--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to direct, you've got to work." description: "\"If you want to direct, you've got to work.\" — John Goodman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png" --- # If you want to direct, you've got to work. ![“If you want to direct, you've got to work.” quote by John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png) > “If you want to direct, you've got to work.” [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in directing requires active effort and dedication, not just desire. **In simple terms:** Directing demands work, not just wishes. Key Takeaway Put in the effort to lead. Themes work dedication leadership career film Mood determined focused Type motivational practical When to use this quote - film production - team management - creative projects Key Concepts Motivation goal-setting Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop the necessary skills? - What daily habits support your directing goals? A Different Perspective Effort alone may not guarantee success without skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I want to direct. Definitely a goal of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-haim/i-want-to-direct-definitely-a-goal-of-mine/) [Corey Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-haim/) > [I don't think I'd ever want to direct. I don't think I have as much discipline to direct as I would like to have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liana-liberato/i-don-t-think-i-d-ever-want-to-direct-i-don-t-think-i-have-as-much/) [Liana Liberato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liana-liberato/) > [I want to direct, I want to be part of something creative, something with quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-brandis/i-want-to-direct-i-want-to-be-part-of-something-creative-something/) [Jonathan Brandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-brandis/) > [I was never one of those people who thought, 'What I really want to do is direct.' It never occurred to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-lauren-adams/i-was-never-one-of-those-people-who-thought-what-i-really-want-to-do/) [Joey Lauren Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-lauren-adams/) > [I definitely want to direct. This is just another learning experience for me, to get a chance to hear the questions and concerns the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/i-definitely-want-to-direct-this-is-just-another-learning-experience/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [I definitely want to direct and write - all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-lourd/i-definitely-want-to-direct-and-write-all-of-it/) [Billie Lourd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-lourd/) > [I still want to direct. That's my main love, and that comes from being obsessed with subtleties and people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-keough/i-still-want-to-direct-that-s-my-main-love-and-that-comes-from-being/) [Riley Keough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-keough/) > [I want to direct every now and then, but I don't want to be a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-garcia-bernal/i-want-to-direct-every-now-and-then-but-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-director/) [Gael Garcia Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-garcia-bernal/) > [My dream role is actually behind the camera. I want to direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/my-dream-role-is-actually-behind-the-camera-i-want-to-direct/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [We want a direct relationship with our customers. To build a business and sell products to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sweeney/we-want-a-direct-relationship-with-our-customers-to-build-a-business/) [Tim Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sweeney/) > [I want to direct, produce, and write, learning as I go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-lewis/i-want-to-direct-produce-and-write-learning-as-i-go/) [Emmanuel Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-lewis/) > [I don't necessarily want to direct because it's too much work and I don't have the attention span to stay with it that long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dempsey/i-don-t-necessarily-want-to-direct-because-it-s-too-much-work-and-i/) [Patrick Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dempsey/) > [I wouldn't want to direct. I see how much work it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-sawa/i-wouldn-t-want-to-direct-i-see-how-much-work-it-is/) [Devon Sawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-sawa/) > [I wouldn't want to direct - I think that's a very different job. You have to be a very specific type of person to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romola-garai/i-wouldn-t-want-to-direct-i-think-that-s-a-very-different-job-you/) [Romola Garai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romola-garai/) > [I want to direct one day. I want to write my own thing and really be behind the scenes because you have more creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-zima/i-want-to-direct-one-day-i-want-to-write-my-own-thing-and-really-be/) [Madeline Zima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-zima/) ## More by John Goodman > [I don't need the bread, but it's nice to do something creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/i-don-t-need-the-bread-but-it-s-nice-to-do-something-creative/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Giving up a lot of yourself isn't really that hard when you realize that you get more than you give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/giving-up-a-lot-of-yourself-isn-t-really-that-hard-when-you-realize/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [That was all Rose, and Rose knew what she was doing. Her main thing was story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/that-was-all-rose-and-rose-knew-what-she-was-doing-her-main-thing-was/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [I don't trust myself enough. When I write, I overwrite. Gingerbread. Too much gingerbread. Writing is probably the only hobby I have. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/i-don-t-trust-myself-enough-when-i-write-i-overwrite-gingerbread-too/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [ If I don't trust \[in\] it, then it's worthless. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-i-don-t-trust-in-it-then-it-s-worthless/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Relax. Just relax and have fun doing what you're doing. Don't worry so much about being results oriented. Just commit yourself to the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/relax-just-relax-and-have-fun-doing-what-you-re-doing-don-t-worry-so/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Like, every couple of months you read, they rewrite, you come back in, they've animated more stuff - they usually videotape you while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/like-every-couple-of-months-you-read-they-rewrite-you-come-back-in/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Then I started checking out blues albums from the library and playing the harp along with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/then-i-started-checking-out-blues-albums-from-the-library-and-playing/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Pardon me for loitering in front of an orchestra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/pardon-me-for-loitering-in-front-of-an-orchestra/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [It was a fight for a very long time. After the end of the first season, all that was done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/it-was-a-fight-for-a-very-long-time-after-the-end-of-the-first-season/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [If I could put my finger on it, I'd bottle it and sell it. I came down here originally in 1972 with some drunken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-i-could-put-my-finger-on-it-i-d-bottle-it-and-sell-it-i-came-down/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [You’re entering a world of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/you-re-entering-a-world-of-pain/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [The power of laughter & love would beat out the power of fear every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/the-power-of-laughter-love-would-beat-out-the-power-of-fear-every-time/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [Basically, though, I'm just lucky to love what I do for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/basically-though-i-m-just-lucky-to-love-what-i-do-for-a-living/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) > [George Washington Bridge? You throw yourself off the Brooklyn Bridge, traditionally. George Washington Bridge, who does that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/george-washington-bridge-you-throw-yourself-off-the-brooklyn-bridge/) [John Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) [Explore all 41 John Goodman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/) ## More Direct quotes > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/anybody-can-direct-a-picture-once-they-know-the-fundamentals/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [The method of magnitude estimation provided a direct measure of sensation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-smith-stevens/the-method-of-magnitude-estimation-provided-a-direct-measure-of/) Stanley Smith Stevens > [A place has almost the shyness of a person, with strangers; and its secret is not to be surprised by a too direct interrogation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-symons/a-place-has-almost-the-shyness-of-a-person-with-strangers-and-its/) [Arthur Symons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-symons/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I'm currently trying to direct my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skerritt/i-m-currently-trying-to-direct-my-own-material/) [Tom Skerritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-skerritt/) > [By the time you get into other kinds of music - R&B, country, or whatever - it becomes something that's romantic. It becomes something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/by-the-time-you-get-into-other-kinds-of-music-r-b-country-or-whatever/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I understand the formula that producers hire directors and directors are hired to direct and actors are hired to act. I don't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-trejo/i-understand-the-formula-that-producers-hire-directors-and-directors/) [Danny Trejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-trejo/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [I'm too direct and too unsparingly impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-m-too-direct-and-too-unsparingly-impatient/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas. It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/violence-is-what-people-do-when-they-run-out-of-good-ideas-it-s/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) Browse all 3,391 Direct quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you want to direct, you've got to work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Goodman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Direct" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-goodman-16049_direct_if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work_363654.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want to direct, you've got to work.” — John Goodman", "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": "John Goodman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goodman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you want to direct, you've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goodman/if-you-want-to-direct-you-ve-got-to-work/#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 } } ] } ```