--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it…" description: "\"If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very difficult for me. It gave me a cushion to live at my artistic pace and not fear I wouldn't have mon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/milos-forman-11744_artist_if-it-weren-t-for-cuckoo-s-nest-it-would_2001412.png" --- # If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very… ![“If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very difficult for me. It gave me a cushion to live at my artistic pace and not fear I wouldn't have money to live on.” quote by Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/milos-forman-11744_artist_if-it-weren-t-for-cuckoo-s-nest-it-would_2001412.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/milos-forman-11744_artist_if-it-weren-t-for-cuckoo-s-nest-it-would_2001412.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/milos-forman-11744_artist_if-it-weren-t-for-cuckoo-s-nest-it-would_2001412.png) > “If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very difficult for me. It gave me a cushion to live at my artistic pace and not fear I wouldn't have money to live on.” [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ gave artistic freedom and financial security. **In simple terms:** The film provided a creative safety net. Key Takeaway Seek projects that support artistic pace. Themes creativity financial security artistic freedom Mood hopeful pragmatic Type career inspirational When to use this quote - independent filmmaking - grant writing - portfolio development Key Concepts career sustainability creative autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How will you build a sustainable artistic career? - What backup plans do you have? A Different Perspective Relying on a single success can limit diversification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [I loved the movie theater so I always saw a lot of movies. And then there was a play, I saw in the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-o-neill/i-loved-the-movie-theater-so-i-always-saw-a-lot-of-movies-and-then/) [Ed O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-o-neill/) > [I turned down 'Cuckoo's Nest' four times before Jack got it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caan/i-turned-down-cuckoo-s-nest-four-times-before-jack-got-it/) [James Caan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caan/) > ['One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' which my father had tried to get made for six, seven years, and I for four, was turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest-which-my-father-had-tried-to-get-made/) [Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/) > [“They're out there. First line of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/they-re-out-there-first-line-of-one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“What we’ve got here is a lunatic genius ghost-in-the-computer monorail that likes riddles and goes faster than the speed of sound. Welcome to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-we-ve-got-here-is-a-lunatic-genius-ghost-in-the-computer/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“They're out there...One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/they-re-out-there-one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Change can be scary, but without fear you wouldn't know your alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/change-can-be-scary-but-without-fear-you-wouldn-t-know-your-alive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why does it scare me to think I might be ordinary? I remember when I started first grade and I could hardly pay attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sartor/why-does-it-scare-me-to-think-i-might-be-ordinary-i-remember-when-i/) Margaret Sartor > [Hiding your fear wouldn't make it get better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine/hiding-your-fear-wouldn-t-make-it-get-better/) [Christine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine/) > [If it weren't for fear, I wouldn't have to teach you a damn thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/if-it-weren-t-for-fear-i-wouldn-t-have-to-teach-you-a-damn-thing/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [It would be virtually impossible to finance wars without taxing the people, and the welfare system would be limited because there wouldn't be enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/it-would-be-virtually-impossible-to-finance-wars-without-taxing-the/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I never turned down a movie because they wouldn't give me enough money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-patric/i-never-turned-down-a-movie-because-they-wouldn-t-give-me-enough-money/) [Jason Patric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-patric/) > [I'm not stingy. I'm just afraid of being an easy mark. People wouldn't have money long if they didn't ask how much things cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-duke/i-m-not-stingy-i-m-just-afraid-of-being-an-easy-mark-people-wouldn-t/) [Doris Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-duke/) > [Opposites may attract, but I wouldn't put my money on a relationship of financial opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/opposites-may-attract-but-i-wouldn-t-put-my-money-on-a-relationship/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [ I don't hold it against Dizzy \[Gillespie\], you know, but if a guy wants to play a certain way, you work towards that. If… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-don-t-hold-it-against-dizzy-gillespie-you-know-but-if-a-guy-wants/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) ## More by Milos Forman > [When I came for the first time to the United States, visiting, I was absolutely fascinated by New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/when-i-came-for-the-first-time-to-the-united-states-visiting-i-was/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I am absolutely against any violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-am-absolutely-against-any-violence/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [You think you can do anything, and then you slowly learn how wrong you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-think-you-can-do-anything-and-then-you-slowly-learn-how-wrong-you/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [You know what happened, you know, in 1938: France, England, you know, just sold out Czechoslovakia to Hitler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-what-happened-you-know-in-1938-france-england-you-know-just/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [First of all, to defend my work, I had to believe that I am doing a totally silly, stupid, innocent comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/first-of-all-to-defend-my-work-i-had-to-believe-that-i-am-doing-a/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-20-years-the-films-of-television-when-it-started-the/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [For me, speaking is work. It's not like when you breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/for-me-speaking-is-work-it-s-not-like-when-you-breathe/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [So, thanks God, our films, our first films were suddenly being appreciated by the Western media; especially France was very good, and Switzerland was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/so-thanks-god-our-films-our-first-films-were-suddenly-being/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I get out of the taxi and it's probably the only city which in reality looks better than on the postcards, New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-get-out-of-the-taxi-and-it-s-probably-the-only-city-which-in/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I lived long enough in a society where freedom of speech was nonexistent, and I know what kind of misery that creates - starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-lived-long-enough-in-a-society-where-freedom-of-speech-was/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Milan Kundera was my literature professor. He's a Francophile, so he made us read French novels like 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' which I made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/milan-kundera-was-my-literature-professor-he-s-a-francophile-so-he/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Holocaust films will be made and should be made as long as we can't understand what makes people so cruel to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/holocaust-films-will-be-made-and-should-be-made-as-long-as-we-can-t/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/the-worst-evil-is-and-that-s-the-product-of-censorship-is-the-self/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Technically, you can learn everything on the set as an assistant director, and rather quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/technically-you-can-learn-everything-on-the-set-as-an-assistant/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [And also they were absolutely brilliant in one way, you know: they knew how effective is not to punish somebody who is guilty; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/and-also-they-were-absolutely-brilliant-in-one-way-you-know-they-knew/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) [Explore all 58 Milos Forman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very difficult for me. 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