I'm not doing anything, and yet I'm also doing the most important thing a man can do: I'm listening to what I needed to hear from myself.
Paulo CoelhoRead
What counts in a good story is the person inside. Keep it simple.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of a good story lies in its characters rather than complex plotlines.
Paulo Coelho emphasizes that the true value of a story comes from the depth and authenticity of its characters rather than from intricate plots or elaborate storytelling techniques. By advocating for simplicity, he suggests that relatable and well-developed characters are essential in engaging the audience and conveying the story's message effectively.
Themes
StorytellingCharactersSimplicityNarrativeArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared Coelho's quote to inspire writers to focus on character development.
More from Paulo Coelho
All quotes βEach stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.
Paulo CoelhoRead
We need to clear our minds of bad thoughts.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Having the courage to take the steps we always wanted to take is the only way of showing that we trust in God.
Paulo CoelhoRead
The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants
Paulo CoelhoRead
Sometimes the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Similar quotes
It is always hard for poets to believe that one says their poems are bad not because one is a fiend but because their poems are bad.
Randall JarrellRead
Individuality realized is the supreme attainment of the human soul, the master-master's work of art. Individuality is sacred.
Frank Lloyd WrightRead
The difference between a good song and a great song is a good song is one that you know, you'll put on in your car or you'll dance to it. But I think a great song you'll cry to it, or you get chills. I think a great song says how you feel better than you could.
Taylor SwiftRead
Writing's funny, it's like walking down a hall in the dark looking for the light switch, and suddenly you find it, flip it on, and then you discover the hallway you passed through is papered with the novel you've written.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
I do not have many things that are meaningful to me. Except my doubts and my fears. And my art.
Chaim PotokRead
She drinks pints of coffee and writes little observations and ideas for stories with her best fountain pen on the linen-white pages of expensive notebooks. Sometimes, when it's going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a fetish for stationery.
David NichollsRead