had their hands on the clay could shape it however he wanted. My hands were nowhere near the clay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-zunker/truth-was-like-clay-whoever-had-their-hands-on-the-clay-could-shape/) [Chad Zunker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-zunker/) ## More by Peter Carey > [“I have traveled widely. I have seen this country in its infancy. I tell you what it will become. The public squares will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-have-traveled-widely-i-have-seen-this-country-in-its-infancy-i-tell/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [At the very end of a book I can manage to work for longer stretches, but mostly, making stuff up for three hours, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/at-the-very-end-of-a-book-i-can-manage-to-work-for-longer-stretches/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Being famous as a writer is like being famous in a village. 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I cannot see the world any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/australia-is-my-lens-i-cannot-see-the-world-any-other-way/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [If you ever read one of my books I hope you'll think it looks so easy. In fact, I wrote those chapters 20 times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/if-you-ever-read-one-of-my-books-i-hope-you-ll-think-it-looks-so-easy/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I had known loneliness before, and emptiness upon the moor, but I had never been a NOTHING, a nothing floating on a nothing, known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-had-known-loneliness-before-and-emptiness-upon-the-moor-but-i-had/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I did not know that history is like a blood stain that keeps on showing on the wall no matter how many new owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-did-not-know-that-history-is-like-a-blood-stain-that-keeps-on/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I think that thing about the destruction of the world is there all the time, it's there every day when we look out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-think-that-thing-about-the-destruction-of-the-world-is-there-all/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Your American, you wouldn't know if you were up yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/your-american-you-wouldn-t-know-if-you-were-up-yourself/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“He were still smiling but his voice were hard as a spoon rattling in a metal cup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/he-were-still-smiling-but-his-voice-were-hard-as-a-spoon-rattling-in/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Would you rather have the lords and nobles back? What is Democracy for? Not so we can rob each other. Or cheat.' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/would-you-rather-have-the-lords-and-nobles-back-what-is-democracy-for/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“7. Some Theories that Arose at the Time 1. The world is merely a dream dreamt by god who is waking after a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/7-some-theories-that-arose-at-the-time-1-the-world-is-merely-a-dream/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I'm always the one with the activist friends. I've been an activist very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-m-always-the-one-with-the-activist-friends-i-ve-been-an-activist/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) [Explore all 113 Peter Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One has to be able to twist and change and distort characters, play with them like clay, so everything fits together. 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