--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's a very strange question that…" description: "\"I think it's a very strange question that I have to defend myself. I don't feel that. You are all my guests, it's not the other way around, that's how ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/lars-von-trier-9105_feels_i-think-it-s-a-very-strange-question-tha_961391.jpg" --- # I think it's a very strange question that I have to defend… ![“I think it's a very strange question that I have to defend myself. I don't feel that. You are all my guests, it's not the other way around, that's how I feel.” quote by Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/lars-von-trier-9105_feels_i-think-it-s-a-very-strange-question-tha_961391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/lars-von-trier-9105_feels_i-think-it-s-a-very-strange-question-tha_961391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/lars-von-trier-9105_feels_i-think-it-s-a-very-strange-question-tha_961391.jpg) > “I think it's a very strange question that I have to defend myself. I don't feel that. You are all my guests, it's not the other way around, that's how I feel.” [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) ## 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 feels the need to justify themselves despite being a host, highlighting an inversion of expected roles. **In simple terms:** Feeling like a host, not a guest, leads to self‑defence. Key Takeaway Recognise when you’re over‑defending. Themes identity power hospitality Mood reflective defensive Type philosophical conversational When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership meetings - customer service - social gatherings Key Concepts self‑justification role reversal Questions to Reflect On - Why do you feel the need to defend your position? - How does seeing yourself as a guest change interactions? A Different Perspective Self‑defence can mask genuine humility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defend Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend-myself/) [Don Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-feel/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-guests-1782487/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Film directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-directing/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guests/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-director/) [Question Defend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-defend-1782486/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-question-1782488/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [People have forgotten how to tell a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/people-have-forgotten-how-to-tell-a-story/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/a-film-is-or-should-be-more-like-music-than-like-fiction/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“That's always the question. How to defend yourself without being nasty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/that-s-always-the-question-how-to-defend-yourself-without-being-nasty/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [I teach film directing, inasmuch as you can. Its not really possible to teach film direction, but I sit there as a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-frears/i-teach-film-directing-inasmuch-as-you-can-its-not-really-possible-to/) [Stephen Frears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-frears/) > [I'd prefer not to act in the film I'm directing. I think, though, as an actor, you do learn how to turn things on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-d-prefer-not-to-act-in-the-film-i-m-directing-i-think-though-as-an/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I watch 'Goodfellas,' and suddenly it frees me up entirely; it reminds me of what great film directing is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/i-watch-goodfellas-and-suddenly-it-frees-me-up-entirely-it-reminds-me/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [The difference between directing film and directing television is so stark simply because TV is a living breathing organism already when you direct an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/the-difference-between-directing-film-and-directing-television-is-so/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [Human beings share the same common problems. A film can only be understood if it depicts these properly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-kurosawa/human-beings-share-the-same-common-problems-a-film-can-only-be/) [Akira Kurosawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-kurosawa/) > [That's what interests me about film: directing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robards/that-s-what-interests-me-about-film-directing/) [Jason Robards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robards/) > [I was a film-directing major at NYU. I'm still not sure why I became a directing major, when I was really an actor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crystal/i-was-a-film-directing-major-at-nyu-i-m-still-not-sure-why-i-became-a/) [Billy Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crystal/) > [Part of the process of acting in a film that you're also directing is really trusting the people around you to capture your vision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/part-of-the-process-of-acting-in-a-film-that-you-re-also-directing-is/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [The dynamics of film directing and fashion design - in the ways that I've done it - were not dissimilar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/the-dynamics-of-film-directing-and-fashion-design-in-the-ways-that-i/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [I've always really respected directors. As much as I was interested in acting, whenever I watched a film, it was always the directing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-ve-always-really-respected-directors-as-much-as-i-was-interested-in/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [Once I went to film school, I realized that film directing was actually much better than theater directing, because you kind of get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waters/once-i-went-to-film-school-i-realized-that-film-directing-was/) [Mark Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waters/) > [ I directed three films and each time \[I act\] I hope it's the last time so I have time to do my film \[directing\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-amalric/i-directed-three-films-and-each-time-i-act-i-hope-it-s-the-last-time/) [Mathieu Amalric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-amalric/) ## More by Lars von Trier > [I'm not a woman! Let's make that very clear! Oh I don't know, maybe I am. I am an American woman. Or 65 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-m-not-a-woman-let-s-make-that-very-clear-oh-i-don-t-know-maybe-i-am/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I did a lot of strange things. But I am a bad Catholic that's for sure. Although I think it's difficult to believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-did-a-lot-of-strange-things-but-i-am-a-bad-catholic-that-s-for-sure/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I think that sexuality is the part of human beings that is closest to nature. And nature is dangerous somehow, yes, if you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-think-that-sexuality-is-the-part-of-human-beings-that-is-closest-to/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [If there are some people that like the film and some people that do not, that's fine for me, because I do not intend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/if-there-are-some-people-that-like-the-film-and-some-people-that-do/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I think that limitations are the most important part of any art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-think-that-limitations-are-the-most-important-part-of-any-art-form/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [The risk is that you furnish the project with new suggestions to try and freshen it up; it's not always beneficial. You risk betraying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/the-risk-is-that-you-furnish-the-project-with-new-suggestions-to-try/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [Just the fact that you're working is good for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/just-the-fact-that-you-re-working-is-good-for-you/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I had a lot of frustrations, and I was drinking far too much, and I was just trying to survive and this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-had-a-lot-of-frustrations-and-i-was-drinking-far-too-much-and-i-was/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [That's the great thing about entering a convent: There are things that you simply can't do, so you don't have to worry about them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/that-s-the-great-thing-about-entering-a-convent-there-are-things-that/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [True values entail suffering. That’s the way we think. All in all, we tend to view melancholia as more true. We prefer music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/true-values-entail-suffering-that-s-the-way-we-think-all-in-all-we/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I can't tell you why I choose stuff, it's really something I don't analyse. The only thing I can say is that a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-can-t-tell-you-why-i-choose-stuff-it-s-really-something-i-don-t/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [I sit there pouring out my woes year after year, coming up with one enormity after another about my mother and the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/i-sit-there-pouring-out-my-woes-year-after-year-coming-up-with-one/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [When I show a film at a festival, I am showing myself. Everything is at stake for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/when-i-show-a-film-at-a-festival-i-am-showing-myself-everything-is-at/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [The secret ingredient to sex is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/the-secret-ingredient-to-sex-is-love/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) > [Far be it from me to force anyone into either chess or dressage, but if you choose to do so yourself, in my opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-von-trier/far-be-it-from-me-to-force-anyone-into-either-chess-or-dressage-but/) [Lars von Trier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) [Explore all 74 Lars von Trier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-von-trier/) ## More Feel quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/) [Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) [Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's a very strange question that I have to defend myself. 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