--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been drawn to writing…" description: "\"I've always been drawn to writing historical characters. The best stories are the ones you find in history.\" — Tony Kushner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/tony-kushner-2204_character_i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-writing-histor_1902057.jpg" --- # I've always been drawn to writing historical characters… ![“I've always been drawn to writing historical characters. The best stories are the ones you find in history.” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/tony-kushner-2204_character_i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-writing-histor_1902057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/tony-kushner-2204_character_i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-writing-histor_1902057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/tony-kushner-2204_character_i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-writing-histor_1902057.jpg) > “I've always been drawn to writing historical characters. The best stories are the ones you find in history.” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer finds inspiration in historical figures, believing that authentic history provides the richest storytelling material. **In simple terms:** History offers compelling characters and plots for writers. Key Takeaway Explore real historical events for narrative ideas. Themes creativity history storytelling inspiration authenticity Mood enthusiastic curious reflective Type motivational inspirational educational When to use this quote - novels - screenplays - theatre productions Key Concepts historical fiction character development research Questions to Reflect On - Which historical figure would you write about? - How does factual accuracy affect narrative? A Different Perspective The claim is subjective and may overlook fictional creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When writing about historical characters I try to be as accurate as possible, and in particular not to misrepresent the view they held. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-barker/when-writing-about-historical-characters-i-try-to-be-as-accurate-as/) [Pat Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-barker/) > [Character is everything, especially these days when that's what publishers are asking for. Make sure that yours have child appeal. Also don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-larson/character-is-everything-especially-these-days-when-that-s-what/) [Kirby Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-larson/) > [Most happiest relationships are between people who never have the same characters, but they have the best understanding of their differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/most-happiest-relationships-are-between-people-who-never-have-the/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The key for me with historical characters is they're interesting because they're human beings. A little bit of Hemingway goes a long way here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/the-key-for-me-with-historical-characters-is-they-re-interesting/) [Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/) > [I've played so many historical characters because most horrible dictators are short, fat, middle-aged men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hoskins/i-ve-played-so-many-historical-characters-because-most-horrible/) [Bob Hoskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hoskins/) > [I taught English and history, so my education for that really helped prepare me for writing historical fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-taught-english-and-history-so-my-education-for-that-really-helped/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [I like writing historical fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-like-writing-historical-fiction/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [In writing my historical novels, I have to rely upon my imagination to a great extent. I think of it as 'filling in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/in-writing-my-historical-novels-i-have-to-rely-upon-my-imagination-to/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [In the course of writing one historical book or another, it has happened that I could hardly restrain myself from simply copying entire documents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-doblin/in-the-course-of-writing-one-historical-book-or-another-it-has/) [Alfred Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-doblin/) > [I've played historical characters before, and I think the trap of all of them is if you try to do an impression. If that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/i-ve-played-historical-characters-before-and-i-think-the-trap-of-all/) [Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/) > [“The trouble is, we are incurable sentimentalists. We insist on makin over historical characters to suit our preconceived notions of what they should be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-byrd-turner/the-trouble-is-we-are-incurable-sentimentalists-we-insist-on-makin/) [Nancy Byrd Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-byrd-turner/) > [In general, I think my freedom of invention is not limited when I use historical characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/in-general-i-think-my-freedom-of-invention-is-not-limited-when-i-use/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I can relate to historical characters or imaginary ones. It doesn't matter if a story takes place in the future or in the present,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/i-can-relate-to-historical-characters-or-imaginary-ones-it-doesn-t/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [Though I enjoy playing historical characters, it is very taxing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/puneet-issar/though-i-enjoy-playing-historical-characters-it-is-very-taxing/) [Puneet Issar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/puneet-issar/) > [As a biracial girl growing up in England, I'd never really seen any historical characters who looked like me depicted on film before that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gugu-mbatha-raw/as-a-biracial-girl-growing-up-in-england-i-d-never-really-seen-any/) [Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gugu-mbatha-raw/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-the-snake-sheds-his-skin-before-a-new-skin-is-ready-naked-he-will/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I never really feel that I’m stuck. I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-and-there-are-people-who-live/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) [Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## 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 > [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. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. 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