--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Film is like a personal diary, a notebook…" description: "\"Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue by someone who tries to justify himself before a camera.\" — Jean-Luc Godard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg" --- # Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue… ![“Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue by someone who tries to justify himself before a camera.” quote by Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg) > “Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue by someone who tries to justify himself before a camera.” [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests cinema acts as a personal confession, where the filmmaker rationalizes his actions on camera. **In simple terms:** Film is a personal confession on camera. Key Takeaway Use film to explore self‑truth. Themes self‑expression authenticity media psychology Mood introspective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - personal vlogs - artist statements Key Concepts narrative identity self‑justification Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑examination shape your creative work? - What risks arise when a filmmaker focuses on personal justification? A Different Perspective May prioritize self‑justification over audience relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Monologues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monologues/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) ## Related quotes > [I always had music growing up, but music was also like a journal. It was like my personal diary or personal journal. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-always-had-music-growing-up-but-music-was-also-like-a-journal-it/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [A picture is a personal diary where only the artist knows the meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/a-picture-is-a-personal-diary-where-only-the-artist-knows-the-meaning/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [If I am unhappy, I can write "damn it" in my personal diary, but I can't do that on a microblog so I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fan-bingbing/if-i-am-unhappy-i-can-write-damn-it-in-my-personal-diary-but-i-can-t/) [Fan Bingbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fan-bingbing/) > [I wonder if anyone will ever know the emptiness of my life. Personal Diary -- Last entry Oh whats the point?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-williams/i-wonder-if-anyone-will-ever-know-the-emptiness-of-my-life-personal/) [Kenneth Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-williams/) > [You should actually tweet everything you do - it's your fucking personal diary not twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/you-should-actually-tweet-everything-you-do-it-s-your-fucking/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [ \[On her monologue as the thief 'Fontaine':\] People always got things. People always want things. So I provide a service. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/on-her-monologue-as-the-thief-fontaine-people-always-got-things/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [Theatre aside, my penchant for the extended monologue began with my reading of Browning's dramatic monologues, in high school. My inclination to adopt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/theatre-aside-my-penchant-for-the-extended-monologue-began-with-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [There is a very fine line between love and nausea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-earl-jones/there-is-a-very-fine-line-between-love-and-nausea/) [James Earl Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-earl-jones/) > [There should be a rule against your own inner monologue throwing around that much sarcasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/there-should-be-a-rule-against-your-own-inner-monologue-throwing/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I do seem to favor a deathbed confession as the occasion for my dramatic monologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-do-seem-to-favor-a-deathbed-confession-as-the-occasion-for-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [The voice of America has no undertones or overtones in it. It repeats its optimistic catchwords in a tireless monologue that has the slightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-palmer/the-voice-of-america-has-no-undertones-or-overtones-in-it-it-repeats/) [Vance Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-palmer/) > [I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-attlee/i-must-remind-the-right-honourable-gentleman-that-a-monologue-is-not/) [Clement Attlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-attlee/) > [I very much like the idea of the unreliable narrator. Shaping my fictions as monologues - by introducing the "I" - allows me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-very-much-like-the-idea-of-the-unreliable-narrator-shaping-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [He was a volatile mixture of confidence and vulnerability. He could deliver extended monologues on professional matters, then promptly stop in his tracks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/he-was-a-volatile-mixture-of-confidence-and-vulnerability-he-could/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I have no policy, for or against: only a personal style. Which is to say, I use them when I think it's appropriate to;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-have-no-policy-for-or-against-only-a-personal-style-which-is-to-say/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) ## More by Jean-Luc Godard > [Art is not a reflection of reality, it is the reality of a reflection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/art-is-not-a-reflection-of-reality-it-is-the-reality-of-a-reflection/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I think I'm innocently representing a certain belief in motion pictures, and, well OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-think-i-m-innocently-representing-a-certain-belief-in-motion/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Film is truth 24 times a second, and every cut is a lie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-truth-24-times-a-second-and-every-cut-is-a-lie/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Why all these signs around us that make me doubt language and submerge me in meanings, drowning reality instead of extracting it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/why-all-these-signs-around-us-that-make-me-doubt-language-and/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [There is no such thing as intellectual property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/there-is-no-such-thing-as-intellectual-property/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [“Communism existed once, during two 45 minute half-times, when Honved, from Budapest, won over England by 6-3. The English played individually, and the Hungarians, collectively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/communism-existed-once-during-two-45-minute-half-times-when-honved/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Language is the house that man lives in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/language-is-the-house-that-man-lives-in/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I don't think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can't kiss a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-don-t-think-you-should-feel-about-a-film-you-should-feel-about-a/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/all-you-need-for-a-movie-is-a-gun-and-a-girl/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I'm satisfied to have an ordinary success and an ordinary life and an ordinary income. Later, I don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-m-satisfied-to-have-an-ordinary-success-and-an-ordinary-life-and-an/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [We are all older and more tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/we-are-all-older-and-more-tired/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I've always said that to make movies, to make images and sound, is possible by one way or another. And it has not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-ve-always-said-that-to-make-movies-to-make-images-and-sound-is/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [What is your greatest ambition in life?' 'To become immortal... and then die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/what-is-your-greatest-ambition-in-life-to-become-immortal-and-then-die/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [“All you need for a movie is a gun and a cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/all-you-need-for-a-movie-is-a-gun-and-a-cat/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [There is a problem in pretending I can still control my destiny in the commercial market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/there-is-a-problem-in-pretending-i-can-still-control-my-destiny-in/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) [Explore all 183 Jean-Luc Godard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) ## More Cameras quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) Deon Taylor > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [There's nothing like the energy in a small comedy club room or a small theater when it's going really well. I can see everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/there-s-nothing-like-the-energy-in-a-small-comedy-club-room-or-a/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [When they took me to do the camera test for the vampire make up, after they put the prosthetic on, I went though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/when-they-took-me-to-do-the-camera-test-for-the-vampire-make-up-after/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eccleston/many-times-i-ve-sat-with-a-camera-and-another-actor-and-seen-all/) [Christopher Eccleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eccleston/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) Mitra Farahani > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) [Browse all 2,666 Cameras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue by someone who tries to justify himself before a camera.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Luc Godard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook-or-a-monologue-by-someone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cameras" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook-or-a-monologue-by-someone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a5/jean-luc-godard-2128_cameras_film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook_1787427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Film is like a personal diary, a notebook or a monologue by someone who tries to justify himself before a…” — Jean-Luc Godard", "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": "Jean-Luc Godard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Film is like a personal diary,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook-or-a-monologue-by-someone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/film-is-like-a-personal-diary-a-notebook-or-a-monologue-by-someone/#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 } } ] } ```