---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Research is what drives me. When I get a…"
description: "\"Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to the real world and touch the real people.\" — Tony Scott"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png"
---

#  Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to…

![“Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to the real world and touch the real people.” quote by Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png)

> “Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to the real world and touch the real people.”

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

## About This Quote

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

Emphasizes grounding creative work in real-world experiences and direct human interaction to inspire authenticity.

**In simple terms:** Real people inspire authentic storytelling.

Key Takeaway

Engage directly with people for genuine ideas.

Themes

creativity authenticity human connection storytelling experience

Mood

inspirational pragmatic

Type

creative reflective

When to use this quote

- scriptwriting
- film directing
- journalism
- public speaking

Key Concepts

empirical observation empathetic listening grounded imagination

Questions to Reflect On

- How does direct interaction shape creative decisions?
- When might it bias storytelling?

A Different Perspective

Risk of over‑reliance on anecdotal input limiting broader perspective.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-people/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Drives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-drives-3463349/) [Script](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/script/) [Script Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/script-real-2479681/) [Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts/) [Touch Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touch-real-712507/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Let's try to bring more style into basics, and let's touch real people all around the world, people who don't really care who Christophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christophe-lemaire/let-s-try-to-bring-more-style-into-basics-and-let-s-touch-real-people/)

[Christophe Lemaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christophe-lemaire/)

> [The real world is where I get to educate and entertain myself. I go and touch the real world and touch real people. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/the-real-world-is-where-i-get-to-educate-and-entertain-myself-i-go/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I got the script for 'Real Steel.' I started reading and saw that it was about robot boxing, and I was immediately turned off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-got-the-script-for-real-steel-i-started-reading-and-saw-that-it-was/)

[Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/)

> [Script is the clincher for me while deciding for a project. Script is the real hero of the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-warsi/script-is-the-clincher-for-me-while-deciding-for-a-project-script-is/)

[Arshad Warsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-warsi/)

> [We see only the script and not the paper on which the script is written. The paper is there, whether the script is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/we-see-only-the-script-and-not-the-paper-on-which-the-script-is/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [That's the joy of going from a script to a real thing because reality is real. You get to actually do it and become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/that-s-the-joy-of-going-from-a-script-to-a-real-thing-because-reality/)

[Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/)

> [Whereas with Sirk, everything is always filmed. No matter what the script, he's always a real director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-rivette/whereas-with-sirk-everything-is-always-filmed-no-matter-what-the/)

[Jacques Rivette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-rivette/)

> [I want to touch you in real time not find you on YouTube, I want to walk next to you in the mountains not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-want-to-touch-you-in-real-time-not-find-you-on-youtube-i-want-to/)

[Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/)

> [I keep in touch with what's real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-claflin/i-keep-in-touch-with-what-s-real/)

[Sam Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-claflin/)

> [What do people want? Contact. People want to be able to see you and touch you. Are you real?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/what-do-people-want-contact-people-want-to-be-able-to-see-you-and/)

[Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/)

> [It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/it-s-the-sense-of-touch-in-any-real-city-you-walk-you-know-you-brush/)

[Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/)

> [“To make true contact is to touch the real thing, to treasure the flower more than the picture of the flower, the person more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-eswine/to-make-true-contact-is-to-touch-the-real-thing-to-treasure-the/)

[Zack Eswine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-eswine/)

> [Here's my thought about fake breasts: If I can touch them, they're real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/here-s-my-thought-about-fake-breasts-if-i-can-touch-them-they-re-real/)

[Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/)

> [“She could see it so clear. She could picture every room, inside every house. And the more she could imagine this island, the less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/she-could-see-it-so-clear-she-could-picture-every-room-inside-every/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“we shouldn’t surrender our real world perception to a false reality too much or we may suffer the inevitable consequences of deluded thinking. Technology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-neary/we-shouldn-t-surrender-our-real-world-perception-to-a-false-reality/)

[M.P. Neary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-p-neary/)

## More by Tony Scott

> [An established film director can just pick up the phone and say to a star, 'Hey, are you interested in doing a commercial?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/an-established-film-director-can-just-pick-up-the-phone-and-say-to-a/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [It was very hard breaking into the film industry in Britain. I had been to art school, and I was painting and doing commercials.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/it-was-very-hard-breaking-into-the-film-industry-in-britain-i-had/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [Mum was the matriarch and the patriarch of the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/mum-was-the-matriarch-and-the-patriarch-of-the-family/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I can't sit on my bum very long in a movie theater seat, and when I'm directing, I always want to move the camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-can-t-sit-on-my-bum-very-long-in-a-movie-theater-seat-and-when-i-m/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [The true excitement comes from the actors - that gives you the true drama - and whatever I can do with the camera, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/the-true-excitement-comes-from-the-actors-that-gives-you-the-true/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I make a movie because it's something that inspires me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-make-a-movie-because-it-s-something-that-inspires-me/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [We don't ever want IT to be the thing that holds GM back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/we-don-t-ever-want-it-to-be-the-thing-that-holds-gm-back/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [Shooting in real-life situations helps actors because they're competing against the noise and the wind. Out of that comes things that shift and change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/shooting-in-real-life-situations-helps-actors-because-they-re/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I always get role models, people from real life who've lived the lives of the characters, and talk it through together, me, them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-always-get-role-models-people-from-real-life-who-ve-lived-the-lives/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I have a short attention span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-have-a-short-attention-span/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [What always leads me in terms of my movies are characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/what-always-leads-me-in-terms-of-my-movies-are-characters/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [If you look at my body of work, there's always a dark side to my characters. They've always got a skeleton in the closet;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/if-you-look-at-my-body-of-work-there-s-always-a-dark-side-to-my/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [I think we're lucky because there are very few people in life who get to do what we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/i-think-we-re-lucky-because-there-are-very-few-people-in-life-who-get/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [Out of the total of 11 movies, I got slammed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/out-of-the-total-of-11-movies-i-got-slammed/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [There's one great script that hit my desk that I didn't change at all, and that was True Romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/there-s-one-great-script-that-hit-my-desk-that-i-didn-t-change-at-all/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

[Explore all 50 Tony Scott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

## More People quotes

> [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/)

[Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

[Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to the real world and touch the real people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tony Scott"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a-script-i-go-to-the-real-world/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "People"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a-script-i-go-to-the-real-world/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/tony-scott-13572_people_research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a_1992713.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Research is what drives me. When I get a script, I go to the real world and touch the real people.” — Tony Scott",
                "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": "Tony Scott",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Research is what drives me. When...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a-script-i-go-to-the-real-world/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/research-is-what-drives-me-when-i-get-a-script-i-go-to-the-real-world/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
