--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers must be fair and remember even…" description: "\"Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/stephen-king-13_art-of-life_writers-must-be-fair-and-remember-even-b_3029517.jpg" --- # Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of… ![“Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of gray—and shades of gray are also a part of life.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/stephen-king-13_art-of-life_writers-must-be-fair-and-remember-even-b_3029517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/stephen-king-13_art-of-life_writers-must-be-fair-and-remember-even-b_3029517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/stephen-king-13_art-of-life_writers-must-be-fair-and-remember-even-b_3029517.jpg) > “Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of gray—and shades of gray are also a part of life.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that villains view themselves as heroes, urging writers to give them depth and moral ambiguity. **In simple terms:** Villains see themselves as heroes; give them nuance. Key Takeaway Write complex characters. Themes morality character development nuance Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Novel writing - screenplay drafting - character workshops Key Concepts Subjective heroism ethical ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - How does gray morality affect audience empathy? - When is a villain’s perspective justified? A Different Perspective Risk of moral relativism without clear stakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chance Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-characters-4942479/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-create-500005/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-heroes-4371059/) [Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part-of-life/) [Parts of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parts-of-life/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Shades of gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shades-of-gray/) [Some interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some-interesting/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Yes, there are plenty of heroes and heroines everywhere you look. 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Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-h-marion/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' 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The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. 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I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Art of life quotes > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [Having depression is tough, but surviving every day and telling yourself to go one more day longer is truly courageous. Amidst, all the pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/having-depression-is-tough-but-surviving-every-day-and-telling/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. 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Nobody really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) [Browse all 957 Art of life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. 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