I have to say, the classic 90s movies do have the best lines and quotes I've come across. Pulp Fiction is an american crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino and it follows several intertwined stories of violence and redemption in Los Angeles.
A quote made in that movie is as profound as quotes get.
Just because you are a character doesn't mean that you have character.
It was a line said by The Wolf (Winston Wolfe) which was played by Harvey Keitel, and he said it to Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) while helping them clean up the car and deal with the body of Marvin.
- What exactly does that line mean anyways?
I think people do confuse being a character with having character all the time. I remember once meeting someone at a party who was so loud and virtually everywhere and looked quite flashy, everyone loved him. I thought to myself, wow, this person must be amazing.
Later I heard and saw so much about the same person that completely changed my mind about him. That is obviously something most have experienced before, no wonder they say "never meet your heroes" because you might be disappointed.
That’s what the quote from Pulp Fiction actually means. Just because someone stands out doesn’t mean they are good.
Being a character is easy, you can just act funny, dress in an outstanding way that catches attention, have so many crazy stories to tell whenever there's a get together. People will notice you very well. But having character is much harder. It’s mainly about doing the right thing even when no one sees you.
If you could steal a million dollars and no one would notice but it would affect people's lives badly, would you do it? Now that's a character tester.
Having character is about keeping your word and staying faithful when things get bad.
In real life, it’s everywhere. Social media is a place full of characters. People seem to look so perfect, so cool, and sound so smart. But when something serious happens, a real life crisis, a lot of them fall apart. Some of those influences that make videos teaching you how to be tough in tough times break when tough times come. So you get impressed with their character of looking tough since the preach it on social media but they don't have that as their character.
I’ve seen it. I’ve been tempted to fake it myself to look better, but it always ends poorly. Why fake what can be real? Having character is less noticed than being a character but it matters more.
I wonder if we pay too much attention to the flashy stuff. If we did more to notice who actually keeps their word, who handles mistakes well, maybe life would be entirely different. Maybe people would fight more for virtue than money to show off.
I want to be someone with character, not just someone people remember for a story or a look. That’s going to be harder obviously.
That quote was just a simple line but it holds so much truth about who we are versus how we appear. Your reflections on social media and real life make it clear how easy it is to be noticed but much harder to truly matter. This piece made me think about what it means to have integrity every single day.
Yes true character will not be seen by the masses but worth more than anything people do for clout on social media
This post has been shared on Reddit by @princessluv through the HivePosh initiative.