--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I felt it essential…" description: "\"When I was younger, I felt it essential to see every movie ever made. Now I feel as though I've got to read every book, see every art show, watch every..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/james-gray-7197_art_when-i-was-younger-i-felt-it-essential-t_1486630.jpg" --- # When I was younger, I felt it essential to see every movie… ![“When I was younger, I felt it essential to see every movie ever made. Now I feel as though I've got to read every book, see every art show, watch every play and opera and concert and so on. It does not end, and of course there is truth in the old cliche that the more one knows, the more one…” quote by James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/james-gray-7197_art_when-i-was-younger-i-felt-it-essential-t_1486630.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/james-gray-7197_art_when-i-was-younger-i-felt-it-essential-t_1486630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d41/james-gray-7197_art_when-i-was-younger-i-felt-it-essential-t_1486630.jpg) > “When I was younger, I felt it essential to see every movie ever made. Now I feel as though I've got to read every book, see every art show, watch every play and opera and concert and so on. It does not end, and of course there is truth in the old cliche that the more one knows, the more one realizes one knows nothing at all.” [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The pursuit of endless knowledge reveals how little we truly understand. **In simple terms:** More knowledge shows our ignorance. Key Takeaway Embrace humility in learning. Themes knowledge humility growth Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic study - personal development - creative exploration - lifelong learning Key Concepts philosophy of learning intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - What limits should we set on our quest for knowledge? - How does acknowledging ignorance empower creativity? A Different Perspective May lead to paralysis by analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Concert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concert/) [Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Essential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essential/) [Essential Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essential-movie-1827717/) [Ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ever/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Essential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-essential-1378004/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [I feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-feel/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-feel-783767/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show/) [Though](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/though/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger/) ## Related quotes > [Always when I directed the play, I was always trying to cast people not who were necessarily like the characters, but people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/always-when-i-directed-the-play-i-was-always-trying-to-cast-people/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [Promotion is absolutely essential in the movie business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/promotion-is-absolutely-essential-in-the-movie-business/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [The amazing thing is that the more money it takes for a movie to get made, the more you feel like everybody wants you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/the-amazing-thing-is-that-the-more-money-it-takes-for-a-movie-to-get/) [Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/) > [Movies cost so much that studios really try to impose their personality over yours. A lot of times, you can get swallowed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/movies-cost-so-much-that-studios-really-try-to-impose-their/) [Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/) > [When you're making a movie, you feel like a very small part of something that you really don't have much influence upon. 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I feel myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/when-you-say-that-i-can-go-and-make-a-movie-i-feel-like-i-m-one-of/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [If you watch a movie and you feel nothing, what's the point?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-glusman/if-you-watch-a-movie-and-you-feel-nothing-what-s-the-point/) [Karl Glusman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-glusman/) > [What makes me smile is a movie where I feel like it is dangerous, or there's that fresh idea there. It's about learning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-verbinski/what-makes-me-smile-is-a-movie-where-i-feel-like-it-is-dangerous-or/) [Gore Verbinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-verbinski/) > [“It's like my ear attunes to the weird language and I'm sucked fully into the story, the same way I am when I watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/it-s-like-my-ear-attunes-to-the-weird-language-and-i-m-sucked-fully/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [I had given thought to acting, but I never really had a good enough opportunity or a character who made sense and paralleled my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gucci-mane/i-had-given-thought-to-acting-but-i-never-really-had-a-good-enough/) [Gucci Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gucci-mane/) > [One of the things I've always tried to do is to inject myself as much as possible into the movie, so I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-tried-to-do-is-to-inject-myself-as-much/) [Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/) > [You would think I would be upset, like the girls in the movie. I am not. I feel much better, alive, free than before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/you-would-think-i-would-be-upset-like-the-girls-in-the-movie-i-am-not/) [Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/) ## More by James Gray > [The key to acting - from what little I know about that wonderful craft - is listening, and interacting with the other person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/the-key-to-acting-from-what-little-i-know-about-that-wonderful-craft/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I've learned that you can never predict what will happen to a film. You can never predict if people will love it, if they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-never-predict-what-will-happen-to-a-film/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I don't envy the job of people who have to watch five movies a day - that's insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-don-t-envy-the-job-of-people-who-have-to-watch-five-movies-a-day/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [Most people don't watch a movie four or five times; they watch it once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/most-people-don-t-watch-a-movie-four-or-five-times-they-watch-it-once/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I'm just not willing to give up on myself. If I'm going to fail, then I want to fail to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-m-just-not-willing-to-give-up-on-myself-if-i-m-going-to-fail-then-i/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I am an Ashkenazi Jew, and there are a whole host of genetic disorders that only Ashkenazi Jews have. I don't know if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-am-an-ashkenazi-jew-and-there-are-a-whole-host-of-genetic-disorders/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [All I can say is sometimes home gets burned into your occipital lobe, and it can't leave you, and there's always that longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/all-i-can-say-is-sometimes-home-gets-burned-into-your-occipital-lobe/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [William Atherton has a very different acting style to Bonnie Bedelia; she has a very different style than Bruce Willis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/william-atherton-has-a-very-different-acting-style-to-bonnie-bedelia/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [There are very few movies in English about romantic obsession told with a seriousness of purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/there-are-very-few-movies-in-english-about-romantic-obsession-told/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I would love it if my films made a lot of money, and may I say that 'The Yards' is the only one that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-would-love-it-if-my-films-made-a-lot-of-money-and-may-i-say-that/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [My wife thinks I have an obsession with social class. So I guess I have an obsession with social class. It probably stems from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/my-wife-thinks-i-have-an-obsession-with-social-class-so-i-guess-i/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I remember as a little kid, I would always feel comfortable if the light in the crack of my parents' door was on at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-remember-as-a-little-kid-i-would-always-feel-comfortable-if-the/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [If we continue as we have for the past 20 years in California, in the year 2020, everybody in the State will either be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/if-we-continue-as-we-have-for-the-past-20-years-in-california-in-the/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [Really, what I'm doing is an attempt to continue the best work of the people I adore: Francis Coppola and Scorsese and Robert Altman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/really-what-i-m-doing-is-an-attempt-to-continue-the-best-work-of-the/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [I think to be a movie critic is troubling from one major respect. If you are forced to watch ten movies a week, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/i-think-to-be-a-movie-critic-is-troubling-from-one-major-respect-if/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) [Explore all 93 James Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger, I felt it essential to see every movie ever made. 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