--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never very interested in my own…" description: "\"I was never very interested in my own experience, I think, in fact, if my films have a common link, maybe it's being a foreigner - it's common for peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg" --- # I was never very interested in my own experience, I think… ![“I was never very interested in my own experience, I think, in fact, if my films have a common link, maybe it's being a foreigner - it's common for people who are born abroad - they don't know so well where they belong.” quote by Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg) > “I was never very interested in my own experience, I think, in fact, if my films have a common link, maybe it's being a foreigner - it's common for people who are born abroad - they don't know so well where they belong.” [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Her films reflect outsider perspective, exploring identity and belonging of expatriates. **In simple terms:** She feels like a foreigner, questioning belonging. Key Takeaway Explore themes of displacement in art. Themes identity exile belonging Mood introspective analytical Type cinematic philosophical When to use this quote - immigrant stories - diaspora cinema - autobiographical work Key Concepts cultural hybridity personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does being an outsider shape creativity? - What does belonging mean to you? A Different Perspective Audience may misinterpret personal themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [The main thing I am interested in is my experience as a teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/the-main-thing-i-am-interested-in-is-my-experience-as-a-teacher/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [I was never afraid of taking the wrong job because maybe it would hurt me. I was more interested in the experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-anne-moss/i-was-never-afraid-of-taking-the-wrong-job-because-maybe-it-would/) [Carrie-Anne Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-anne-moss/) > [I was born abroad, but my parents were both English. Still, those few years of separation, and then coming back to England as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-was-born-abroad-but-my-parents-were-both-english-still-those-few/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [You would have a huge statelessness problem if you don't consider a child born abroad a U.S. citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/you-would-have-a-huge-statelessness-problem-if-you-don-t-consider-a/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [My parents were born abroad. I was born in France, but I feel comfortable everywhere - I don't see the borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr/my-parents-were-born-abroad-i-was-born-in-france-but-i-feel/) JR > [India is a place where one of the great pleasures for a foreigner is that you're constantly surprised. Everywhere you look is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/india-is-a-place-where-one-of-the-great-pleasures-for-a-foreigner-is/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [Moving to India was challenging being a foreigner. I don't have any family here. I didn't have anyone to guide me. But I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-fernandez/moving-to-india-was-challenging-being-a-foreigner-i-don-t-have-any/) [Jacqueline Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-fernandez/) > [A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/a-foreigner-and-an-hired-servant-shall-not-eat-thereof/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [To be a foreigner may be an advantage but disadvantage as well. It was advantage for me for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusev/to-be-a-foreigner-may-be-an-advantage-but-disadvantage-as-well-it-was/) [Rusev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusev/) > [I loved this idea of always being a foreigner. There's this thing where people bring cultures, bring the music together. I love it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-loved-this-idea-of-always-being-a-foreigner-there-s-this-thing/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) > [“I’m a foreigner in the world and I don’t understand the language. It’s a miserable feeling. I’ve had it all my life. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster-daddy-long-legs/i-m-a-foreigner-in-the-world-and-i-don-t-understand-the-language-it-s/) [Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster-daddy-long-legs/) > [When you have been stuck in that heel, bad-guy role as the foreigner who never talks, you want to get out of there, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusev/when-you-have-been-stuck-in-that-heel-bad-guy-role-as-the-foreigner/) [Rusev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusev/) > [Although I've lived in England for more than twenty years, I still have a foreigner's passion for all the details of English history and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/although-i-ve-lived-in-england-for-more-than-twenty-years-i-still/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [“It was a poor thing she felt for anyone to be born a foreigner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-a-poor-thing-she-felt-for-anyone-to-be-born-a-foreigner/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/a-foreigner-is-an-individual-who-is-considered-either-comic-or/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More by Claire Denis > [I long to make films. I'm dying to be inside the next film. I always hope there will be another film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-long-to-make-films-i-m-dying-to-be-inside-the-next-film-i-always/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I don't remember being afraid of anything in making films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-don-t-remember-being-afraid-of-anything-in-making-films/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I am not at all interested in theories about cinema. I am only interested in images and people and sound. I am really a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-am-not-at-all-interested-in-theories-about-cinema-i-am-only/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [A father who sees his daughter leave in the arms of another man does not feel the same as a mother. It is heartrending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/a-father-who-sees-his-daughter-leave-in-the-arms-of-another-man-does/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I don't know - music in film, for me, is not another part of a soundtrack; it is something that also helps to approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-don-t-know-music-in-film-for-me-is-not-another-part-of-a-soundtrack/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [It's not that I don't like words. There's sometimes no need for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-like-words-there-s-sometimes-no-need-for-words/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I'm not witty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-m-not-witty/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I have no relationship to the French bourgeoisie. I don't like connecting with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-have-no-relationship-to-the-french-bourgeoisie-i-don-t-like/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I have very strong relationships with my actors when I'm shooting. When you love an actor's work, you always feel you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-have-very-strong-relationships-with-my-actors-when-i-m-shooting/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I always scout locations first. The apartments, the railway tracks, the café, the canal - I figure out the geography of the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-always-scout-locations-first-the-apartments-the-railway-tracks-the/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [For some reason, I have always been interested in the stories of people who are exiled and who are deprived of rights. My main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/for-some-reason-i-have-always-been-interested-in-the-stories-of/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [When I was a child I had a nightmare, and in the morning, I asked my mother and father, 'If I kill someone, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/when-i-was-a-child-i-had-a-nightmare-and-in-the-morning-i-asked-my/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [I hate the idea of growing accustomed to someone and being faithful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-hate-the-idea-of-growing-accustomed-to-someone-and-being-faithful/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [Inside the family, you can go from hate to passivity to extreme love within the same hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/inside-the-family-you-can-go-from-hate-to-passivity-to-extreme-love/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) > [You can spend your whole life in France without ever thinking about the Legion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/you-can-spend-your-whole-life-in-france-without-ever-thinking-about/) [Claire Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) [Explore all 79 Claire Denis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/) ## More Belong quotes > [How come I end up where I started How come I end up where I belong... You used to be alright What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/how-come-i-end-up-where-i-started-how-come-i-end-up-where-i-belong/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) > [I thought of how many places there are in the world that belong in this way to someone, who has it in his blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/i-thought-of-how-many-places-there-are-in-the-world-that-belong-in/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I belong to a Bohri Muslim family, and for us, food is our biggest celebration. We are used to elaborate five- to six-course meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/i-belong-to-a-bohri-muslim-family-and-for-us-food-is-our-biggest/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [“You need to belong to yourself, and let others belong to themselves too. You need to be free and detached from things and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-need-to-belong-to-yourself-and-let-others-belong-to-themselves/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [I want all of my films to belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-want-all-of-my-films-to-belong-to-me/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [“Your beliefs, and your beliefs alone, belong to you. You are the only one who is with you for your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/your-beliefs-and-your-beliefs-alone-belong-to-you-you-are-the-only/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) > [Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-earth/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [I think I know where you belong. I think I know its not with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-know-where-you-belong-i-think-i-know-its-not-with-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-warner/there-s-a-compelling-reason-why-i-belong-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-i/) [Kurt Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-warner/) Browse all 1,571 Belong quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was never very interested in my own experience, I think, in fact, if my films have a common link, maybe it's being a foreigner - it's common for people who are born abroad - they don't know so well where they belong.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Denis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-experience-i-think-in-fact-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belong" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-experience-i-think-in-fact-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/claire-denis-8648_belong_i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-ex_2819567.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was never very interested in my own experience, I think, in fact, if my films have a common link, maybe…” — Claire Denis", "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": "Claire Denis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-denis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was never very interested in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-experience-i-think-in-fact-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-denis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-my-own-experience-i-think-in-fact-if/#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 } } ] } ```