--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 16, I discovered this island…" description: "\"When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'\" — Leos Carax" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png" --- # When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and… ![“When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'” quote by Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png) > “When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'” [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Discovering cinema at a young age ignites a powerful sense of possibility and readiness to engage with art. **In simple terms:** Finding cinema at 16 sparked excitement and readiness. Key Takeaway Embrace new passions early and explore them fully. Themes discovery art youth excitement readiness Mood inspired optimistic nostalgic Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - first film experience - art school - creative projects - career choice - personal inspiration Key Concepts cinema creative awakening personal development Questions to Reflect On - What new art form excites you now? - How can you maintain that early wonder? A Different Perspective Youthful enthusiasm can fade without sustained effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Though I love cinema, I had never thought of becoming an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navya-nair/though-i-love-cinema-i-had-never-thought-of-becoming-an-actress/) [Navya Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navya-nair/) > [I did an HBO movie called 'Cinema Verite' where I played Candy Darling. That was really, really cool because I got to meet James…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willam-belli/i-did-an-hbo-movie-called-cinema-verite-where-i-played-candy-darling/) [Willam Belli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willam-belli/) > [I think Black cinema is thought of in small terms. That's where most of the problems come from. When there's a film that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-famuyiwa/i-think-black-cinema-is-thought-of-in-small-terms-that-s-where-most/) [Rick Famuyiwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-famuyiwa/) > [“Little plots and stories, acted out and screened, can't possibly be called cinema. They have nothing whatever to do with cinema. A cinematographic work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/little-plots-and-stories-acted-out-and-screened-can-t-possibly-be/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [Corinne Bailey Rae I listen to a lot, and I'll hear Desert Island Discs and quickly write down the name of a song, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-manville/corinne-bailey-rae-i-listen-to-a-lot-and-i-ll-hear-desert-island/) [Lesley Manville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-manville/) > [When I was 16, I felt very relieved to discover cinema. It was like an island where I could see life and death from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-felt-very-relieved-to-discover-cinema-it-was-like-an/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/i-discovered-windows-one-afternoon-and-after-that-nothing-was-ever/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) > [At Ungaro, I discovered the flou and the language of Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-valli/at-ungaro-i-discovered-the-flou-and-the-language-of-paris/) [Giambattista Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-valli/) > [My singing led into acting, and that is how I discovered acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalaine/my-singing-led-into-acting-and-that-is-how-i-discovered-acting/) [Lalaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalaine/) > [The first time I went to Abbey Road and put those headphones on, I discovered I had two voices. I no longer had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/the-first-time-i-went-to-abbey-road-and-put-those-headphones-on-i/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [I can't really remember, but I think my life must have been a lot more productive before I discovered Facebook...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-really-remember-but-i-think-my-life-must-have-been-a-lot-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [When I discovered drama, I felt a connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-fearon/when-i-discovered-drama-i-felt-a-connection/) [Ray Fearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-fearon/) ## More by Leos Carax > [I'm not especially interested in actors or their life, double, triple identities and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/i-m-not-especially-interested-in-actors-or-their-life-double-triple/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [Cinema is a territory. It exists outside of movies. It's a place I live in. It's a way of seeing things, of experiencing life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/cinema-is-a-territory-it-exists-outside-of-movies-it-s-a-place-i-live/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [I'm not against the virtual world; it's fascinating, but I don't like the way they try to impose it on us. It's a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/i-m-not-against-the-virtual-world-it-s-fascinating-but-i-don-t-like/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [Men talk about art, and artists make art, but should artists talk?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/men-talk-about-art-and-artists-make-art-but-should-artists-talk/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [Even a fiction film is hard to end. You can going on shooting and editing a documentary forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/even-a-fiction-film-is-hard-to-end-you-can-going-on-shooting-and/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [I care about cinema even though I haven't made many films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/i-care-about-cinema-even-though-i-haven-t-made-many-films/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [My films start with images, a few images and a few feelings, and I try to edit them together to see the correspondence between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/my-films-start-with-images-a-few-images-and-a-few-feelings-and-i-try/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [When I was 16, I felt very relieved to discover cinema. It was like an island where I could see life and death from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-felt-very-relieved-to-discover-cinema-it-was-like-an/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [Every film starts with two or three images. Then I try to edit these images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/every-film-starts-with-two-or-three-images-then-i-try-to-edit-these/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [The virtual world is not the enemy. The pioneers invented a world they believed in, but the followers must follow that world whether they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/the-virtual-world-is-not-the-enemy-the-pioneers-invented-a-world-they/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [When I made my first film, I had hardly ever seen a camera before, and I was a young man when I arrived in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-made-my-first-film-i-had-hardly-ever-seen-a-camera-before-and/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [I don't work with people who ask me questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/i-don-t-work-with-people-who-ask-me-questions/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [It's incredible how much cinema can do. We forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/it-s-incredible-how-much-cinema-can-do-we-forget/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [I'm not a cineaste. I've made so few films. Sometimes it feels each one is the last one or the first one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/i-m-not-a-cineaste-i-ve-made-so-few-films-sometimes-it-feels-each-one/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) > [There's a real cowardice in the movie business. If you don't meet the right crazy people, you can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/there-s-a-real-cowardice-in-the-movie-business-if-you-don-t-meet-the/) [Leos Carax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) [Explore all 29 Leos Carax quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [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/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [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/) > [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 even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leos Carax" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-called-cinema-and-i-thought-oh/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-called-cinema-and-i-thought-oh/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/leos-carax-21111_cinema_when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-c_2729389.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'” — Leos Carax", "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": "Leos Carax", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leos-carax/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was 16, I discovered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-called-cinema-and-i-thought-oh/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leos-carax/when-i-was-16-i-discovered-this-island-called-cinema-and-i-thought-oh/#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 } } ] } ```