--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My greatest interest in it was certainly…" description: "\"My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid those things that were going to be controversial about the family but the interest I had in the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png" --- # My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid… ![“My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid those things that were going to be controversial about the family but the interest I had in the story was predominantly what he was pursuing and not as much what he was fleeing.” quote by Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png) > “My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid those things that were going to be controversial about the family but the interest I had in the story was predominantly what he was pursuing and not as much what he was fleeing.” [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Storytelling should focus on the protagonist’s pursuit rather than solely on conflict, highlighting purpose over avoidance. **In simple terms:** Focus on what drives characters. Key Takeaway Prioritize purpose in narratives. Themes storytelling purpose conflict resolution Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - film scripts - novels - theatre - creative workshops Key Concepts character motivation narrative focus Questions to Reflect On - What drives your main character? - How can conflict serve purpose? A Different Perspective May underplay tension that drives drama. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Controversial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversial/) [Controversial Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversial-family-5572660/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-story-439171/) [Fleeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeing/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Predominantly Pursuing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predominantly-pursuing-5572658/) [Pursuing Fleeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuing-fleeing-5572661/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Predominantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-predominantly-5572659/) ## Related quotes > [My family, they're story tellers. My mom is Irish, and my dad is Italian. In my family, we weren't allowed to watch TV while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/my-family-they-re-story-tellers-my-mom-is-irish-and-my-dad-is-italian/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/am-homes/every-family-has-a-story-that-it-tells-itself-that-it-passes-on-to-2/) [Am Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/am-homes/) > [In each family a story is playing itself out, and each family's story embodies its hope and despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-napier/in-each-family-a-story-is-playing-itself-out-and-each-family-s-story/) [Auguste Napier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-napier/) > [“family? Surely more than genes, eye color, flesh. Family was story: truth and struggle and retribution. Family was time. At the other end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/family-surely-more-than-genes-eye-color-flesh-family-was-story-truth/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Every family has a story, and I love that those stories are etched in sand rather than granite. That way we can change them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/every-family-has-a-story-and-i-love-that-those-stories-are-etched-in/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [I'm giving away my family's story. Who owns the family's story? I don't. But you could turn it around and ask, 'Who is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/i-m-giving-away-my-family-s-story-who-owns-the-family-s-story-i-don-t/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [Our collective military service is a special part of our family's story in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-vindman/our-collective-military-service-is-a-special-part-of-our-family-s/) [Alexander Vindman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-vindman/) > [My family's story isn't special. What's special is the America that makes our story possible. Ours is a nation like no other, a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-castro/my-family-s-story-isn-t-special-what-s-special-is-the-america-that/) [Julian Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-castro/) > [Breast cancer, whether I like it or not, is part of my family's story. That's why I am so passionate about raising awareness, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deangelo-williams/breast-cancer-whether-i-like-it-or-not-is-part-of-my-family-s-story/) [DeAngelo Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deangelo-williams/) > ['The Story Of A Marriage' was initially a short story I wrote, and before that, it was a family story. It was a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/the-story-of-a-marriage-was-initially-a-short-story-i-wrote-and/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [Our family story here is one that we're proud of, and that is that, as the ninth of 10 kids in our family, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcginty/our-family-story-here-is-one-that-we-re-proud-of-and-that-is-that-as/) [Katie McGinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcginty/) > [“another family story is forges, one that father and son will laugh about for decades. This is how a legacy is built. One memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/another-family-story-is-forges-one-that-father-and-son-will-laugh/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/every-family-has-a-story-that-it-tells-itself-that-it-passes-on-to/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [That's what actually caused me to run for office is, you know, my family story, the experience of growing up in a family where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/that-s-what-actually-caused-me-to-run-for-office-is-you-know-my/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > ['Farscape' is a story about family. It's a story about creating life in a harsh environment. That's what a lot of people relate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-browder/farscape-is-a-story-about-family-it-s-a-story-about-creating-life-in/) [Ben Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-browder/) ## More by Sean Penn > [A SWAT team surrounded my house and came in every door. But it happened because on the day that we split up, Madonna developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/a-swat-team-surrounded-my-house-and-came-in-every-door-but-it/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [The advice you give to young directors for sure is to go out and become some version of a successful movie actor. Do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/the-advice-you-give-to-young-directors-for-sure-is-to-go-out-and/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and its impact. Frankly, I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/a-clearer-and-more-conventional-narrative-would-have-helped-the-film/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I think that people like the Howard Sterns, the Bill O'Reillys and to a lesser degree the bin Ladens of the world are making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-think-that-people-like-the-howard-sterns-the-bill-o-reillys-and-to/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [That on a romantic level, if you feel it about somebody and it's pure, it means that they do too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/that-on-a-romantic-level-if-you-feel-it-about-somebody-and-it-s-pure/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [In between, I go broke because I seem to do movies where you're not paid a lot as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/in-between-i-go-broke-because-i-seem-to-do-movies-where-you-re-not/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [It has nothing to do with the emotional demands of a role; I've done comedies that are as draining to me as any drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/it-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-emotional-demands-of-a-role-i-ve-done/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Marriage ain't easy, but it's great most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/marriage-ain-t-easy-but-it-s-great-most-of-the-time/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Well, look at all of these summer blockbusters. You can't help but laugh a little, because you've already seen a lot of these movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/well-look-at-all-of-these-summer-blockbusters-you-can-t-help-but/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I don't see myself as a different guy than I was ten years ago. I don't have aspirations to be. It's really about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-different-guy-than-i-was-ten-years-ago-i-don/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Well, the kind of central question: "Do you want to live - and I don't mean stay alive - do you want to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/well-the-kind-of-central-question-do-you-want-to-live-and-i-don-t/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Haiti, like any place, has its security problems; it has a great challenge in terms of establishing a kind of globally acceptable rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/haiti-like-any-place-has-its-security-problems-it-has-a-great/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I'm a huge Woody Allen fan. Good movie, bad movie, it doesn't matter - I just like his movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-m-a-huge-woody-allen-fan-good-movie-bad-movie-it-doesn-t-matter-i/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Sacrificing American soldiers or innocent civilians in an unprecedented preemptive attack on a separate sovereign nation may well prove itself a most temporary medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/sacrificing-american-soldiers-or-innocent-civilians-in-an/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [There is no shame in my saying that we all want to be loved by someone. As I look back over my life in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/there-is-no-shame-in-my-saying-that-we-all-want-to-be-loved-by/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) [Explore all 142 Sean Penn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) ## More Controversial quotes > [I'd be very controversial if I said why, and I don't do controversial anymore. That's too passé. So last year. Being controversial is boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-d-be-very-controversial-if-i-said-why-and-i-don-t-do-controversial/) [M.I.A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-a/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [For a lot of women, one of the hardest things about leadership is the desire to be liked by everyone. That's often inconsistent with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weddington/for-a-lot-of-women-one-of-the-hardest-things-about-leadership-is-the/) [Sarah Weddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weddington/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [If art is singular expression, then by nature, the best art is controversial. But when art stirs debate for reasons besides its artistic integrity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/if-art-is-singular-expression-then-by-nature-the-best-art-is/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Here - at this final hour, Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes - extinguished now, and gone from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/here-at-this-final-hour-harlem-has-come-to-bid-farewell-to-one-of-its/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [Those who misrepresent the normal experiences of life, who decry being controversial, who shun risk, are the enemies of the American way of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wriston/those-who-misrepresent-the-normal-experiences-of-life-who-decry-being/) [Henry Wriston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wriston/) > [“My personal analysis is that the media have made the AI-safety debate seem more controversial than it really is. After all, fear sells, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/my-personal-analysis-is-that-the-media-have-made-the-ai-safety-debate/) [Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/) > [I think if I'm controversial it's not because I set out to be. It's because I've never felt comfortable being part of someone else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-think-if-i-m-controversial-it-s-not-because-i-set-out-to-be-it-s/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [I was very willing to take on controversial roles that people didn't really want to look at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-perez/i-was-very-willing-to-take-on-controversial-roles-that-people-didn-t/) [Rosie Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-perez/) > [I get called 'controversial' all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-get-called-controversial-all-the-time/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [I've been a very effective leader in the gay rights movement, though at times I've been controversial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-o-leary/i-ve-been-a-very-effective-leader-in-the-gay-rights-movement-though/) [Jean O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-o-leary/) > [“At the time, though, vaccination was controversial. Many were opposed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-wright/at-the-time-though-vaccination-was-controversial-many-were-opposed/) [Jennifer Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-wright/) [Browse all 486 Controversial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid those things that were going to be controversial about the family but the interest I had in the story was predominantly what he was pursuing and not as much what he was fleeing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sean Penn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly-not-to-avoid-those-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Controversial" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly-not-to-avoid-those-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/sean-penn-3005_controversial_my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly_3136981.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My greatest interest in it was certainly not to avoid those things that were going to be controversial about…” — Sean Penn", "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": "Sean Penn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My greatest interest in it was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly-not-to-avoid-those-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/my-greatest-interest-in-it-was-certainly-not-to-avoid-those-things/#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 } } ] } ```