--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no better test of character than…" description: "\"There is no better test of character than when you're tossed into crisis. That's when we see one's true colors shine through. So I try my best to make ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/tess-gerritsen-3102_best_there-is-no-better-test-of-character-tha_526183.jpg" --- # There is no better test of character than when you're… ![“There is no better test of character than when you're tossed into crisis. That's when we see one's true colors shine through. So I try my best to make my characters personally involved in the plot, in a way that stresses them and tests them.” quote by Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/tess-gerritsen-3102_best_there-is-no-better-test-of-character-tha_526183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/tess-gerritsen-3102_best_there-is-no-better-test-of-character-tha_526183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/tess-gerritsen-3102_best_there-is-no-better-test-of-character-tha_526183.jpg) > “There is no better test of character than when you're tossed into crisis. That's when we see one's true colors shine through. So I try my best to make my characters personally involved in the plot, in a way that stresses them and tests them.” [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crisis reveals true character; testing individuals under pressure highlights their authentic traits and drives narrative depth. **In simple terms:** Crisis reveals true character. Key Takeaway Use challenges to deepen character development. Themes writing character crisis authenticity storytelling Mood creative analytical inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑playing games - team building Key Concepts psychology conflict growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance conflict with subtlety? - What non‑crisis moments reveal character? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on crisis can lead to melodrama. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colors/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Test of character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test-of-character/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [True colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-colors/) ## Related quotes > [The test of character is not persistence when you expect a light at the end of the tunnel. The true test is performance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur-ray/the-test-of-character-is-not-persistence-when-you-expect-a-light-at/) [James Arthur Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur-ray/) > [The real test of character is how you treat someone who has no possibility of doing you any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-real-test-of-character-is-how-you-treat-someone-who-has-no/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [There is no cramming for a test of character. It always comes as a pop quiz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/there-is-no-cramming-for-a-test-of-character-it-always-comes-as-a-pop/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-true-test-of-character-is-not-how-much-we-know-how-to-do-but-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [sometimes knowing when to give up is the real test of character... -annabelle granger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/sometimes-knowing-when-to-give-up-is-the-real-test-of-character/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [Power is a test - the test - of character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evalyn-walsh-mclean/power-is-a-test-the-test-of-character/) [Evalyn Walsh McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evalyn-walsh-mclean/) > [The test of character is having the ability to meet challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-annenberg/the-test-of-character-is-having-the-ability-to-meet-challenges/) [Walter Annenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-annenberg/) > [“The real test of character is whether you will do the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/the-real-test-of-character-is-whether-you-will-do-the-right-thing/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [“Life is a test. A test of Character and Strength, experience is our study guide... so remember what you learn and more importantly-apply it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-funkhouser/life-is-a-test-a-test-of-character-and-strength-experience-is-our/) Sarah Funkhouser > [The True Test of Character Of A Person, Is Not How Much We Know How To Do, But How We Behave When We Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/the-true-test-of-character-of-a-person-is-not-how-much-we-know-how-to/) Pacifiersucker > [Fame is also a test of character at times... Sometimes I pass the test; sometimes I'm a pain in the ass. Sometimes I'm like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-ryan/fame-is-also-a-test-of-character-at-times-sometimes-i-pass-the-test/) [Meg Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-ryan/) > [“I have to set an example, now more than ever. Facing death is the ultimate test of character. – Cmdr. William Riker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-trek-the-next-generation/i-have-to-set-an-example-now-more-than-ever-facing-death-is-the/) [Star Trek The Next Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/star-trek-the-next-generation/) > [What is the true test of character unless it be its progressive development in the bustle and turmoil, in the action and reaction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/what-is-the-true-test-of-character-unless-it-be-its-progressive/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Fear brings out the best in some people and the worst in others. It's a test of character, for individuals and nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/fear-brings-out-the-best-in-some-people-and-the-worst-in-others-it-s/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [“I suppose the true test of character comes when facing life’s harshest blows and disappointments. When things don’t turn out how you had hoped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pataki/i-suppose-the-true-test-of-character-comes-when-facing-life-s/) Allison Pataki ## More by Tess Gerritsen > [There is honor between bitches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/there-is-honor-between-bitches/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Had she always been so insulated from human contact, like a bloom encased in frost?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/had-she-always-been-so-insulated-from-human-contact-like-a-bloom/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Fans are always asking me where I get my ideas from. The answer is that I'm very curious, and I get inspiration from everywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/fans-are-always-asking-me-where-i-get-my-ideas-from-the-answer-is/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [After twelve years of living in Hawaii, I'd gotten a serious case of 'rock fever.' I just couldn't live on an island any longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/after-twelve-years-of-living-in-hawaii-i-d-gotten-a-serious-case-of/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The best heroes in the world are the reluctant ones. Courage isn't fearlessness - it's acting in the face of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-best-heroes-in-the-world-are-the-reluctant-ones-courage-isn-t/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“If you don't love him, if you don't even care about him, then seeing him now shouldn't be all that painful. Should it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/if-you-don-t-love-him-if-you-don-t-even-care-about-him-then-seeing/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“My name is Mila, and this is my journey. There are so many places where I could begin the story. I could start in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/my-name-is-mila-and-this-is-my-journey-there-are-so-many-places-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Now we sit and wait,” the woman said, and she settled into a chair, the gun on her lap. “What are we waiting for?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/now-we-sit-and-wait-the-woman-said-and-she-settled-into-a-chair-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The Christmas tree, twinkling with lights, had a mountain of gifts piled up beneath it, like offerings to the great god of excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-christmas-tree-twinkling-with-lights-had-a-mountain-of-gifts/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Because I never plan anything out ahead of time, I'm always in the process of learning about my characters. Without a biographical sketch to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/because-i-never-plan-anything-out-ahead-of-time-i-m-always-in-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [When you're a fifty-year-old woman, no one really bothers to look at you anymore, much less value your opinion. It's hard on the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/when-you-re-a-fifty-year-old-woman-no-one-really-bothers-to-look-at/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Mom and I often talked about the trip we'd someday take together to the 'city of eternal spring' where she was born. In Kunming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/mom-and-i-often-talked-about-the-trip-we-d-someday-take-together-to/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“But human anatomy and human endurance are variable. While the much younger nun had succumbed to her injuries, Ursula's heart kept beating, her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/but-human-anatomy-and-human-endurance-are-variable-while-the-much/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/where-we-go-depends-on-what-we-know-and-what-we-know-depends-on-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Some people make choices hoping for the best; Korsak had made a choice simply to avoid the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/some-people-make-choices-hoping-for-the-best-korsak-had-made-a-choice/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) [Explore all 134 Tess Gerritsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## More Best quotes > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. 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When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. 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