All time Quote by Sam Abell
“I did a story for the Geographic on Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and Stephen Ambrose was the writer. He said, "I've got the easiest job in the world. I just have to re-tell the story of the greatest fishing, camping, hunting, canoeing trip of all time. You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Oral History with Sam Abell, 2015
The photographer must narrate history while ignoring its darker truths, a challenging paradox.
In simple terms: He must tell a story but hide past events.
Key Takeaway
Balance honesty with narrative focus.
Themes
history
photography
truth
Mood
thoughtful
concerned
Type
ethical
reflective
When to use this quote
- documentary projects
- museum exhibits
- educational videos
- media reporting
Key Concepts
narrative bias
ethical storytelling
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide what to omit?
- What responsibilities do storytellers have?
A Different Perspective
It risks erasing important context.
![“That statement [ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'] woke me up to the fact that the landscape that Lewis and Clark came across was greater than the Serengeti. And it's gone.” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b88/sam-abell-7768_facts_that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-h_236207.jpg)
![“I don't know whether we think in moving images or whether we think in still images. I have a suspicion that on our hard drive, our series within our brains, [exist] still photographs of very important moments in our lives. ... That we think in terms of still images and that what the photography is…” quote by Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/598/jon-snow-40883_all-time_i-don-t-know-whether-we-think-in-moving_15093.jpg)
