--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in a community where it was not…" description: "\"I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. And all of my friends were good girls too, and my b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/stephenie-meyer-91_bad-guy_i-grew-up-in-a-community-where-it-was-no_236781.jpg" --- # I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to… ![“I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. And all of my friends were good girls too, and my boyfriends were good boys. Everybody was pretty nice. And that affects how I write my characters. There aren't very many bad guys in my novels. Even…” quote by Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/stephenie-meyer-91_bad-guy_i-grew-up-in-a-community-where-it-was-no_236781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/stephenie-meyer-91_bad-guy_i-grew-up-in-a-community-where-it-was-no_236781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/stephenie-meyer-91_bad-guy_i-grew-up-in-a-community-where-it-was-no_236781.jpg) > “I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. And all of my friends were good girls too, and my boyfriends were good boys. Everybody was pretty nice. And that affects how I write my characters. There aren't very many bad guys in my novels. Even the bad guys usually have a pretty good reason for the way they are, and some of them come around in the end. I don't see the world as full of negatives.” [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author’s upbringing in a supportive, “good‑girl” community shapes her storytelling, leading to mostly decent characters with redeemable villains. **In simple terms:** Her background influences her to write mostly good people with complex motives. Key Takeaway Embrace nuanced characters rather than binary good vs. bad. Themes character development morality redemption community influence writing style Mood reflective thoughtful optimistic Type literary personal essay When to use this quote - novel writing - character workshops - editorial feedback - teaching creative writing Key Concepts social conditioning psychology of gender expectations narrative empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does a “good” environment affect your perception of conflict? - Can you create compelling antagonists without compromising your worldview? A Different Perspective May limit conflict and tension, making narratives less dramatic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Good girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-girls/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. 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Me, I just wanna live a life I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/they-say-it-s-the-good-girls-who-keep-diaries-the-bad-girls-never/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Biggest problem in Love: Good guy gets wrong Girl. Good girl gets wrong guy, They fall in Love and good ones' gets cheated..Now the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/biggest-problem-in-love-good-guy-gets-wrong-girl-good-girl-gets-wrong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think the reason they cast me as the good girls is because they couldn't find any in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-jackson/i-think-the-reason-they-cast-me-as-the-good-girls-is-because-they/) [Victoria Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-jackson/) > [Good girls hold their heads high by daylight, Their grace and their virtue soaring with kites, While bad girls slink along in their shame-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/good-girls-hold-their-heads-high-by-daylight-their-grace-and-their/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [Pumps on and them little mini skirts is up. 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They are constantly embarrassed by me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-sussman/sometimes-when-daughters-have-a-bad-girl-mother-they-rebel-and-become/) [Ellen Sussman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-sussman/) > [I like to play good girls more because I play bad ones all the time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meaghan-martin/i-like-to-play-good-girls-more-because-i-play-bad-ones-all-the-time/) [Meaghan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meaghan-martin/) > [“GOOD shouldn’t be used to describe a girl in any way. There are good books, good food, but not good girls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-george/good-shouldn-t-be-used-to-describe-a-girl-in-any-way-there-are-good/) [Caroline George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-george/) > [Good girls go to Heaven, bad girls make you feel like you're in Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-girls-go-to-heaven-bad-girls-make-you-feel-like-you-re-in-heaven/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) ## More by Stephenie Meyer > [“That would be just like me-ruin everything, destroy the world, in a moment of klutziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/that-would-be-just-like-me-ruin-everything-destroy-the-world-in-a/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“But suddenly something sharp was cutting me, my throat, my wrists, my ankles. I screamed in shock, thinking he'd brought me there to hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/but-suddenly-something-sharp-was-cutting-me-my-throat-my-wrists-my/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I bit a pillow. 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