--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't consider myself a sociologist, I…" description: "\"I don't consider myself a sociologist, I consider myself a filmmaker, among other things. Maybe an asshole but a filmmaker.\" — Melvin Van Peebles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/melvin-van-peebles-8573_film_i-don-t-consider-myself-a-sociologist-i_2594676.jpg" --- # I don't consider myself a sociologist, I consider myself a… ![“I don't consider myself a sociologist, I consider myself a filmmaker, among other things. Maybe an asshole but a filmmaker.” quote by Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/melvin-van-peebles-8573_film_i-don-t-consider-myself-a-sociologist-i_2594676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/melvin-van-peebles-8573_film_i-don-t-consider-myself-a-sociologist-i_2594676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/melvin-van-peebles-8573_film_i-don-t-consider-myself-a-sociologist-i_2594676.jpg) > “I don't consider myself a sociologist, I consider myself a filmmaker, among other things. Maybe an asshole but a filmmaker.” [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He identifies more as a filmmaker than a sociologist, acknowledging a rough edge. **In simple terms:** He sees himself as a filmmaker, not a sociologist. Key Takeaway Embrace your true creative identity. Themes identity art self‑perception career Mood defiant introspective Type artistic personal When to use this quote - creative industries - self‑definition - public perception Key Concepts filmmaking social commentary personal branding Questions to Reflect On - Do you let labels define you? - How does self‑identification shape your work? A Different Perspective Creative labels can limit perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Sociologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociologist/) [Sociologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociologists/) ## Related quotes > [“Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-human-beings-would-have-never-been-pained-by-the-death-of-a/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [A bigot is simply a sociologist without credentials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/a-bigot-is-simply-a-sociologist-without-credentials/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [If the sociologist has a role, it is probably more to furnish weapons than to give lessons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/if-the-sociologist-has-a-role-it-is-probably-more-to-furnish-weapons/) [Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/) > [A sociologist without an archive is like a person without a memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raisa-gorbacheva/a-sociologist-without-an-archive-is-like-a-person-without-a-memory/) [Raisa Gorbacheva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raisa-gorbacheva/) > [Being a sociologist means never having to be bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-collins/being-a-sociologist-means-never-having-to-be-bored/) Randall Collins > [I'm not a sociologist, and the novel has often concerned itself with sociology. It's one of the generating forces that's made fiction interesting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-m-not-a-sociologist-and-the-novel-has-often-concerned-itself-with/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I'm not a sociologist, I'm not a political scientist, but I'm a fairly intuitive person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-m-not-a-sociologist-i-m-not-a-political-scientist-but-i-m-a-fairly/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [There may come a time in the career of every sociologist when it is his solemn duty to raise hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-alsworth-ross/there-may-come-a-time-in-the-career-of-every-sociologist-when-it-is/) [Edward Alsworth Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-alsworth-ross/) > [I once asked my father what he wanted me to be. To my horror, he said, 'sociologist.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-faithfull/i-once-asked-my-father-what-he-wanted-me-to-be-to-my-horror-he-said/) [Marianne Faithfull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-faithfull/) > [Asking a sociologist to solve a problem is like prescribing an enema for diarrhea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/asking-a-sociologist-to-solve-a-problem-is-like-prescribing-an-enema/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [Well, I consider myself as much as a filmmaker as a moviegoer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/well-i-consider-myself-as-much-as-a-filmmaker-as-a-moviegoer/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [He was a sociologist; he had got into an intellectual muddle early on in life and never managed to get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/he-was-a-sociologist-he-had-got-into-an-intellectual-muddle-early-on/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [Mills insisted that a sociologist's proper subject was the intersection of biography and history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-gitlin/mills-insisted-that-a-sociologist-s-proper-subject-was-the/) [Todd Gitlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-gitlin/) > [No sociologist should think himself too good, even in his old age, to make tens of thousands of quite trivial computations in his head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/no-sociologist-should-think-himself-too-good-even-in-his-old-age-to/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [I am a sociologist, God help me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-neill/i-am-a-sociologist-god-help-me/) [John O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-neill/) ## More by Melvin Van Peebles > [I went to a number of schools when I was a kid on the south side of Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-went-to-a-number-of-schools-when-i-was-a-kid-on-the-south-side-of/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Music or sound in a film is a character as important as another character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/music-or-sound-in-a-film-is-a-character-as-important-as-another/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I'm not a normal director. You can't look at me that way. What's kept me alive is my technical skill at doing other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-m-not-a-normal-director-you-can-t-look-at-me-that-way-what-s-kept/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Don't ask me something if you don't want to know. Because I will tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/don-t-ask-me-something-if-you-don-t-want-to-know-because-i-will-tell/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I was a trader for a company. That's different from the brokers who we sort of disdain as sort of just errand boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-was-a-trader-for-a-company-that-s-different-from-the-brokers-who-we/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I'm pretty much a loner. That's not good, bad, or indifferent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-m-pretty-much-a-loner-that-s-not-good-bad-or-indifferent/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [After 'Don't Play Us Cheap,' I got very busy with theater and Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/after-don-t-play-us-cheap-i-got-very-busy-with-theater-and-wall-street/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [The studios didn't really take independent films seriously, till 'Sweetback' was such a financial success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/the-studios-didn-t-really-take-independent-films-seriously-till/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Over time, you accumulate a lot of life material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/over-time-you-accumulate-a-lot-of-life-material/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I intend to stay dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-intend-to-stay-dangerous/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Whitey is uptight about offending blacks without really knowing what offends blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/whitey-is-uptight-about-offending-blacks-without-really-knowing-what/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I said to my kids, 'Learn the business of America if you want to be an artist in America. The rest of that stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-said-to-my-kids-learn-the-business-of-america-if-you-want-to-be-an/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [If you give people something they want, they'll come and see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/if-you-give-people-something-they-want-they-ll-come-and-see-it/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [I do what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-do-what-i-want-to-do/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Music - some people just don't know that part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/music-some-people-just-don-t-know-that-part-of-me/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) [Explore all 79 Melvin Van Peebles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) ## 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": "I don't consider myself a sociologist, I consider myself a filmmaker, among other things. 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