---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't understand the whole…"
description: "\"I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.\" — Spike Jonze"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg"
---

#  I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is…

![“I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.” quote by Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg)

> “I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.”

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker rejects conventional testing metrics, preferring creative intuition over quantitative evaluation.

**In simple terms:** Rejects numbers, prefers intuition.

Key Takeaway

Trust creative instincts.

Themes

creativity film making intuition

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- directing
- script development
- budget planning

Key Concepts

artistic vision subjective evaluation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance intuition with feedback?
- When is data essential?

A Different Perspective

Quantitative data can reveal hidden issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Make Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-movies/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Numbers Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers-thing-3405744/) [Testing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testing/) [Testing Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testing-numbers-5203137/) [Understand Testing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-testing-5203138/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/)

## Related quotes

> [“{Numbers are more my thing}. Life is confusing and the only place where two plus two ever equals four is in a Maths lesson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/numbers-are-more-my-thing-life-is-confusing-and-the-only-place-where/)

[Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/)

> [I'll still make movies for studios, but my editing process will be much further removed from the studio system. Because I don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-ll-still-make-movies-for-studios-but-my-editing-process-will-be/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [I want to make stuff. I want to make movies and direct stuff and produce stuff and write stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avan-jogia/i-want-to-make-stuff-i-want-to-make-movies-and-direct-stuff-and/)

[Avan Jogia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avan-jogia/)

> [When I go on set, it's very important, the lenses I choose, what I choose to frame or not frame and that's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/when-i-go-on-set-it-s-very-important-the-lenses-i-choose-what-i/)

[Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/)

> [I always say I make the movies where people go, 'Hey, I never saw it, but when I finally did, I really liked it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/i-always-say-i-make-the-movies-where-people-go-hey-i-never-saw-it-but/)

[Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/)

> [The movie that made me want to make movies was "Blue Velvet."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-shainberg/the-movie-that-made-me-want-to-make-movies-was-blue-velvet/)

[Steven Shainberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-shainberg/)

> [And yes, it is harder to make movies because budgets are getting smaller, and the companies stocks are down. The only good news on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/and-yes-it-is-harder-to-make-movies-because-budgets-are-getting/)

[Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/)

> [I wanted to do something in film. I wanted to make my own movies. Something clicked in my brain, like, 'Oh, I can physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wolfhard/i-wanted-to-do-something-in-film-i-wanted-to-make-my-own-movies/)

[Finn Wolfhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wolfhard/)

> [Make movies that you want to go and watch in a theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikramaditya-motwane/make-movies-that-you-want-to-go-and-watch-in-a-theatre/)

[Vikramaditya Motwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikramaditya-motwane/)

> [I think that you can't make a movie without a script. But you also can't make movies without actors. You also can't make movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frankenheimer/i-think-that-you-can-t-make-a-movie-without-a-script-but-you-also-can/)

[John Frankenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frankenheimer/)

> [I think there are people that don't think 'SNL' should make movies because sketches don't translate. Sometimes they don't, but sometimes they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-forte/i-think-there-are-people-that-don-t-think-snl-should-make-movies/)

[Will Forte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-forte/)

> [We make movies to be watched in theatres. Online streaming is more of a bonus, to revisit the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiagarajan-kumararaja/we-make-movies-to-be-watched-in-theatres-online-streaming-is-more-of/)

[Thiagarajan Kumararaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiagarajan-kumararaja/)

> [I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-m-fed-up-with-the-idiots-the-ever-widening-gap-between-people-who/)

[Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/)

> [The only pressure is the pressure I put on myself, that's up to be I guess to mitigate that. I think there's always pressure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/the-only-pressure-is-the-pressure-i-put-on-myself-that-s-up-to-be-i/)

[Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/)

> [When you make movies, it's such an important period of time, when you look back at each one of them. You want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/when-you-make-movies-it-s-such-an-important-period-of-time-when-you/)

[Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/)

## More by Spike Jonze

> [When I'm making stuff, the thing that excites me most is not the result, but the process and trying to do something I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/when-i-m-making-stuff-the-thing-that-excites-me-most-is-not-the/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [“Falling in love is kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/falling-in-love-is-kind-of-like-a-form-of-socially-acceptable-insanity/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [On set, there's a lot of pressure. But it sort of heightens the moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/on-set-there-s-a-lot-of-pressure-but-it-sort-of-heightens-the-moments/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [There was definitely a point in my thirties when I thought, 'Oh, wow, I'm not the youngest person on the set anymore.' But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/there-was-definitely-a-point-in-my-thirties-when-i-thought-oh-wow-i-m/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [I think there's a knee-jerk reaction to things from parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-think-there-s-a-knee-jerk-reaction-to-things-from-parents/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [I feel like you only have so much time to make stuff. I'm definitely aware of that. I'm also excited about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-feel-like-you-only-have-so-much-time-to-make-stuff-i-m-definitely/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [Obviously technology has become such a big presence in our lives and, I definitely know, in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/obviously-technology-has-become-such-a-big-presence-in-our-lives-and/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [As creatives, it's a hard thing to push, to make something you're truly excited about, especially if you've written 100 different concepts and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/as-creatives-it-s-a-hard-thing-to-push-to-make-something-you-re-truly/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [I definitely check my phone for texts a lot - like, 'Did anyone text me? Is anyone thinking about me? Does anyone love me?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-definitely-check-my-phone-for-texts-a-lot-like-did-anyone-text-me/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [Be willing to get fired for a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/be-willing-to-get-fired-for-a-good-idea/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [Emotions are messy and hard to figure out. Hard to know where you start and the next person stops. Even as an adult, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/emotions-are-messy-and-hard-to-figure-out-hard-to-know-where-you/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [There's great food everywhere, and even McDonald's uses nice wood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/there-s-great-food-everywhere-and-even-mcdonald-s-uses-nice-wood-now/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [There's a difference between stress and pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/there-s-a-difference-between-stress-and-pressure/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [Kids are so fiercely opinionated, that if they love the Harry Potter books and they go see the movie, they'll be the first to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/kids-are-so-fiercely-opinionated-that-if-they-love-the-harry-potter/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [The strengths and failings of a relationship depend entirely on your ability to talk about your feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/the-strengths-and-failings-of-a-relationship-depend-entirely-on-your/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

[Explore all 134 Spike Jonze quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

## More Movie quotes

> [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/you-play-a-part-and-as-soon-as-a-movie-is-over-and-the-camera-stops/)

[Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/)

> [You will see a 3-D movie in a movie theater for the shared experience of it - or for a date, and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/you-will-see-a-3-d-movie-in-a-movie-theater-for-the-shared-experience/)

[Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/)

> [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/)

[Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/)

> [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/)

[Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [If I could find the right kind of property, get tied in with the right movie, I'd love to be involved, but I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/if-i-could-find-the-right-kind-of-property-get-tied-in-with-the-right/)

[Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [I cant believe I just gave my panties to a geek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sixteen-candles/i-cant-believe-i-just-gave-my-panties-to-a-geek/)

[Sixteen Candles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sixteen-candles/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Even if I set out to make a film about a fillet of sole, it would be about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/even-if-i-set-out-to-make-a-film-about-a-fillet-of-sole-it-would-be/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

[Browse all 16,847 Movie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Spike Jonze"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-numbers-thing-it-is-not-how-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Movie"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-numbers-thing-it-is-not-how-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/spike-jonze-3309_movie_i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-num_2261066.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.” — Spike Jonze",
                "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": "Spike Jonze",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't understand the whole testing-numbers...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-numbers-thing-it-is-not-how-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-testing-numbers-thing-it-is-not-how-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
