--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You couldn’t set out to be a good witch…" description: "\"“You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked for long. All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.”\" — Terry..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/terry-pratchett-19_quote_you-couldn-t-set-out-to-be-a-good-witch_1564554.jpg" --- # You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It… ![“You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked for long. All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/terry-pratchett-19_quote_you-couldn-t-set-out-to-be-a-good-witch_1564554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/terry-pratchett-19_quote_you-couldn-t-set-out-to-be-a-good-witch_1564554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b05/terry-pratchett-19_quote_you-couldn-t-set-out-to-be-a-good-witch_1564554.jpg) > ““You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked for long. All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that identity is inherent; trying to label oneself as “good” or “bad” is futile—just be a witch fully. **In simple terms:** Identity is inherent, not a choice of good or bad. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic role without moral labels. Themes identity authenticity self acceptance morality Mood humorous reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative expression - storytelling - role‑play Key Concepts self‑definition role theory Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be a witch in your life? - Can one choose moral alignment? A Different Perspective May oversimplify moral complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-witch/) [Try Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-witch-5876167/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) [Witch Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch-bad-1221990/) [Witch Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch-hard-686871/) [Witch Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch-worked-5876168/) ## Related quotes > [“Well then," Faye said. "Now that you've heard our story, we have just one question to ask you." She fixed Cassie with an odd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/well-then-faye-said-now-that-you-ve-heard-our-story-we-have-just-one/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [“ Because humans are complicated beasts, the monster said. How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-humans-are-complicated-beasts-the-monster-said-how-can-a/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [ “\[S\]he hardly deserved to be labeled a witch.' 'I find it hard to believe anyone could take such a thing seriously. This isn't the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-brockway/s-he-hardly-deserved-to-be-labeled-a-witch-i-find-it-hard-to-believe/) [Connie Brockway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-brockway/) > [I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being. And a wizard, which is a male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-think-that-all-women-are-witches-in-the-sense-that-a-witch-is-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [It seems to me that the orthodox religions always know more about the Devil than I do and can describe him in more detail,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybil-leek/it-seems-to-me-that-the-orthodox-religions-always-know-more-about-the/) [Sybil Leek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybil-leek/) > [You are so vicious. (Tee) Hence the nickname. (Syd) You know it’s bad when you make me look like Glinda the Good Witch, right?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-are-so-vicious-tee-hence-the-nickname-syd-you-know-it-s-bad-when/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“She was a good witch and a decent person, but decent people aren’t always easy to live with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/she-was-a-good-witch-and-a-decent-person-but-decent-people-aren-t/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [To me 'The Good Witch' represents... there's femininity in that, there's power in it, destruction. There's a sense of control, which I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-peters/to-me-the-good-witch-represents-there-s-femininity-in-that-there-s/) [Maisie Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-peters/) > [No' is golden. 'No' is the kind of power the good witch wields. It's the way whole, healthy, emotionally evolved people manage to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/no-is-golden-no-is-the-kind-of-power-the-good-witch-wields-it-s-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [a certain bohemian, good-witch sort of charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-certain-bohemian-good-witch-sort-of-charm/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“I wished for my fairy godmother, the good witch of the north, or some other bitch with a wand to glide in here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelynn-drake/i-wished-for-my-fairy-godmother-the-good-witch-of-the-north-or-some/) [Jocelynn Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelynn-drake/) > [Dorothy tries to sum it all up before leaving Oz. "It's that if ever I go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-green/dorothy-tries-to-sum-it-all-up-before-leaving-oz-it-s-that-if-ever-i/) [Joey Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-green/) > [“The thing I feared the most was the network of unexplored crevices in my dark mind . . . because perhaps, there was no such thing as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-c-reden/the-thing-i-feared-the-most-was-the-network-of-unexplored-crevices-in/) [Laura C. Reden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-c-reden/) > [“The kitchen. La cucina, the true mother country, this warm cave of the good witch deep in the desolate land of loneliness, with pots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/the-kitchen-la-cucina-the-true-mother-country-this-warm-cave-of-the/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [“I wished for my fairy godmother, the good witch of the north, or some other bitch with a wand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelynn-drake/i-wished-for-my-fairy-godmother-the-good-witch-of-the-north-or-some-2/) [Jocelynn Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelynn-drake/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Good witch quotes > [“The thing I feared the most was the network of unexplored crevices in my dark mind . . . because perhaps, there was no such thing as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-c-reden/the-thing-i-feared-the-most-was-the-network-of-unexplored-crevices-in/) [Laura C. Reden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-c-reden/) > [It seems to me that the orthodox religions always know more about the Devil than I do and can describe him in more detail,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybil-leek/it-seems-to-me-that-the-orthodox-religions-always-know-more-about-the/) [Sybil Leek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybil-leek/) > [You are so vicious. (Tee) Hence the nickname. (Syd) You know it’s bad when you make me look like Glinda the Good Witch, right?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-are-so-vicious-tee-hence-the-nickname-syd-you-know-it-s-bad-when/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“She was a good witch and a decent person, but decent people aren’t always easy to live with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/she-was-a-good-witch-and-a-decent-person-but-decent-people-aren-t/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“The kitchen. La cucina, the true mother country, this warm cave of the good witch deep in the desolate land of loneliness, with pots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/the-kitchen-la-cucina-the-true-mother-country-this-warm-cave-of-the/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) > [To me 'The Good Witch' represents... there's femininity in that, there's power in it, destruction. There's a sense of control, which I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-peters/to-me-the-good-witch-represents-there-s-femininity-in-that-there-s/) [Maisie Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-peters/) > [I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being. And a wizard, which is a male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-think-that-all-women-are-witches-in-the-sense-that-a-witch-is-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [“ Because humans are complicated beasts, the monster said. How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-humans-are-complicated-beasts-the-monster-said-how-can-a/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“Well then," Faye said. "Now that you've heard our story, we have just one question to ask you." She fixed Cassie with an odd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/well-then-faye-said-now-that-you-ve-heard-our-story-we-have-just-one/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [Dorothy tries to sum it all up before leaving Oz. "It's that if ever I go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-green/dorothy-tries-to-sum-it-all-up-before-leaving-oz-it-s-that-if-ever-i/) [Joey Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-green/) > [“I wished for my fairy godmother, the good witch of the north, or some other bitch with a wand to glide in here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelynn-drake/i-wished-for-my-fairy-godmother-the-good-witch-of-the-north-or-some/) [Jocelynn Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelynn-drake/) > [No' is golden. 'No' is the kind of power the good witch wields. It's the way whole, healthy, emotionally evolved people manage to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/no-is-golden-no-is-the-kind-of-power-the-good-witch-wields-it-s-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [a certain bohemian, good-witch sort of charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-certain-bohemian-good-witch-sort-of-charm/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“I wished for my fairy godmother, the good witch of the north, or some other bitch with a wand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelynn-drake/i-wished-for-my-fairy-godmother-the-good-witch-of-the-north-or-some-2/) [Jocelynn Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelynn-drake/) > [For someone who has called her album 'The Good Witch,' I'm not a very spiritual person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-peters/for-someone-who-has-called-her-album-the-good-witch-i-m-not-a-very/) [Maisie Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-peters/) [Browse all 19 Good witch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-witch/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. 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