--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The industry is s**t, it's the medium…" description: "\"The industry is s**t, it's the medium that's great.\" — Lauren Bacall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png" --- # The industry is s\*\*t, it's the medium that's great. ![“The industry is s**t, it's the medium that's great.” quote by Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png) > “The industry is s\*\*t, it's the medium that's great.” [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She critiques the entertainment industry as flawed, yet praises the medium itself. **In simple terms:** Industry is bad, medium is great. Key Takeaway Separate critique of system from tool. Themes media criticism industry artistic medium Mood critical optimistic Type analytical observational When to use this quote - film production - journalism - creative work Key Concepts cultural studies media theory Questions to Reflect On - What makes a medium valuable despite a bad industry? - How can we improve the industry? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Industry Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry-medium-3198231/) [Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium/) [Medium Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-great-1059963/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [Whatever the medium, if you have great taste and not very much skill, you can still make something great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemp-muhl/whatever-the-medium-if-you-have-great-taste-and-not-very-much-skill/) [Kemp Muhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemp-muhl/) > [Movies are now more often watched on the small screen anyway. But at least for me, what got lost in that is the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/movies-are-now-more-often-watched-on-the-small-screen-anyway-but-at/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/i-came-from-a-hindi-medium-school-the-principal-felt-that-i-would-not/) [Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/) > [I believe that music is a force in itself. It is there and it needs an outlet, a medium. In a way, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-believe-that-music-is-a-force-in-itself-it-is-there-and-it-needs-an/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [I have had a hard time settling on one medium and feel like a dilettante at times, taking up one medium and then wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-have-had-a-hard-time-settling-on-one-medium-and-feel-like-a/) [Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/) > [I'm a person of the arts. I love the arts very, very, very much. And ah, I'm a musician, I'm a director, I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-m-a-person-of-the-arts-i-love-the-arts-very-very-very-much-and-ah-i/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [Television is such a mediocre medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-montgomery/television-is-such-a-mediocre-medium/) [Elizabeth Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-montgomery/) > [Film is an editor's medium. You can create very good raw material and they can make it horrible, or you can do not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/film-is-an-editor-s-medium-you-can-create-very-good-raw-material-and/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [They call television a medium because nothing's well done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goodman-ace/they-call-television-a-medium-because-nothing-s-well-done/) [Goodman Ace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goodman-ace/) > [Aggression is not a breed thing. Its a state of mind, and it comes from how the human is with the dog. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/aggression-is-not-a-breed-thing-its-a-state-of-mind-and-it-comes-from/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Short fiction is the medium I love the most, because it requires that I bring everything I've learned about poetry - the concision, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/short-fiction-is-the-medium-i-love-the-most-because-it-requires-that/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No medium is more limited than any other. It's what a person does with it. We could talk about the differences between music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/no-medium-is-more-limited-than-any-other-it-s-what-a-person-does-with/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [Every medium has its own kind of freedom. I don't want to just cross from one to the next. I want to enjoy the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/every-medium-has-its-own-kind-of-freedom-i-don-t-want-to-just-cross/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) ## More by Lauren Bacall > [No, I don't like legend. I mean, I don't like the category. And to begin with, to me, a legend is something that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/no-i-don-t-like-legend-i-mean-i-don-t-like-the-category-and-to-begin/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Losing Bogey was horrible, obviously. Because he was young. And because he gave me my life. I wouldn't have had a - I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/losing-bogey-was-horrible-obviously-because-he-was-young-and-because/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Very few people want to hear the truth. Bogie was like that, my mother was like that, and I'm like that. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/very-few-people-want-to-hear-the-truth-bogie-was-like-that-my-mother/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I don't consider myself a great actress. I'm just trying to stay alive, actually. I think I'm good, and I've learned a lot, certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-great-actress-i-m-just-trying-to-stay-alive/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I wasn't brought up as a society girl to go to balls and be a debutante and marry the social set and money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-wasn-t-brought-up-as-a-society-girl-to-go-to-balls-and-be-a/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [He named me. He liked the sound of it. And I said, well, all right. I felt a little odd about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/he-named-me-he-liked-the-sound-of-it-and-i-said-well-all-right-i-felt/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I like to work with really good professional people - anyone with real talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-like-to-work-with-really-good-professional-people-anyone-with-real/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Film is not a woman's medium. If you weren't the hottest kid in town, men stayed away from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/film-is-not-a-woman-s-medium-if-you-weren-t-the-hottest-kid-in-town/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/imagination-is-the-highest-kite-one-can-fly/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I finally felt that I came into my own when I went on the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-finally-felt-that-i-came-into-my-own-when-i-went-on-the-stage/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/it-s-inappropriate-and-vulgar-and-absolutely-unacceptable-to-use-your/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I suppose there are times when I can't believe that I've lived the way that I have and done the things that I've done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-suppose-there-are-times-when-i-can-t-believe-that-i-ve-lived-the/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [I have made mistakes in the past and been in movies that really weren't good, and that I needed the money at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/i-have-made-mistakes-in-the-past-and-been-in-movies-that-really-weren/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [ Everything in this country \[the US\] has got to be good looks and unlined faces and thin bodies and people running around in skirts… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/everything-in-this-country-the-us-has-got-to-be-good-looks-and/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [In actual fact, I've never been one, even from childhood, to kind of analyze myself very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/in-actual-fact-i-ve-never-been-one-even-from-childhood-to-kind-of/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) [Explore all 173 Lauren Bacall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) ## More Film quotes > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [My only close-to-game-plan is to follow good writing. If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) [Browse all 32,254 Film quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The industry is s**t, it's the medium that's great.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren Bacall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that-s-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Film" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that-s-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/lauren-bacall-2297_film_the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that_1143419.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The industry is s**t, it's the medium that's great.” — Lauren Bacall", "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": "Lauren Bacall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The industry is s**t, it's the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that-s-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/the-industry-is-s-t-it-s-the-medium-that-s-great/#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 } } ] } ```