--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of documentaries are about…" description: "\"A lot of documentaries are about something that already happened, but I think people are kind of afraid to let the story find them. It's scary because ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_a-lot-of-documentaries-are-about-somethi_2307788.jpg" --- # A lot of documentaries are about something that already… ![“A lot of documentaries are about something that already happened, but I think people are kind of afraid to let the story find them. It's scary because you might not end up with something good.” quote by John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_a-lot-of-documentaries-are-about-somethi_2307788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_a-lot-of-documentaries-are-about-somethi_2307788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/john-wilson-4456_documentaries_a-lot-of-documentaries-are-about-somethi_2307788.jpg) > “A lot of documentaries are about something that already happened, but I think people are kind of afraid to let the story find them. It's scary because you might not end up with something good.” [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests people avoid confronting stories, fearing unknown outcomes, leading to missed opportunities. **In simple terms:** People fear letting stories find them, fearing bad results. Key Takeaway Face stories directly, even if uncertain. Themes fear storytelling uncertainty growth Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - documentary making - personal storytelling - career decisions Key Concepts psychology of avoidance creative risk Questions to Reflect On - What story are you avoiding? - How can fear be transformed into curiosity? A Different Perspective Avoiding stories can limit learning and creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [There's a lot of documentaries out in the world; it sometimes seems as if there's no topic left!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-c-pelosi/there-s-a-lot-of-documentaries-out-in-the-world-it-sometimes-seems-as/) [Alexandra C. Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-c-pelosi/) > [A lot of documentaries are biased - they leave out a lot of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pool/a-lot-of-documentaries-are-biased-they-leave-out-a-lot-of-information/) [Tim Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pool/) > [I'm a huge 'Game of Thrones' fan. I'm really into the 'Colbert Report' and 'Last Week Tonight.' And I really like to get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-michael-foster/i-m-a-huge-game-of-thrones-fan-i-m-really-into-the-colbert-report-and/) [Scott Michael Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-michael-foster/) > [A lot of documentaries have been made very quickly, but I think they're like frogs in an ecosystem: They're harbingers. Film is always two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/a-lot-of-documentaries-have-been-made-very-quickly-but-i-think-they/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I saw 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.' I liked it. I saw 'The Fault in Our Stars,' and I could see why young girls like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/i-saw-the-grand-budapest-hotel-i-liked-it-i-saw-the-fault-in-our/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [When I go to the DVD shop, I mostly buy documentaries because you learn a lot from documentaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/when-i-go-to-the-dvd-shop-i-mostly-buy-documentaries-because-you/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [“Tell us a story. Something scary.” She shivers in anticipation, and Cook makes a strange sound that could be a laugh or a groan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/tell-us-a-story-something-scary-she-shivers-in-anticipation-and-cook/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [Actually, I don't hate cats, I'm just kind of afraid of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/actually-i-don-t-hate-cats-i-m-just-kind-of-afraid-of-them/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [Some people kind of are afraid of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lele-pons/some-people-kind-of-are-afraid-of-me/) [Lele Pons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lele-pons/) > [Actually, I dont hate cats, Im just kind of afraid of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/actually-i-dont-hate-cats-im-just-kind-of-afraid-of-them/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [ We did something that bands are kind of afraid of, or at least used to be, \[which\] is the YouTube scene. They don't want… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-costanza/we-did-something-that-bands-are-kind-of-afraid-of-or-at-least-used-to/) [Chrissy Costanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-costanza/) > [I have to admit that I'm kind of afraid of Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-hilsenrath/i-have-to-admit-that-i-m-kind-of-afraid-of-islam/) [Edgar Hilsenrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-hilsenrath/) > [I found at an early age the times when I learned the most about myself was when I got thrown out there on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shue/i-found-at-an-early-age-the-times-when-i-learned-the-most-about/) [Andrew Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shue/) > [Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/most-of-the-photographs-people-take-with-their-cameraphones-are-of/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [The documentary style is an incredibly flexible and useful one. It's a wonderful tool for establishing the credibility of the version of things that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gohlke/the-documentary-style-is-an-incredibly-flexible-and-useful-one-it-s-a/) [Frank Gohlke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gohlke/) ## More by John Wilson > [I organize all my footage by the date it was shot, and then arrange everything in a timeline once I begin a project. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-organize-all-my-footage-by-the-date-it-was-shot-and-then-arrange/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I usually display all of my personal issues in little memoir films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-usually-display-all-of-my-personal-issues-in-little-memoir-films/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You've got to make your own entertainment sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-ve-got-to-make-your-own-entertainment-sometimes/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Sometimes people are very kind of uptight and they're not really sure how to behave, but after time they open up sometimes. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/sometimes-people-are-very-kind-of-uptight-and-they-re-not-really-sure/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I think that obsessively documenting everything sometimes gives me a reason to go out and experience things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-think-that-obsessively-documenting-everything-sometimes-gives-me-a/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You can tell immediately if someone wants to be recorded or not. And in that moment, when they give you an inch and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-can-tell-immediately-if-someone-wants-to-be-recorded-or-not-and/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [The guy that taught me how to cook risotto lives right down the street and I see him all the time. I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/the-guy-that-taught-me-how-to-cook-risotto-lives-right-down-the/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I got sick and tired of my lady wearing ugly underwear to bed, so I turned to the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-got-sick-and-tired-of-my-lady-wearing-ugly-underwear-to-bed-so-i/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I always have a little camera on me whenever I leave the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-always-have-a-little-camera-on-me-whenever-i-leave-the-house/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I feel like the most interesting imagery out there does not have me in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-feel-like-the-most-interesting-imagery-out-there-does-not-have-me/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [You know, I've struggled with a certain amount of social anxiety throughout my life, and the best tool that I feel like one could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/you-know-i-ve-struggled-with-a-certain-amount-of-social-anxiety/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I have no interest in living forever. It sounds like a nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-have-no-interest-in-living-forever-it-sounds-like-a-nightmare/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [I don't know what kind of lobotomy they get in advertising school, but they find bits of pop culture or art that has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/i-don-t-know-what-kind-of-lobotomy-they-get-in-advertising-school-but/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [There's a psychotic amount of footage that I get. I watch 100 percent of it from every single camera department, including my own stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/there-s-a-psychotic-amount-of-footage-that-i-get-i-watch-100-percent/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [Ron Howard is just a funny legacy director. As a film nerd, he's kind of a funny person to valorize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/ron-howard-is-just-a-funny-legacy-director-as-a-film-nerd-he-s-kind/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) [Explore all 110 John Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) ## More Documentaries quotes > [I like the cinema of people like Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. I am not keen on trying to reproduce reality - for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-jeunet/i-like-the-cinema-of-people-like-terry-gilliam-and-tim-burton-i-am/) [Jean-Pierre Jeunet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-jeunet/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [The documentary style is an incredibly flexible and useful one. It's a wonderful tool for establishing the credibility of the version of things that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gohlke/the-documentary-style-is-an-incredibly-flexible-and-useful-one-it-s-a/) [Frank Gohlke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gohlke/) > [Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/most-of-the-photographs-people-take-with-their-cameraphones-are-of/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [...it is a very risky thing for anyone to go about proclaiming the truth simply because he finds himself in possession of concrete documentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-amado/it-is-a-very-risky-thing-for-anyone-to-go-about-proclaiming-the-truth/) [Jorge Amado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-amado/) > [Most of my life, I thought that I would end up a novelist. But then, in New York City, after college, I started a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-spaihts/most-of-my-life-i-thought-that-i-would-end-up-a-novelist-but-then-in/) [Jon Spaihts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-spaihts/) > [By calling it a memoir, I meant is as a collection of memories. I thought it was (a more) artful (title) than documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/by-calling-it-a-memoir-i-meant-is-as-a-collection-of-memories-i/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I'm a documentary photographer. That's what I've always wanted to be; that's where my heart and soul is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-a-documentary-photographer-that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [I'm in school every day. It depends on what it is that you do with all that free time when I'm not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-lyte/i-m-in-school-every-day-it-depends-on-what-it-is-that-you-do-with-all/) [MC Lyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-lyte/) > [If you merely focus on what we already know, then it's not revelatory. You may as well just go and watch a documentary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/if-you-merely-focus-on-what-we-already-know-then-it-s-not-revelatory/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [So I do tend to do documentaries where I can move in and out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-apted/so-i-do-tend-to-do-documentaries-where-i-can-move-in-and-out-of-them/) [Michael Apted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-apted/) > [Helen Weaver’s book was a revelation to me! Although I was a young woman in the fifties, I was there, but I wasn’t there!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-cassady/helen-weaver-s-book-was-a-revelation-to-me-although-i-was-a-young/) Carolyn Cassady > [There's a tradition of reenactment in documentary which is about sort of illustrating what the past might have been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/there-s-a-tradition-of-reenactment-in-documentary-which-is-about-sort/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices-that-have-been-lying-dormant/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) [Browse all 718 Documentaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A lot of documentaries are about something that already happened, but I think people are kind of afraid to let the story find them. 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