--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stopping to think is fine for characters…" description: "\"Stopping to think is fine for characters, but not for their creators. They have to work.\" — Walter Kirn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/walter-kirn-2189_characters_stopping-to-think-is-fine-for-characters_1964180.png" --- # Stopping to think is fine for characters, but not for… ![“Stopping to think is fine for characters, but not for their creators. They have to work.” quote by Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/walter-kirn-2189_characters_stopping-to-think-is-fine-for-characters_1964180.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/walter-kirn-2189_characters_stopping-to-think-is-fine-for-characters_1964180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/walter-kirn-2189_characters_stopping-to-think-is-fine-for-characters_1964180.png) > “Stopping to think is fine for characters, but not for their creators. They have to work.” [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers must keep thinking while creating, unlike characters who can pause. **In simple terms:** Writers can’t pause thinking like characters. Key Takeaway Keep the creative momentum. Themes creativity writing process discipline Mood motivational practical Type advice When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - daily writing sessions Key Concepts flow state authorial responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay in the flow? - What breaks your creative rhythm? A Different Perspective Creative fatigue can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Creators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-creators-3260315/) [Creators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creators/) [Creators Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creators-work-3260316/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Stopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping/) [Stopping Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping-think-1346836/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [One of the reasons I never had a problem handing over my characters to other creators is that I knew that they would add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-reasons-i-never-had-a-problem-handing-over-my-characters/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [But that's a side effect of alcohol, isn't it? Stopping to think about other people is not on the bar menu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/but-that-s-a-side-effect-of-alcohol-isn-t-it-stopping-to-think-about/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [Happiness is never stopping to think if you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/palmer-sondreal/happiness-is-never-stopping-to-think-if-you-are/) [Palmer Sondreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/palmer-sondreal/) > [When I was young, a lot of things were closed off to me. I was always told, 'Don't do this, you can't do that'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sy/when-i-was-young-a-lot-of-things-were-closed-off-to-me-i-was-always/) [Omar Sy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sy/) > [One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In stopping to think through the meaning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-s-philosophy-is-not-best-expressed-in-words-it-is-expressed-in-3/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [My mind is never stopping. I think, if you stop, you die. Maybe it is a problem for me - I have to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domenico-dolce/my-mind-is-never-stopping-i-think-if-you-stop-you-die-maybe-it-is-a/) [Domenico Dolce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domenico-dolce/) > [I'm used to things changing, I'm used to having to keep going and not really stopping to think and stress out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-fox/i-m-used-to-things-changing-i-m-used-to-having-to-keep-going-and-not/) [Julia Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-fox/) > [“Creators don't criticize, they make others do so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/creators-don-t-criticize-they-make-others-do-so/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Great businessmen are creators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/great-businessmen-are-creators/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Companions the creator seeks, not corpses, not herds and believers. Fellow creators the creator seeks -- those who write new values on new tablets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/companions-the-creator-seeks-not-corpses-not-herds-and-believers/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We are the creators and creatures of each other, causing and bearing each other's burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/we-are-the-creators-and-creatures-of-each-other-causing-and-bearing/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [Cable had a latitude to move which created less censorship and bestowed upon the artists, the writers and the creators, more liberty to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gillies/cable-had-a-latitude-to-move-which-created-less-censorship-and/) [Daniel Gillies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gillies/) > [But unless we are creators, we are not fully alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/but-unless-we-are-creators-we-are-not-fully-alive/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [America is a land of creators and rebels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/america-is-a-land-of-creators-and-rebels/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [We call ourselves creators and we just copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/we-call-ourselves-creators-and-we-just-copy/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) ## More by Walter Kirn > [Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/everyone-loves-a-witch-hunt-as-long-as-it-s-someone-else-s-witch/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“I just wasn't ready for his stories. They'd breed with the others I'd heard and hatch new monsters, because there was no such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-just-wasn-t-ready-for-his-stories-they-d-breed-with-the-others-i-d/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“For time to pass it would have to go somewhere, and where would that be? Time sits. We move, it sits. Sometimes it trembles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/for-time-to-pass-it-would-have-to-go-somewhere-and-where-would-that/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Once you realize just the sort of glut of books that exists out there, it does become incumbent on you not to add to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/once-you-realize-just-the-sort-of-glut-of-books-that-exists-out-there/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [There are two sides to me. One is the writer. That's a savage person who looks at everything as a story and, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-sides-to-me-one-is-the-writer-that-s-a-savage-person/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [I remember the first time I went to Italy when I was eighteen, I was in Florence and there were all these eighteen, nineteen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-italy-when-i-was-eighteen-i-was/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Quiet cunning bested boastful brawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/quiet-cunning-bested-boastful-brawn/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The idea that Americans favor politicians who either remind them of themselves or can imagine what their selves are like because they too have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-idea-that-americans-favor-politicians-who-either-remind-them-of/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Memo to extreme partisans: If you can't bring yourselves to love your enemies, can you at least learn to hate your friends?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/memo-to-extreme-partisans-if-you-can-t-bring-yourselves-to-love-your/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [People can be so neglectful of each other and of their own heritage - then death intrudes. Conversations we wish that we'd had earlier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/people-can-be-so-neglectful-of-each-other-and-of-their-own-heritage/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [I'd assumed that a deal was a deal when Princeton admitted me, but I was wrong. The price of getting in - to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-d-assumed-that-a-deal-was-a-deal-when-princeton-admitted-me-but-i/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The reason that last-ditch political maneuvering has become business as usual in Washington is that the actors involved are drunk on blame and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-reason-that-last-ditch-political-maneuvering-has-become-business/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Meanness on request isn't meanness at all, but kindness carried too far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/meanness-on-request-isn-t-meanness-at-all-but-kindness-carried-too-far/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) [Explore all 177 Walter Kirn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## More Characters 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'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/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [I have played several characters that are crabby and cranky. I don't know if I'm just not a very well-developed human being or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-have-played-several-characters-that-are-crabby-and-cranky-i-don-t/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [You do get fond of your characters. Handing them on is like giving a child to a nanny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-do-get-fond-of-your-characters-handing-them-on-is-like-giving-a/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/) [Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I really like all of the characters in 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt, especially Camilla, the one girl. I find her fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-murray/i-really-like-all-of-the-characters-in-the-secret-history-by-donna/) [Hannah Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-murray/) > [I've just always loved really good projects. The things that draw me into a new project have very little to do with genre and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel-staite/i-ve-just-always-loved-really-good-projects-the-things-that-draw-me/) [Jewel Staite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel-staite/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) [Browse all 3,066 Characters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Stopping to think is fine for characters, but not for their creators. 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