---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a lot of people - by the time I…"
description: "\"I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a script I liked, which took me many years, they'd forgotten who I was. Doors all the time are s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg"
---

#  I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a…

![“I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a script I liked, which took me many years, they'd forgotten who I was. Doors all the time are slamming, you meet friends that you've had for years, you'd go to the studio, and they'd say things to indicate clearly that they hadn't read it, or…” quote by Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg)

> “I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a script I liked, which took me many years, they'd forgotten who I was. Doors all the time are slamming, you meet friends that you've had for years, you'd go to the studio, and they'd say things to indicate clearly that they hadn't read it, or that they'd had their assistant sort of skim it. They wouldn't buy it. They wouldn't make it.”

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects frustration with industry neglect, where after long development periods, creators find their work ignored by decision‑makers who haven't read it.

**In simple terms:** Creators feel ignored after long work.

Key Takeaway

Persistently pitch and seek allies early.

Themes

frustration industry creativity

Mood

exasperated determined

Type

advice industry commentary

When to use this quote

- film studios
- screenwriting
- pitch meetings
- assistant reviews

Key Concepts

script development gatekeeping networking

Questions to Reflect On

- How can writers maintain relevance during long development?
- What strategies ensure scripts get read?

A Different Perspective

Even with a polished script, lack of exposure can stall a project.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [A book may lie dormant for fifty years or for two thousand years in a forgotten corner of a library, only to reveal, upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/a-book-may-lie-dormant-for-fifty-years-or-for-two-thousand-years-in-a/)

[Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/)

> [ I came across the script \[42\], and I read it, and I said, "I really want to do this." And when I had my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/i-came-across-the-script-42-and-i-read-it-and-i-said-i-really-want-to/)

[Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/)

> [I have been waiting around to get the right script and the right director. For example, in the past, if a Hollywood director came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gong-li/i-have-been-waiting-around-to-get-the-right-script-and-the-right/)

[Gong Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gong-li/)

> [All these years, I have never forgotten what my parents have given me, and that is why I take special pride in composing music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bappi-lahiri/all-these-years-i-have-never-forgotten-what-my-parents-have-given-me/)

[Bappi Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bappi-lahiri/)

> [One has personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; but as the years go by it seems now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/one-has-personally-to-come-under-the-shadow-of-war-to-feel-fully-its/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [I prepared the script of 'Pataas', when working for 'Kandireega'. When I approached Kalyan Ram with the script, he liked it and said that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-ravipudi/i-prepared-the-script-of-pataas-when-working-for-kandireega-when-i/)

[Anil Ravipudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-ravipudi/)

> [I'd never thought much about a series, because I liked the idea of picking a script I liked with a character I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-montgomery/i-d-never-thought-much-about-a-series-because-i-liked-the-idea-of/)

[Elizabeth Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-montgomery/)

> [I came in rather late in the casting process of Reaper. I believe they had all the other roles cast. They were having trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/i-came-in-rather-late-in-the-casting-process-of-reaper-i-believe-they/)

[Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/)

> ['Unforgiven' is probably an example of a script that I liked right away but thought, 'This is great, but I'd like to do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/unforgiven-is-probably-an-example-of-a-script-that-i-liked-right-away/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [I enjoyed Adam McCormick, it was this odd mix of coming-of-age, of horror, of suspense, of almost romance. These kind of disparate elements that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-monaghan/i-enjoyed-adam-mccormick-it-was-this-odd-mix-of-coming-of-age-of/)

[Cameron Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-monaghan/)

> [I really wanted to do 'Modern Family,' and I really liked the script, and I liked the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-t-nelson/i-really-wanted-to-do-modern-family-and-i-really-liked-the-script-and/)

[Craig T. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-t-nelson/)

> [When I read the script, I liked the script very much and I thought it was a marvelous part for her, because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/when-i-read-the-script-i-liked-the-script-very-much-and-i-thought-it/)

[Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/)

> [You can win more arguments then you might think as a writer, even though you legally have no recourse, and your script can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/you-can-win-more-arguments-then-you-might-think-as-a-writer-even/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I cannot find it in me to fear a man who took ten years a learning of his alphabet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-fear-a-man-who-took-ten-years-a-learning-of/)

[Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/)

> [It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/it-took-me-fifteen-years-to-discover-i-had-no-talent-for-writing-but/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

## More by Shane Black

> [Going to UCLA, as far as I'm concerned, afforded me two things. One was the advantage of meeting friends and getting to know a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/going-to-ucla-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-afforded-me-two-things-one-was/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [The only way you can stay on top is to remember to touch bottom and get back to basics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/the-only-way-you-can-stay-on-top-is-to-remember-to-touch-bottom-and/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [Here's what I didn't know when I was starting out that I now know…I thought when you were starting out it was really hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/here-s-what-i-didn-t-know-when-i-was-starting-out-that-i-now-know-i/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I always have humour in my action movies. I think characters that make jokes under fire are more real. It somehow helps put you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-always-have-humour-in-my-action-movies-i-think-characters-that-make/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [You have to keep surprising your audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/you-have-to-keep-surprising-your-audience/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [For years I was doing the excruciating weightlifting of writing scripts - but then I stayed thin and someone else got all the muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/for-years-i-was-doing-the-excruciating-weightlifting-of-writing/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I wanted at one point to act, which is a weird thing for men to want to do. It's a very vain profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-wanted-at-one-point-to-act-which-is-a-weird-thing-for-men-to-want/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [The worst of the action films are the ones where everything is one shout from beginning to finish. And there's no differentiation between beats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/the-worst-of-the-action-films-are-the-ones-where-everything-is-one/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I'm the kid in school who always, you know, got the straight A's. I got to be that, you know, alpha aggressive work-ethic guy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-m-the-kid-in-school-who-always-you-know-got-the-straight-a-s-i-got/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I felt that in a way, I hated the writing process so much. It's excruciating, as I'm sure you know, and so lonely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-felt-that-in-a-way-i-hated-the-writing-process-so-much-it-s/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [An action movie should, like any other, follow the narrative traditions of literature. That means there should be subtlety, a slow build and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/an-action-movie-should-like-any-other-follow-the-narrative-traditions/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [Once I started selling scripts for a great deal of money - action scripts, no less, which people tend to pooh-pooh anyway - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/once-i-started-selling-scripts-for-a-great-deal-of-money-action/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [When you are making a lot of money people forget you are trying to be creative and they picture you laughing all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/when-you-are-making-a-lot-of-money-people-forget-you-are-trying-to-be/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [I've read a thousand private-eye novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-ve-read-a-thousand-private-eye-novels/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

> [An action film can have too much action; picture an equaliser on a stereo, with all the knobs pegged at 10. It becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/an-action-film-can-have-too-much-action-picture-an-equaliser-on-a/)

[Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

[Explore all 87 Shane Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/)

## More Forgotten quotes

> [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/)

[Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/)

> [Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/family-means-no-one-gets-left-behind-or-forgotten/)

[David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/)

> [I was just going to say something, but I forgot when I started looking at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-just-going-to-say-something-but-i-forgot-when-i-started-looking/)

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

> [Black women's intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/black-women-s-intersectional-experiences-of-racism-and-sexism-have/)

[Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/)

> [I mean, sitcoms shouldn't be doing 'Saturday Night Live.' You can't just do bit after bit after bit. You have to string it together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-dewitt/i-mean-sitcoms-shouldn-t-be-doing-saturday-night-live-you-can-t-just/)

[Joyce DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-dewitt/)

> [People paid money for tickets to see us and be entertained by us, and we've never forgotten that. Anything after that was a bonus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-young/people-paid-money-for-tickets-to-see-us-and-be-entertained-by-us-and/)

[Malcolm Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-young/)

> [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-began-as-mineral-we-emerged-into-plant-life-and-into-the-animal/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [It's the frames which make some things important and some things forgotten. It's all only frames from which the content rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/it-s-the-frames-which-make-some-things-important-and-some-things/)

[Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/)

> [Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office, that the information they keep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/our-public-officials-have-forgotten-that-they-are-ultimately/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [I have never forgotten a picture that I ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-have-never-forgotten-a-picture-that-i-ever-made/)

[Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/)

> [I had forgotten that talking to you is like trying to pet a cactus." Saiman said dryly. "Thank you for reminding me." "Always happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-had-forgotten-that-talking-to-you-is-like-trying-to-pet-a-cactus/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Im afraid of being forgotten. Because, it seems everyone I get close to, ends up forgetting me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arcine-arciniegas/im-afraid-of-being-forgotten-because-it-seems-everyone-i-get-close-to/)

[Arcine Arciniegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arcine-arciniegas/)

> [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/)

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

> [“I had forgotten how wonderful it is to stand on a bridge and catch the scent of rain in the air. I had forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/i-had-forgotten-how-wonderful-it-is-to-stand-on-a-bridge-and-catch/)

[Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/)

Browse all 2,870 Forgotten quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a script I liked, which took me many years, they'd forgotten who I was. Doors all the time are slamming, you meet friends that you've had for years, you'd go to the studio, and they'd say things to indicate clearly that they hadn't read it, or that they'd had their assistant sort of skim it. They wouldn't buy it. They wouldn't make it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shane Black"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-came-back-with-a-script-i-liked/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forgotten"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-came-back-with-a-script-i-liked/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/shane-black-7829_forgotten_i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-ca_984913.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think a lot of people - by the time I came back with a script I liked, which took me many years, they'd…” — Shane Black",
                "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": "Shane Black",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think a lot of people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-came-back-with-a-script-i-liked/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-think-a-lot-of-people-by-the-time-i-came-back-with-a-script-i-liked/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
