---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather my films be well-known…"
description: "\"I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.\" — Patrice Leconte"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png"
---

#  I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.

![“I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.” quote by Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png)

> “I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.”

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Preferring a work’s fame over personal notoriety reflects humility and belief in the art’s impact.

**In simple terms:** Let your work be known, not yourself.

Key Takeaway

Create lasting work, stay modest.

Themes

humility legacy artistic integrity

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- film festivals
- public exhibitions
- social media presence

Key Concepts

celebrity self-effacement impact

Questions to Reflect On

- What does success look like for you?
- How do you keep ego in check?

A Different Perspective

Personal fame can still eclipse the work unintentionally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Famous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famous/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Films Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-known-1146455/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-known-653669/) [Well known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-known/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not very well known. However, the more well known you get, the more people are going to have expectations of you. Although that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-hawkins/i-m-not-very-well-known-however-the-more-well-known-you-get-the-more/)

[Sally Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-hawkins/)

> [Unknown can be known, known can't be Unknown -Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-sharukh/unknown-can-be-known-known-can-t-be-unknown-syed-sharukh/)

[Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-sharukh/)

> [Some of my films are known for the depiction of violence. I don't have anything to prove with that any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/some-of-my-films-are-known-for-the-depiction-of-violence-i-don-t-have/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [I love films. If I'd known how to get into or do it from the word go, I would have done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/i-love-films-if-i-d-known-how-to-get-into-or-do-it-from-the-word-go-i/)

[Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/)

> [“It is known.” “It is known,” Jhiqui agreed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/it-is-known-it-is-known-jhiqui-agreed/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [Have you ever not known something but known it at the same time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/have-you-ever-not-known-something-but-known-it-at-the-same-time/)

[Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/)

> [The book I am best known for, or only known for, is a novel I am prepared to repudiate: written a quarter of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-book-i-am-best-known-for-or-only-known-for-is-a-novel-i-am/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [When I was young, Stephen Hawking wasn't the world's most famous physicist. The fame didn't arrive until the publication of "A Brief History of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/when-i-was-young-stephen-hawking-wasn-t-the-world-s-most-famous/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never to get involved in a land war in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-princess-bride/you-fool-you-fell-victim-to-one-of-the-classic-blunders-the-most/)

[The Princess Bride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-princess-bride/)

> [it is clearly evident that our path travels through a valley of teas well known to all farm workers, because in all valleys the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/it-is-clearly-evident-that-our-path-travels-through-a-valley-of-teas/)

[Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/)

> [But mad people never die. That's a well-known fact. They've nothing to trouble them, and they live for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/but-mad-people-never-die-that-s-a-well-known-fact-they-ve-nothing-to/)

[Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/)

> [It is well known that unemployment benefits raise unemployment durations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-chetty/it-is-well-known-that-unemployment-benefits-raise-unemployment/)

[Raj Chetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-chetty/)

> [That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/that-prince-is-highly-esteemed-who-conveys-this-impression-of-himself/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/)

[Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/)

> [I was very lucky to get well known much later in life. You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-was-very-lucky-to-get-well-known-much-later-in-life-you-need-to/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

## More by Patrice Leconte

> [I'm not one to dwell on rehearsal or preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-m-not-one-to-dwell-on-rehearsal-or-preparation/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-like-films-that-are-well-written-and-concise-and-with-not-a-lot-of/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [Yes, I am very prolific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/yes-i-am-very-prolific/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [Working with the same people is so much quicker and frees up your energy for other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/working-with-the-same-people-is-so-much-quicker-and-frees-up-your/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [I can zero in on subtle things because I'm holding the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-can-zero-in-on-subtle-things-because-i-m-holding-the-camera/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [Sometimes it only takes three words, so long as they're the right words, to direct an actor in the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/sometimes-it-only-takes-three-words-so-long-as-they-re-the-right/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [I like cinema. I am very fond of it. But from time to time I feel like having some time on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-like-cinema-i-am-very-fond-of-it-but-from-time-to-time-i-feel-like/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [If a film is very clever and well-written, that's what gives you freedom as a director. Part of the freedom in directing, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/if-a-film-is-very-clever-and-well-written-that-s-what-gives-you/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [Married people from my generation are like an endangered species!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/married-people-from-my-generation-are-like-an-endangered-species/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [If a film is very clever and well-written, that's what gives you freedom as a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/if-a-film-is-very-clever-and-well-written-that-s-what-gives-you-2/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [Working with a bunch of actors is like trying to tune each violin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/working-with-a-bunch-of-actors-is-like-trying-to-tune-each-violin/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [I think the best thing I learned from drawing comics is that it's a great exercise in concision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-think-the-best-thing-i-learned-from-drawing-comics-is-that-it-s-a/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [My movies are, more or less, very short. I'm terrified of boring an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/my-movies-are-more-or-less-very-short-i-m-terrified-of-boring-an/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [You may think it's very presumptuous, but I really hope that my movies are going to turn people into better people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/you-may-think-it-s-very-presumptuous-but-i-really-hope-that-my-movies/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

> [I've always done 20 things at once. It's my way of staying alive, not to keep one dish cooking, but several dishes going. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-ve-always-done-20-things-at-once-it-s-my-way-of-staying-alive-not/)

[Patrice Leconte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

[Explore all 30 Patrice Leconte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Patrice Leconte"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-than-i-be-well-known/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cinema"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-than-i-be-well-known/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/patrice-leconte-20826_cinema_i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-th_174817.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.” — Patrice Leconte",
                "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": "Patrice Leconte",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-leconte/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would rather my films be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-than-i-be-well-known/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-leconte/i-would-rather-my-films-be-well-known-than-i-be-well-known/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
