--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way I work, the interview never…" description: "\"The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than the person being interviewed.\" — Ken Burns" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg" --- # The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than… ![“The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than the person being interviewed.” quote by Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg) > “The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than the person being interviewed.” [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He keeps interviews focused on the interviewee, not his own agenda **In simple terms:** He lets interviewees lead the conversation Key Takeaway Prioritize the interviewee’s perspective Themes interviewing documentary storytelling Mood thoughtful analytical Type interview documentary When to use this quote - documentary interviews - podcasts - talk shows Key Concepts focus humility listening Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance guide and freedom? - What techniques keep interviewee central? A Different Perspective Risk of losing narrative direction if interviewee is off‑topic ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Interview Larger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview-larger-2300297/) [Interviewed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviewed/) [Person Interviewed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-interviewed-1653576/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Work Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-interview-2300298/) ## Related quotes > [I think a lot of people try to edit themselves out and I think that's a big mistake, because the person being interviewed is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-think-a-lot-of-people-try-to-edit-themselves-out-and-i-think-that-s/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [John McEnroe is the most honest and real person I have ever interviewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kilmeade/john-mcenroe-is-the-most-honest-and-real-person-i-have-ever/) [Brian Kilmeade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kilmeade/) > [“You’re smart and witty. You’re so talented and really have an eye for advertising. Trust in that, and trust in the person who interviewed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-michaels/you-re-smart-and-witty-you-re-so-talented-and-really-have-an-eye-for/) [Victoria Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-michaels/) > [Being interviewed is one of the most abnormal things that you can do to somebody else. It's two steps removed from the Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/being-interviewed-is-one-of-the-most-abnormal-things-that-you-can-do/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [ “I thought to do something good by giving an interview to People, which was exceedingly foolish of me. I asked Aaron \[Asher\] to tell… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-thought-to-do-something-good-by-giving-an-interview-to-people-which/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [You play to whatever publication you're being interviewed by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/you-play-to-whatever-publication-you-re-being-interviewed-by/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [When you're used to interviewing someone then you like being in control of the interview. There's something slightly unnerving about being interviewed, it's interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bacon/when-you-re-used-to-interviewing-someone-then-you-like-being-in/) [Richard Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bacon/) > [If you acquiesce to one interview, there's always another waiting in the wings. Also if you're interviewed repeatedly, you just start repeating yourself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/if-you-acquiesce-to-one-interview-there-s-always-another-waiting-in/) [Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/) > [I interviewed Johnny Knoxville once. I was kind of scared to interview him because I thought he might be a real jerk, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-perry/i-interviewed-johnny-knoxville-once-i-was-kind-of-scared-to-interview/) [Rachel Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-perry/) > [When I tell people that I get interviewed five or six times more than I will interview players or coaches leading up to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-nantz/when-i-tell-people-that-i-get-interviewed-five-or-six-times-more-than/) [Jim Nantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-nantz/) > [I am certainly more interested in interviewing than being interviewed. Sometimes you find yourself attacked from the start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/i-am-certainly-more-interested-in-interviewing-than-being-interviewed/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [Interviewing is fun. You get to learn things about people other than yourself. When you're being interviewed, you're talking about things you've already lived.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/interviewing-is-fun-you-get-to-learn-things-about-people-other-than/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [I don't enjoy being interviewed. I feel like it exhausts a lot of my energy. I feel empty after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sza/i-don-t-enjoy-being-interviewed-i-feel-like-it-exhausts-a-lot-of-my/) [SZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sza/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [“As I stood up to walk to the spin room I saw that it was different for this debate. We were surrounded by gossip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/as-i-stood-up-to-walk-to-the-spin-room-i-saw-that-it-was-different/) [Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/) ## More by Ken Burns > [Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/good-history-is-a-question-of-survival-without-any-past-we-will/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Write: write letters. Keep journals. Besides your children, there is no surer way of achieving immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/write-write-letters-keep-journals-besides-your-children-there-is-no/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [By its very nature, no one person can ever be the center of Jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/by-its-very-nature-no-one-person-can-ever-be-the-center-of-jazz/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It's our great contribution to the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-genius-of-our-country-is-improvisation-and-jazz-reflects-that-it/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [The reason why you do history, and particularly why you do war, is that you want to make sure that in the next war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-reason-why-you-do-history-and-particularly-why-you-do-war-is-that/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [In a sense I've made the same film over and over again. In all of them I've asked, 'Who are we as Americans?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/in-a-sense-i-ve-made-the-same-film-over-and-over-again-in-all-of-them/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [I think we too often make choices based on the safety of cynicism, and what we're lead to is a life not fully lived.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/i-think-we-too-often-make-choices-based-on-the-safety-of-cynicism-and/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Louis Armstrong is quite simply the most important person in American music. He is to 20th century music (I did not say jazz) what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/louis-armstrong-is-quite-simply-the-most-important-person-in-american/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [People tend to forget that the word "history" contains the word "story".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/people-tend-to-forget-that-the-word-history-contains-the-word-story/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/history-isn-t-really-about-the-past-settling-old-scores-it-s-about/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [We strain to listen to the ghosts and echoes of our inexpressibly wise past, and we have an obligation to maintain these places, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/we-strain-to-listen-to-the-ghosts-and-echoes-of-our-inexpressibly/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [It follows the seasons, beginning each year with the fond expectancy of springtime and ending with the hard facts of autumn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/it-follows-the-seasons-beginning-each-year-with-the-fond-expectancy/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [“Jackie Robinson stole home and he's safe."...Nobody could hurt him again. He wouldn't hear the name-calling. He would only hear the cheers and somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/jackie-robinson-stole-home-and-he-s-safe-nobody-could-hurt-him-again/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [I can understand why some of these drummers and bass players become cult figures with all of their equipment and the incredible amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/i-can-understand-why-some-of-these-drummers-and-bass-players-become/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [You know, you meet some people, and do a lot of interviews, and you come across a Buck O'Neill and you know you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/you-know-you-meet-some-people-and-do-a-lot-of-interviews-and-you-come/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) [Explore all 69 Ken Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) ## More Interview quotes > [On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-darnold/on-my-podcast-i-got-to-interview-will-ferrell-sam-hunt-colin-cowherd/) [Sam Darnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-darnold/) > [If you're going for an interview, you will dress smartly and look the part, that is absolutely fine, but it's just the level to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/if-you-re-going-for-an-interview-you-will-dress-smartly-and-look-the/) [Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [I'm not really a big fan of doing interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-m-not-really-a-big-fan-of-doing-interviews/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am really bad at actually interviewing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/i-am-really-bad-at-actually-interviewing-people/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) > [I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-never-do-formal-interviews-i-don-t-use-a-tape-recorder-i-take-notes/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“Who is this man I’m supposed to interview, this man whose last name is the same as the color of my sweatpants? Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/who-is-this-man-i-m-supposed-to-interview-this-man-whose-last-name-is/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) > [When you're interviewing someone, you're in control. When you're being interviewed, you think you're in control, but you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/when-you-re-interviewing-someone-you-re-in-control-when-you-re-being/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [I do interview senior candidates at the home office or many of our hotel or restaurant General Manager candidates. My two favorite questions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-do-interview-senior-candidates-at-the-home-office-or-many-of-our/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [I'm very quiet. I can go a whole week without talking, so doing interviews is really awkward for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-leung/i-m-very-quiet-i-can-go-a-whole-week-without-talking-so-doing/) [Katie Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-leung/) > [I'm actively trying to get away from the over-exposure that happened eight years ago. The only thing a celebrity can do in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-m-actively-trying-to-get-away-from-the-over-exposure-that-happened/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [At first, when my agent told me, 'They want you to do an interview, a piece for '60 Minutes,' I was like, 'What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-antetokounmpo/at-first-when-my-agent-told-me-they-want-you-to-do-an-interview-a/) [Giannis Antetokounmpo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-antetokounmpo/) > [I remember I heard it in an interview with Michael Jackson one day, saying the art is gone, everybody makes records just to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-remember-i-heard-it-in-an-interview-with-michael-jackson-one-day/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) [Browse all 1,078 Interview quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than the person being interviewed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Burns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becomes-larger-than-the-person/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Interview" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becomes-larger-than-the-person/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50b/ken-burns-9897_interview_the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becom_2644727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The way I work, the interview never becomes larger than the person being interviewed.” — Ken Burns", "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": "Ken Burns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The way I work, the interview...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becomes-larger-than-the-person/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-way-i-work-the-interview-never-becomes-larger-than-the-person/#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 } } ] } ```