---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to be flexible enough to realize…"
description: "\"You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the course of making a film for three and a half years, things are going to slightly change and dr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg"
---

#  You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the…

![“You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the course of making a film for three and a half years, things are going to slightly change and drift, as you work out solutions to each problem as they come up.” quote by Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg)

> “You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the course of making a film for three and a half years, things are going to slightly change and drift, as you work out solutions to each problem as they come up.”

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Flexibility is essential in long projects; plans evolve and solutions emerge as challenges appear.

**In simple terms:** Stay adaptable during long projects.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change, solve problems as they arise.

Themes

adaptability creativity project management

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

practical motivational

When to use this quote

- film directing
- startup development
- software engineering

Key Concepts

iteration problem solving film production

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance vision with flexibility?
- What tools help manage evolving projects?

A Different Perspective

Rigid plans can stall progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/)

## Related quotes

> [It's so difficult to even suggest to me that I can't always achieve what I want right now; sometimes that is the reality. Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-bailey/it-s-so-difficult-to-even-suggest-to-me-that-i-can-t-always-achieve/)

[Glenda Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-bailey/)

> [It's such a marathon making a film - two-and-a-half years, at least - and every day, you do something that in any other lifetime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-edwards/it-s-such-a-marathon-making-a-film-two-and-a-half-years-at-least-and/)

[Gareth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-edwards/)

> [I feel like I could never walk around a film half-naked. I definitely wouldn't want to see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-feel-like-i-could-never-walk-around-a-film-half-naked-i-definitely/)

[Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/)

> [Well that's the point: People don't normally take away things from films anymore. You go and see a $100 million film, half an hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eriq-la-salle/well-that-s-the-point-people-don-t-normally-take-away-things-from/)

[Eriq La Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eriq-la-salle/)

> [If you make a film and then two and a half, three years later, suddenly the country's changed and you look like you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/if-you-make-a-film-and-then-two-and-a-half-three-years-later-suddenly/)

[Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/)

> [Every once in a while you definitely have to film someone for half an hour saying something that you do not think is funny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/every-once-in-a-while-you-definitely-have-to-film-someone-for-half-an/)

[Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/)

> [I've got a lot of examples about moments where I thought something would work on film and it didn't work, but I never came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-got-a-lot-of-examples-about-moments-where-i-thought-something/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [I've never been a movie buff. If I did go to a theatre to watch a film, half the time, I would fall asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nargis-fakhri/i-ve-never-been-a-movie-buff-if-i-did-go-to-a-theatre-to-watch-a-film/)

[Nargis Fakhri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nargis-fakhri/)

> [I'm always open. I try not to have a closed mind. In fact the only reason why I'm able to continue to make films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-m-always-open-i-try-not-to-have-a-closed-mind-in-fact-the-only/)

[Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/)

> [I still think of myself as the new kid, even though I've been on the air for two and a half years. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/i-still-think-of-myself-as-the-new-kid-even-though-i-ve-been-on-the/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [If I had means, I would like to spend half a year in Palestine in order to contemplate what has been, and half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/if-i-had-means-i-would-like-to-spend-half-a-year-in-palestine-in/)

[Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/)

> [“My heart tumbled in pieces at her feet as she chipped away at it with her wondrous ways, and it didn't form a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-amelie/my-heart-tumbled-in-pieces-at-her-feet-as-she-chipped-away-at-it-with/)

[Fisher Amelie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-amelie/)

> [When you look at our trade deals that are so bad. Our debt has doubled in seven and a half years to almost $20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/when-you-look-at-our-trade-deals-that-are-so-bad-our-debt-has-doubled/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure they leave everything at home in apple-pie order. They won't get back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/the-first-men-who-set-out-for-mars-had-better-make-sure-they-leave/)

[Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/)

> [I spent 24 and a half years in prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/i-spent-24-and-a-half-years-in-prison/)

[Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/)

## More by Duncan Jones

> [Here in the UK the audience immediately reacts and they get the fact that: "What would be the most annoying thing in the world?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/here-in-the-uk-the-audience-immediately-reacts-and-they-get-the-fact/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [One of the things I think is unique and signature about Blizzard is that whenever they do their games, and with Warcraft in particular,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/one-of-the-things-i-think-is-unique-and-signature-about-blizzard-is/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [Maybe there is a sort of a sweet middle ground there, where you can do something with something with like 20 to 40 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/maybe-there-is-a-sort-of-a-sweet-middle-ground-there-where-you-can-do/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [The beauty of science fiction is its open canvas. You can hypothesize about any element of the world. It doesn't have to be laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/the-beauty-of-science-fiction-is-its-open-canvas-you-can-hypothesize/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [Life and career kind of catches up with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/life-and-career-kind-of-catches-up-with-you/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [Sometimes there's a disjoint between what works on the page and what works with visual story telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/sometimes-there-s-a-disjoint-between-what-works-on-the-page-and-what/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [Every film I try and make it the way I see it in my head, and it really just depends on the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/every-film-i-try-and-make-it-the-way-i-see-it-in-my-head-and-it/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [You go through different stages when you're working on the music in film. At least, I do. You have a temp score, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/you-go-through-different-stages-when-you-re-working-on-the-music-in/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [I really don't see CG as a goal in its own right. I really do believe it's a tool. In the advertising industry I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-really-don-t-see-cg-as-a-goal-in-its-own-right-i-really-do-believe/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [I had a real comfort with being on a set and in particular working with special effects and because of that background, it became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-had-a-real-comfort-with-being-on-a-set-and-in-particular-working/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [My biggest difference with our film and those kinds of science fiction films is that they are going from one special effect set piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/my-biggest-difference-with-our-film-and-those-kinds-of-science/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [When I said that something was going to cost a certain amount of money, I actually knew what I was talking about. The biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/when-i-said-that-something-was-going-to-cost-a-certain-amount-of/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [I do enjoy the puzzle-solving aspect of making a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-do-enjoy-the-puzzle-solving-aspect-of-making-a-movie/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [Every time you want to reset your set and pull walls out and reset the lighting, you're burning up half an hour to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/every-time-you-want-to-reset-your-set-and-pull-walls-out-and-reset/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

> [I think that idea of being far away from the people that you love is something that everyone can relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/i-think-that-idea-of-being-far-away-from-the-people-that-you-love-is/)

[Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

[Explore all 54 Duncan Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/)

## More Cinema quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/)

[Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/)

> [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/)

[Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/)

[Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/)

[Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/)

> [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

> ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/)

[Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

Jessica Yu

> [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/)

[Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/)

[Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the course of making a film for three and a half years, things are going to slightly change and drift, as you work out solutions to each problem as they come up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Duncan Jones"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realize-that-over-the-course-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cinema"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realize-that-over-the-course-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afb/duncan-jones-12555_cinema_you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realiz_1166790.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You have to be flexible enough to realize that, over the course of making a film for three and a half years…” — Duncan Jones",
                "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": "Duncan Jones",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You have to be flexible enough...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realize-that-over-the-course-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/you-have-to-be-flexible-enough-to-realize-that-over-the-course-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
