In fact, the territory of a character's mind is most likely to be the center of the action. Aristotle says that a man “is his desire,” that is, his character is defined by his ultimate purpose, good or bad. Thought, says Aristotle, is the process by which a person works backward in his mind from his goal to determine what action he can take toward that goal at a given moment.

Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edit…, loc. 251