---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I'm trying to do with my work is to…"
description: "\"What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things that are sealed, that are under siege.\" — Jasmila Zbanic"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg"
---

#  What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things…

![“What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things that are sealed, that are under siege.” quote by Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg)

> “What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things that are sealed, that are under siege.”

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker aims to challenge and disrupt entrenched systems or ideas that are protected or under attack, seeking to reveal hidden truths.

**In simple terms:** She wants to expose and change sealed, contested ideas.

Key Takeaway

Question, question and.

Themes

innovation challenge transformation

Mood

defiant curious

Type

provocative inspirational

When to use this quote

- research
- policy reform
- artistic practice
- activism
- education

Key Concepts

critical theory deconstruction systems thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What structures do you see as sealed?
- How can you mitigate harm while breaking them?

A Different Perspective

Such disruption can cause backlash or unintended damage.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Sealed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sealed/) [Siege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siege/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [It seems to me that all the things we keep in sealed boxes are both alive and dead until we open the box, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-seems-to-me-that-all-the-things-we-keep-in-sealed-boxes-are-both/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“So, according to the theory that electrons are in all-possible-positions until they are measured, the cat is both alive and dead until we open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-according-to-the-theory-that-electrons-are-in-all-possible/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Break open the forbidden happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/break-open-the-forbidden-happiness/)

[Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/)

> [When you feel yourself breaking down, may you break open instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-you-feel-yourself-breaking-down-may-you-break-open-instead/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-tell-you-this-to-break-your-heart-by-which-i-mean-only-that-it/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [When we come close to those things that break us down, we touch those things that also break us open. And in that breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-muller/when-we-come-close-to-those-things-that-break-us-down-we-touch-those/)

[Wayne Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-muller/)

> [May you listen to the voice within the beat even when you are tired. When you feel yourself breaking down, may you break open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/may-you-listen-to-the-voice-within-the-beat-even-when-you-are-tired/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [When your children arrive, the best you can hope for is that they break open everything about you. Your mind floods with oxygen. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/when-your-children-arrive-the-best-you-can-hope-for-is-that-they/)

[Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/)

> [“Break open a stone and listen to it cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfrredo-navarro-salanga/break-open-a-stone-and-listen-to-it-cry/)

Alfrredo Navarro Salanga

> [When an underdog wins, they win for everybody, because somebody gotta come through that door and break it open and make it possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-jhn/when-an-underdog-wins-they-win-for-everybody-because-somebody-gotta/)

[Saint Jhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-jhn/)

> [Break me open and inject reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/break-me-open-and-inject-reality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm more open to give things a go, but what I'm not good at yet is holding back. If something is daft or rubbish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/i-m-more-open-to-give-things-a-go-but-what-i-m-not-good-at-yet-is/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [If I learned anything from Betty coming into my life, it's to just be open to all the things that come along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/america-ferrera/if-i-learned-anything-from-betty-coming-into-my-life-it-s-to-just-be/)

[America Ferrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/america-ferrera/)

> [When you are open about your things, people feel more able to talk to you. I think that's a nice thing, because people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-davis/when-you-are-open-about-your-things-people-feel-more-able-to-talk-to/)

[Lucy Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-davis/)

> [I think you always want to be open to things... it's just the matter of finding something I believe in, finding a character I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolk/i-think-you-always-want-to-be-open-to-things-it-s-just-the-matter-of/)

[James Wolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolk/)

## More by Jasmila Zbanic

> [I want to show that drama doesn't lie only in blood and destroyed buildings but in daily life, in ordinary human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-want-to-show-that-drama-doesn-t-lie-only-in-blood-and-destroyed/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [If you love your film, you have to fight for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/if-you-love-your-film-you-have-to-fight-for-it/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [I am successful if I manage to make a film that I want and if it works emotionally for the audience and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-am-successful-if-i-manage-to-make-a-film-that-i-want-and-if-it/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [As a filmgoer and a filmmaker, I want to participate and tell stories of woman and man that will move us forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/as-a-filmgoer-and-a-filmmaker-i-want-to-participate-and-tell-stories/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [I did go to a film school in Sarajevo. I studied film and theatre directing. There was a war raging in the country while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-did-go-to-a-film-school-in-sarajevo-i-studied-film-and-theatre/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [The Wahhabi movement is a form of radical Islam that people here say did not exist before in Bosnia, where Islam had co-existed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/the-wahhabi-movement-is-a-form-of-radical-islam-that-people-here-say/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [When I go to a cinema, I don't care if the film is made by a man or a woman as long as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/when-i-go-to-a-cinema-i-don-t-care-if-the-film-is-made-by-a-man-or-a/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [Film is the most liberal of arts and, at the same time, it can be a very conservative art. Money that is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/film-is-the-most-liberal-of-arts-and-at-the-same-time-it-can-be-a/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [Always, for me, when I am dealing with subjects related to my country that are very emotional, I have to find the right tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/always-for-me-when-i-am-dealing-with-subjects-related-to-my-country/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [I grew up during the shift to socialism, and since it was my childhood, I used to think that everything was beautiful and human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-grew-up-during-the-shift-to-socialism-and-since-it-was-my-childhood/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [In the case of Bosnia, studies showed that turning to religion was a consequence of post-war depression and dissatisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/in-the-case-of-bosnia-studies-showed-that-turning-to-religion-was-a/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [Nature and other human beings are something you have to respect and you need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/nature-and-other-human-beings-are-something-you-have-to-respect-and/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [Music, for me, in a film is never... I don't want to use music as a slave of the image. I want music to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/music-for-me-in-a-film-is-never-i-don-t-want-to-use-music-as-a-slave/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [Cinema connects people: they respond as a group, you feel you are not alone, and you see you are not alone. Capitalism is destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/cinema-connects-people-they-respond-as-a-group-you-feel-you-are-not/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [My generation has to deal with how to overcome a trauma, how to overcome destruction, and how to tell the truth to the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/my-generation-has-to-deal-with-how-to-overcome-a-trauma-how-to/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

[Explore all 27 Jasmila Zbanic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

## More Break 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/)

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/)

[Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/)

Peter Dunne

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

Browse all 8,188 Break quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things that are sealed, that are under siege.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jasmila Zbanic"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to-break-open-things-that-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Break"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to-break-open-things-that-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/jasmila-zbanic-22738_break_what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to_432369.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I'm trying to do with my work is to break open things that are sealed, that are under siege.” — Jasmila Zbanic",
                "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": "Jasmila Zbanic",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I'm trying to do with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to-break-open-things-that-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/what-i-m-trying-to-do-with-my-work-is-to-break-open-things-that-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```