--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing that separates a so-so director…" description: "\"The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.\" — Shirley Knight" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg" --- # The thing that separates a so-so director and a great… ![“The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.” quote by Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg) > “The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.” [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A great director loves and cares deeply for film, which separates them from average directors. **In simple terms:** Passion and care make a director great. Key Takeaway Cultivate love for the craft. Themes film directing passion care Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic educational When to use this quote - indie filmmaking - studio productions - film school projects - crew management Key Concepts Artistic vision leadership Questions to Reflect On - What does caring for film look like in practice? - How can you deepen your connection to the medium? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not overcome technical skill gaps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love And Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-caring/) ## Related quotes > [When you work with a great director, you can have a great partnership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/when-you-work-with-a-great-director-you-can-have-a-great-partnership/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I want to have a great director, and also a great producer and co-stars. And there should be a tight script. After all, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajol/i-want-to-have-a-great-director-and-also-a-great-producer-and-co/) [Kajol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajol/) > [You can start with a great director and great actors and have a great script - and it still just doesn't work. It's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/you-can-start-with-a-great-director-and-great-actors-and-have-a-great/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Not only is Tigmanshu a great director, but he's also a great actor. I just had to ape him in 'Bullett Raja.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chunky-pandey/not-only-is-tigmanshu-a-great-director-but-he-s-also-a-great-actor-i/) [Chunky Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chunky-pandey/) > [It didn't matter that Charlie Chaplin may not have been a great director or a great anything else. He made great movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/it-didn-t-matter-that-charlie-chaplin-may-not-have-been-a-great/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [If you want to be a great director, be a great screenwriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-kurosawa/if-you-want-to-be-a-great-director-be-a-great-screenwriter/) [Akira Kurosawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-kurosawa/) > [Sometimes a great director will do a bad job and an okay director will do a great job. You never know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-meyer/sometimes-a-great-director-will-do-a-bad-job-and-an-okay-director/) [Ronald Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-meyer/) > [To be a great director, what does it mean exactly? It's not only about a great director, but also about being able to rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/to-be-a-great-director-what-does-it-mean-exactly-it-s-not-only-about/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [I look at the stories that Spike Lee tells... Great stories. Great director, great storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/i-look-at-the-stories-that-spike-lee-tells-great-stories-great/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [I don't see how it's a risky thing to take a great part with a great director and a great script. That, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/i-don-t-see-how-it-s-a-risky-thing-to-take-a-great-part-with-a-great/) [Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/) > [As a director I would love to work with Marion Cotillard. She's so magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zawe-ashton/as-a-director-i-would-love-to-work-with-marion-cotillard-she-s-so/) [Zawe Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zawe-ashton/) > [Richard Curtis, the writer and director of Love Actually, is brilliant at many things, but his genius, I submit, is for thrusting characters into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/richard-curtis-the-writer-and-director-of-love-actually-is-brilliant/) [David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/) > [Stephen Daldry would be a director that I would love to work with as well as Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, and I'm very lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-turner/stephen-daldry-would-be-a-director-that-i-would-love-to-work-with-as/) [Sophie Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-turner/) > [I think I always try to be accommodating and open and available and proving for my director. I love to give as many takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/i-think-i-always-try-to-be-accommodating-and-open-and-available-and/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [The attitude of the English towards English history reminds one a good deal of the attitude of a Hollywood director towards love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/the-attitude-of-the-english-towards-english-history-reminds-one-a/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) ## More by Shirley Knight > [The other death for an actor is comparing yourself to other people: Forget someone else's path. Concentrate on your path. Otherwise, you get lost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-other-death-for-an-actor-is-comparing-yourself-to-other-people/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [There's a great difference between being popular and being an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/there-s-a-great-difference-between-being-popular-and-being-an-artist/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [There are things that you cannot talk to your mother and father about, there are things that you cannot talk to your children about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/there-are-things-that-you-cannot-talk-to-your-mother-and-father-about/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [My goal was not to be famous or rich but to be good at what I did. And that required going to New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/my-goal-was-not-to-be-famous-or-rich-but-to-be-good-at-what-i-did-and/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [I took individual photographs of Annie Liebovitz, I kept taking her picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/i-took-individual-photographs-of-annie-liebovitz-i-kept-taking-her/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [There's no place to act in Kansas. You're supressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/there-s-no-place-to-act-in-kansas-you-re-supressed/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [I moved to LA and decided to do films and television, mainly because the theater in New York is totally dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/i-moved-to-la-and-decided-to-do-films-and-television-mainly-because/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [So many directors are solely focused on their own success in Hollywood and multimillion dollar budgets and deals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/so-many-directors-are-solely-focused-on-their-own-success-in/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [I just let the character speak to me and things appear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/i-just-let-the-character-speak-to-me-and-things-appear/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [Hollywood - that's where they give Academy Awards to Charlton Heston for acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/hollywood-that-s-where-they-give-academy-awards-to-charlton-heston/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [The only people you can really share certain things with in secret are your girlfriends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-only-people-you-can-really-share-certain-things-with-in-secret/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [It's no accident that Tony Hopkins is a wonderful film actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/it-s-no-accident-that-tony-hopkins-is-a-wonderful-film-actor/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [My acting career helped pull me through the rough times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/my-acting-career-helped-pull-me-through-the-rough-times/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [I did the occasional odd film, like Endless Love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/i-did-the-occasional-odd-film-like-endless-love/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) > [I got an agent and went up for the part of my first film, Five Gates to Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/i-got-an-agent-and-went-up-for-the-part-of-my-first-film-five-gates/) [Shirley Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) [Explore all 22 Shirley Knight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/) ## More Caring quotes > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [A happy family needs a loving and caring father, and he who knows how to be a mother sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-happy-family-needs-a-loving-and-caring-father-and-he-who-knows-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Just remember that when nobody was there for you, I was. And when nobody else gave a damn, I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-remember-that-when-nobody-was-there-for-you-i-was-and-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Hmmm! life zz about caring the life that u have as the rest of the things are of secondary value tc n ks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sardar-hyder-abbas/hmmm-life-zz-about-caring-the-life-that-u-have-as-the-rest-of-the/) [Sardar Hyder Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sardar-hyder-abbas/) > [You can't make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved ,the rest is up to the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-make-someone-love-you-all-you-can-do-is-be-someone-who-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Browse all 2,651 Caring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Knight" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-director-and-a-great-director-is-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-director-and-a-great-director-is-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/shirley-knight-25674_caring_the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-directo_3174424.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing that separates a so-so director and a great director is a love and caring for film.” — Shirley Knight", "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": "Shirley Knight", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-knight/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The thing that separates a so-so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-director-and-a-great-director-is-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-knight/the-thing-that-separates-a-so-so-director-and-a-great-director-is-a/#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 } } ] } ```