--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm interested in telling stories that…" description: "\"I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does it for me.\" — Bennett Miller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg" --- # I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than… ![“I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does it for me.” quote by Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg) > “I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does it for me.” [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The purpose of storytelling is to create meaning beyond mere entertainment, aiming to impact audiences deeply. **In simple terms:** Stories should add meaning. Key Takeaway Craft purpose‑driven narratives. Themes creativity storytelling purpose impact media Mood inspirational thoughtful Type creative writing media philosophy When to use this quote - film production - advertising - education - public speaking Key Concepts narrative design audience engagement meaningful content Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance entertainment and meaning? - What stories have changed your perspective? A Different Perspective Pure entertainment can still hold value; not all stories need deeper purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Entertainment Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment-story-3380637/) [Interested Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-telling-648496/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Stories Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-add-4402246/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-does-1662410/) [Telling stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-stories/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Transformational entertainment is a story that both entertains and uplifts you, not simply because you are inspired, but because it reveals the mechanics that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/transformational-entertainment-is-a-story-that-both-entertains-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Leave stories behind that add to hopes of generations to come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquib-ali/leave-stories-behind-that-add-to-hopes-of-generations-to-come/) [Aquib Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquib-ali/) > [As an artist, I am interested in telling stories that haven't been told before, stories that are going to affect people, and also stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomie-harris/as-an-artist-i-am-interested-in-telling-stories-that-haven-t-been/) [Naomie Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomie-harris/) > [For me, as a documentary filmmaker, I'm interested in telling stories of real people whose experiences tell us something about ourselves or our history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristi-jacobson/for-me-as-a-documentary-filmmaker-i-m-interested-in-telling-stories/) [Kristi Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristi-jacobson/) > [I'm a lover of film and storytelling. I believe that I was put on earth to tell stories, and I'm not interested in telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-m-a-lover-of-film-and-storytelling-i-believe-that-i-was-put-on/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I'm interested in telling stories about characters that are interesting and who are challenging in some way, one that will make you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-about-characters-that-are/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [That's what a powerful story does. It creates a more intense experience of life for you to watch. That's what a good film does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlto-copley/that-s-what-a-powerful-story-does-it-creates-a-more-intense/) [Sharlto Copley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharlto-copley/) > [“Of course! Isn’t that what a good story does? It pulls you in and never lets you go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-donnelly/of-course-isn-t-that-what-a-good-story-does-it-pulls-you-in-and-never/) [Jennifer Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-donnelly/) > [I like working in any medium. Who's making it? How much do I like the story? Does it contribute something?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-moreau/i-like-working-in-any-medium-who-s-making-it-how-much-do-i-like-the/) [Marguerite Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-moreau/) > [One thing that happens on the 'Newsroom' is that every time a real story does get incorporated into the show, there's always an angle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gallagher-jr/one-thing-that-happens-on-the-newsroom-is-that-every-time-a-real/) [John Gallagher, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gallagher-jr/) > [Because the meaning of a story does not lie on its surface, visible and self-defining, does not mean that meaning does not exist. Indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/because-the-meaning-of-a-story-does-not-lie-on-its-surface-visible/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A good story, just like a good sentence, does more than one job at once. That's what literature is: a story that does more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/a-good-story-just-like-a-good-sentence-does-more-than-one-job-at-once/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [New York in a way functions as another character within the story, as it does within most of Woody Allen's stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-mitchell/new-york-in-a-way-functions-as-another-character-within-the-story-as/) [Radha Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-mitchell/) > [“Of all the people around me, you know best that it takes two to complete a story; it always does”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/refaat-alareer/of-all-the-people-around-me-you-know-best-that-it-takes-two-to/) [Refaat Alareer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/refaat-alareer/) > [In my career as a director, there's always been some point where you get halfway through it, or three-quarters, and you go: 'What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/in-my-career-as-a-director-there-s-always-been-some-point-where-you/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) ## More by Bennett Miller > [I don't have many rules, but one of them is, 'Do not make a movie you yourself would not want to see.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-don-t-have-many-rules-but-one-of-them-is-do-not-make-a-movie-you/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I do have that compulsion to organize moments into a larger thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-do-have-that-compulsion-to-organize-moments-into-a-larger-thing/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I am attracted to anything that does not feel derivative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-am-attracted-to-anything-that-does-not-feel-derivative/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I really tried to get comfortable with the notion of shooting digital on 'Foxcatcher' and just couldn't. I shot many tests and experimented with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-really-tried-to-get-comfortable-with-the-notion-of-shooting-digital/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [It's about creating an atmosphere so that characters can just live in front of the cameras. And to be sensitive, and for the actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/it-s-about-creating-an-atmosphere-so-that-characters-can-just-live-in/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [The version of 'Moneyball' I pitched - and we made - is about a guy, Billy Beane, who thinks he's trying to win baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/the-version-of-moneyball-i-pitched-and-we-made-is-about-a-guy-billy/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [Honestly, my smartest business decision was to never do anything that I didn't love doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/honestly-my-smartest-business-decision-was-to-never-do-anything-that/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [If you talk to anybody, among the first things you'll hear is, 'Steve Carell is the nicest guy in the world.' And he is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/if-you-talk-to-anybody-among-the-first-things-you-ll-hear-is-steve/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I think Will Ferrell is probably completely evil, the darkest of them all. He is known among comics as the dark knight. An evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-think-will-ferrell-is-probably-completely-evil-the-darkest-of-them/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I know what it's like to be genuinely intrigued and compelled by a story and to have a sense that there's an adventure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-genuinely-intrigued-and-compelled-by-a/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I like to rehearse. We did a lot of rehearsals for 'Moneyball,' but it is really individual to the actor. It's not like, 'Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-like-to-rehearse-we-did-a-lot-of-rehearsals-for-moneyball-but-it-is/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I want to work with performers who really are ready to lose their minds, you know? People who are established and have talent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-want-to-work-with-performers-who-really-are-ready-to-lose-their/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [It's important for an actor to feel like they're really being watched and to receive feedback and encouragement about the aspects of what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/it-s-important-for-an-actor-to-feel-like-they-re-really-being-watched/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [I don't believe in God in the way I often see described by religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-don-t-believe-in-god-in-the-way-i-often-see-described-by-religion/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [Every film requires a different process. You learn about these particular actors and the particular chemistry between these actors. Recognizing when you don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/every-film-requires-a-different-process-you-learn-about-these/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) [Explore all 90 Bennett Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) ## More Entertainment quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [You will see a 3-D movie in a movie theater for the shared experience of it - or for a date, and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/you-will-see-a-3-d-movie-in-a-movie-theater-for-the-shared-experience/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I know my hair is out of the '60's, my clothes are '50's and the shoes I wear are from the '40's. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-my-hair-is-out-of-the-60-s-my-clothes-are-50-s-and-the-shoes-i/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [For me, there's cinema, which I love and would fight for, and then there's also entertainment, and I see them as very, very different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/for-me-there-s-cinema-which-i-love-and-would-fight-for-and-then-there/) [Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/) > [My father's a taxi driver. Working in entertainment, is not a part of the culture. It's something you try to do before you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naughty-boy/my-father-s-a-taxi-driver-working-in-entertainment-is-not-a-part-of/) [Naughty Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naughty-boy/) > [If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-the-idea-of-having-to-change-ourselves-makes-us-uncomfortable-we/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [(in the film "That's Entertainment!" - 1974) Thank God for film, it can capture a moment and hold it there forever. If anyone ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-minnelli/in-the-film-that-s-entertainment-1974-thank-god-for-film-it-can/) [Liza Minnelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-minnelli/) > [I know when I'm not dancing, and I go home, I usually work with my dad, who's an electrician. So I do stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-macmanus/i-know-when-i-m-not-dancing-and-i-go-home-i-usually-work-with-my-dad/) [Tristan MacManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-macmanus/) > [Stand-up comedy in the end, unlike the rest of the entertainment industry, is a meritocracy. There's a certain level of undeniability you can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/stand-up-comedy-in-the-end-unlike-the-rest-of-the-entertainment/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [We joke about it in the entertainment industry: Every actor wants to be a musician, and every musician wants to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-bass/we-joke-about-it-in-the-entertainment-industry-every-actor-wants-to/) [Lance Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-bass/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Browse all 3,057 Entertainment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does it for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bennett Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-add-up-to-more-than-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Entertainment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-add-up-to-more-than-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/bennett-miller-7493_entertainment_i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-a_522008.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm interested in telling stories that add up to more than the entertainment of the story. That's what does…” — Bennett Miller", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bennett Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm interested in telling stories that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-add-up-to-more-than-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-m-interested-in-telling-stories-that-add-up-to-more-than-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```