--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always think that's really lazy, when…" description: "\"I always think that's really lazy, when I'm watching a TV show or a movie or something, and there's a flashback and the idea is, 'This one moment is th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/raphael-bob-waksberg-3980_character_i-always-think-that-s-really-lazy-when-i_1339934.jpg" --- # I always think that's really lazy, when I'm watching a TV… ![“I always think that's really lazy, when I'm watching a TV show or a movie or something, and there's a flashback and the idea is, 'This one moment is the reason that everything happened. This character saw this guy, and this guy said this thing to him, and that's why he is this way.' Because I…” quote by Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/raphael-bob-waksberg-3980_character_i-always-think-that-s-really-lazy-when-i_1339934.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/raphael-bob-waksberg-3980_character_i-always-think-that-s-really-lazy-when-i_1339934.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/raphael-bob-waksberg-3980_character_i-always-think-that-s-really-lazy-when-i_1339934.jpg) > “I always think that's really lazy, when I'm watching a TV show or a movie or something, and there's a flashback and the idea is, 'This one moment is the reason that everything happened. This character saw this guy, and this guy said this thing to him, and that's why he is this way.' Because I think in real life, it's not so one-to-one.” [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the oversimplified narrative device that attributes a character's whole arc to a single flashback moment, arguing real life is more complex. **In simple terms:** Life isn’t explained by one moment alone. Key Takeaway Avoid reducing stories to single causes. Themes storytelling causality character development Mood reflective critical analytical Type commentary observation When to use this quote - scriptwriting - film analysis - personal reflection - teaching narrative structure Key Concepts narrative simplification psychology of memory Questions to Reflect On - How do you portray nuanced growth without a single pivotal scene? - What are the risks of overusing flashbacks? A Different Perspective Such flashbacks can mislead audiences about real causal complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Flashback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashback/) [Flashback Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashback-idea-4523440/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moment Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-reason-1326268/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie Flashback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-flashback-4523439/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“What more does one ask of life, really, but to stagger from moment to moment with a reason to wake and wait for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/what-more-does-one-ask-of-life-really-but-to-stagger-from-moment-to/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [In every moment there is a reason to carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-loggins/in-every-moment-there-is-a-reason-to-carry-on/) [Kenny Loggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-loggins/) > [Look to nothing, not even for a moment except to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/look-to-nothing-not-even-for-a-moment-except-to-reason/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“Penance, prayer, power none is capable of killing the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/penance-prayer-power-none-is-capable-of-killing-the-past/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [It is not the goodbye that hurts. But the flashback that follows hurt the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/it-is-not-the-goodbye-that-hurts-but-the-flashback-that-follows-hurt/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Sometimes I flashback and say, 'Wow I'm still doing this. Wow, it's crazy.' And I'm very thankful, but I think my body needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitor-belfort/sometimes-i-flashback-and-say-wow-i-m-still-doing-this-wow-it-s-crazy/) [Vitor Belfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitor-belfort/) > [After the 9/11 apocalypse happened in New York City, people, particularly New Yorkers, who breathed in the ash, or saw the results of that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/after-the-9-11-apocalypse-happened-in-new-york-city-people/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [On the screen were some flashback shots of Daniel, Emma and Rupert from ten years ago. They were 12. I have also recently returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/on-the-screen-were-some-flashback-shots-of-daniel-emma-and-rupert/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [“In a flashback, we hear Holly's mother summing up her life in a conversation with her husband, Wylie: "My life is one big mistake,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-allison/in-a-flashback-we-hear-holly-s-mother-summing-up-her-life-in-a/) [Will Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-allison/) > [The function of the flashback is Freudian...You have to let them wander like the imagination or like a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/the-function-of-the-flashback-is-freudian-you-have-to-let-them-wander/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [That's one of the reasons why 'Lost' has to end: because we can't sit around and envision, 'What is the flashback for Jack in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlton-cuse/that-s-one-of-the-reasons-why-lost-has-to-end-because-we-can-t-sit/) [Carlton Cuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlton-cuse/) > [I think 'Lost' didn't invent the flashback, obviously. It's been a cinematic tool. It's been around almost as long as cinema has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/i-think-lost-didn-t-invent-the-flashback-obviously-it-s-been-a/) [Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/) > [“It all keeps coming back in flashes. Churns you, burns you till it turns you into ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richa-pandey/it-all-keeps-coming-back-in-flashes-churns-you-burns-you-till-it/) [Richa Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richa-pandey/) > [We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I'm standing there on a balcony in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reynold/we-were-both-young-when-i-first-saw-you-i-close-my-eyes-and-the/) [Reynold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reynold/) > [As an actor, you can't play a flashback; you can't play someone's memory. You just have to play each circumstance as if it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-t-fagbenle/as-an-actor-you-can-t-play-a-flashback-you-can-t-play-someone-s/) [O. T. Fagbenle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-t-fagbenle/) ## More by Raphael Bob-Waksberg > [I'm excited when any Netflix show comes out. I'm like, 'Yeah, Netflix! Doin' great! We're all on the same side.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-m-excited-when-any-netflix-show-comes-out-i-m-like-yeah-netflix/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I am doing what I can to expand the tent and bring up other people and make sure we are telling different kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-am-doing-what-i-can-to-expand-the-tent-and-bring-up-other-people/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I think we're so often, as writers, afraid of writing something that is less than perfect, and that fear paralyzes us. I'm a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-think-we-re-so-often-as-writers-afraid-of-writing-something-that-is/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [One of the things that set us apart early on, as opposed to other animated shows, was the fact that 'Bojack' was continuous and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/one-of-the-things-that-set-us-apart-early-on-as-opposed-to-other/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I am really excited by the form of short fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-am-really-excited-by-the-form-of-short-fiction/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [Part of being a writer is just getting it in your bones, getting the muscle memory down, just doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/part-of-being-a-writer-is-just-getting-it-in-your-bones-getting-the/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I thought it would be a fun change of pace to do a show about a really sad, depressed character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-thought-it-would-be-a-fun-change-of-pace-to-do-a-show-about-a/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I want each season to feel new and special. I don't want it to feel, "Oh, more of this." That's something that's easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-want-each-season-to-feel-new-and-special-i-don-t-want-it-to-feel-oh/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [So many cartoons are about real fun, happy-go-lucky simpletons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/so-many-cartoons-are-about-real-fun-happy-go-lucky-simpletons/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [Art is a dialogue. I'm throwing rocks across a chasm and hoping people catch them on the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/art-is-a-dialogue-i-m-throwing-rocks-across-a-chasm-and-hoping-people/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I think it's good to leave people with the memory of that being a great character. And if we have a reason to bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-think-it-s-good-to-leave-people-with-the-memory-of-that-being-a/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [I've written six seasons of a TV show with great help from an incredible staff of writers and other collaborators, but I still feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/i-ve-written-six-seasons-of-a-tv-show-with-great-help-from-an/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > ['Lost in Translation' movie says something interesting about the alienation of being a stranger in a strange land, but also of being a celebrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/lost-in-translation-movie-says-something-interesting-about-the/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [The caustic style of 'Archer' was really on my mind when I was first doing 'BoJack' - perhaps too much!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/the-caustic-style-of-archer-was-really-on-my-mind-when-i-was-first/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) > [The Comeback' is so cringey and difficult, but watching it, what I was really struck with was the kindness and the generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-bob-waksberg/the-comeback-is-so-cringey-and-difficult-but-watching-it-what-i-was/) [Raphael Bob-Waksberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) [Explore all 118 Raphael Bob-Waksberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-bob-waksberg/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always think that's really lazy, when I'm watching a TV show or a movie or something, and there's a flashback and the idea is, 'This one moment is the reason that everything happened. 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