---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For all of us it’s the things that won’t…"
description: "\"For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.\" — Rainer Werner Fassbinder"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg"
---

#  For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep…

![“For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.” quote by Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg)

> “For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.”

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

## About This Quote

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

Failures spark curiosity and keep us engaged.

**In simple terms:** Problems keep us interested.

Key Takeaway

Embrace setbacks as learning.

Themes

curiosity interest failure

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research
- artistic creation
- problem solving

Key Concepts

psychology motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What failures have you found most engaging?
- Can boredom be productive?

A Different Perspective

Not all failures are intriguing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [Ideas won't work unless you do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ideas-won-t-work-unless-you-do/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/things-won-are-done-joy-s-soul-lies-in-the-doing/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I'm game for a lot of things. But I won't disrespect myself in any way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/i-m-game-for-a-lot-of-things-but-i-won-t-disrespect-myself-in-any-way/)

[Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/)

> [“Things won't change unless you change you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/things-won-t-change-unless-you-change-you/)

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

> [“We can do two things at once, but we won't do either one very well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kata/we-can-do-two-things-at-once-but-we-won-t-do-either-one-very-well/)

Stephen Kata

> [Do things that won't scale; it will teach you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chesky/do-things-that-won-t-scale-it-will-teach-you/)

[Brian Chesky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chesky/)

> [Freedom is best, I tell thee true, of all things to be won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wallace/freedom-is-best-i-tell-thee-true-of-all-things-to-be-won/)

[William Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wallace/)

> [“Things that you have remained ‘sincere’ to, those many things you have won. The world has to be won; only then will it let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/things-that-you-have-remained-sincere-to-those-many-things-you-have/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Great things are won by great dangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/great-things-are-won-by-great-dangers/)

[Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/)

> [“The only shadow on my happiness is when I tell myself sometimes that as it's all going well, it can't last, that one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-lelord/the-only-shadow-on-my-happiness-is-when-i-tell-myself-sometimes-that/)

[François Lelord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-lelord/)

> [“The man who can't do most things and won't do the rest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-man-who-can-t-do-most-things-and-won-t-do-the-rest/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [You can't get down and think things won't get better or they definitely won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-johnson/you-can-t-get-down-and-think-things-won-t-get-better-or-they/)

[Calvin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-johnson/)

> [I don't dwell on things. When I won the World Championships in Moscow, I came back - that was it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/i-don-t-dwell-on-things-when-i-won-the-world-championships-in-moscow/)

[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/)

> [Women are angels, wooing: Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing: That she beloved knows naught, that knows not this-- Men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/women-are-angels-wooing-things-won-are-done-joy-s-soul-lies-in-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [ Sometimes I just turn on the TV and I'm like, wait a minute, that guy \[Donald Trump\]? It's incredible that he did all those… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/sometimes-i-just-turn-on-the-tv-and-i-m-like-wait-a-minute-that-guy/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

## More by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

> [I detest the idea that love between two persons can lead to salvation. All my life I have fought against this oppressive type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/i-detest-the-idea-that-love-between-two-persons-can-lead-to-salvation/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [The more real things get, the more like myths they become. There have always been myths, but the myths of earlier times were, Im…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/the-more-real-things-get-the-more-like-myths-they-become-there-have/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [Since I'm not a second Marx or Freud who can offer people alternatives, I have to let them keep their own wrong feelings. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/since-i-m-not-a-second-marx-or-freud-who-can-offer-people/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [People are terrible. They can bear anything. Anything! People are hard and brutal. And everyone is disposable. Everyone! That's the lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/people-are-terrible-they-can-bear-anything-anything-people-are-hard/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [I'd like to be for cinema what Shakespeare was for theatre, Marx for politics and Freud for psychology: someone after whom nothing is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/i-d-like-to-be-for-cinema-what-shakespeare-was-for-theatre-marx-for/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [People often criticize my films for being pessimistic; there are certainly many reasons for being pessimistic but I don’t see my films that way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/people-often-criticize-my-films-for-being-pessimistic-there-are/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [ Women think in \[Douglas\] Sirk’s films. Something which has never struck me with other directors. None of them. Usually women are always reacting, doing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/women-think-in-douglas-sirk-s-films-something-which-has-never-struck/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good myths that make them well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/so-certainly-if-we-can-tell-evil-stories-to-make-people-sick-we-can/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [The best thing I can think of would be to create a union between something as beautiful and powerful and wonderful as Hollywood films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/the-best-thing-i-can-think-of-would-be-to-create-a-union-between/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [Yes, actually ever since I saw his films and tried to write about them, Sirk's been in everything I've done. Not Sirk himself, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/yes-actually-ever-since-i-saw-his-films-and-tried-to-write-about-them/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [The Jews have never been ashamed of being Jews, whereas homosexuals have been stupid enough to be ashamed of their homosexuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/the-jews-have-never-been-ashamed-of-being-jews-whereas-homosexuals/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [And I don't believe that melodramatic feelings are laughable - they should be taken absolutely seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/and-i-don-t-believe-that-melodramatic-feelings-are-laughable-they/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [In the last analysis, terrorism is an idea generated by capitalism to justify better defense measures to safeguard capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/in-the-last-analysis-terrorism-is-an-idea-generated-by-capitalism-to/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [Love is the best, most insidious, most effective instrument of social repression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/love-is-the-best-most-insidious-most-effective-instrument-of-social/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

> [Every decent director has only one subject, and finally only makes the same film over and over again. My subject is the exploitability of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/every-decent-director-has-only-one-subject-and-finally-only-makes-the/)

[Rainer Werner Fassbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

[Explore all 23 Rainer Werner Fassbinder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/)

## More Interest quotes

> [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/)

[Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/)

[Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/)

> [I could not identify with harming my child or giving up my child. But I could identify with giving up my child if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drea-de-matteo/i-could-not-identify-with-harming-my-child-or-giving-up-my-child-but/)

[Drea De Matteo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drea-de-matteo/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [I think another thing is that we don't really want exclusivity. We accept that it is in the artist's interest to be on sale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-think-another-thing-is-that-we-don-t-really-want-exclusivity-we/)

[Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/)

> [My dream is to play ordinary characters. I have no interest in playing a pretty girl or an NRI girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/my-dream-is-to-play-ordinary-characters-i-have-no-interest-in-playing/)

[Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/)

> [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

[Browse all 9,703 Interest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rainer Werner Fassbinder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t-work-that-keep-our-interest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Interest"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t-work-that-keep-our-interest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/rainer-werner-fassbinder-25537_interest_for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t_379743.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For all of us it’s the things that won’t work that keep our interest.” — Rainer Werner Fassbinder",
                "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": "Rainer Werner Fassbinder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-werner-fassbinder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For all of us it’s the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t-work-that-keep-our-interest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-werner-fassbinder/for-all-of-us-it-s-the-things-that-won-t-work-that-keep-our-interest/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
