--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone who looks for life can find it…" description: "\"Anyone who looks for life can find it... and they don't need to photograph ashcans. The average camera fan reminds me of Pollyanna, with a lollypop in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/weegee-28714_average_anyone-who-looks-for-life-can-find-it-an_993064.jpg" --- # Anyone who looks for life can find it... and they don't… ![“Anyone who looks for life can find it... and they don't need to photograph ashcans. The average camera fan reminds me of Pollyanna, with a lollypop in one hand and a camera in the other. You can't be a Nice Nelly and take news pictures.” quote by Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/weegee-28714_average_anyone-who-looks-for-life-can-find-it-an_993064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/weegee-28714_average_anyone-who-looks-for-life-can-find-it-an_993064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/weegee-28714_average_anyone-who-looks-for-life-can-find-it-an_993064.jpg) > “Anyone who looks for life can find it... and they don't need to photograph ashcans. The average camera fan reminds me of Pollyanna, with a lollypop in one hand and a camera in the other. You can't be a Nice Nelly and take news pictures.” [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) ## 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 suggests that seeking life and joy is possible without obsessively documenting everything, especially in grim contexts. **In simple terms:** Finding life doesn’t require constant photographing of bleak scenes. Key Takeaway Seek joy, not just images. Themes joy photography perspective Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - street photography - daily life - mental health - creative inspiration Key Concepts existentialism optimism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance documenting truth with preserving optimism? - When does photography become exploitation? A Different Perspective It may overlook the value of documenting reality for historical or social awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Camera Fan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-fan-2045995/) [Camera Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-nice-2045994/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Fans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fans/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Need Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-photograph-2045996/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Ashcans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-ashcans-2045993/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Pollyanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollyanna/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody feels like they need a photograph because we're in a generation where, if you don't document it, it didn't occur. So you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/everybody-feels-like-they-need-a-photograph-because-we-re-in-a/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I don't need a photograph because you've never left my mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-need-a-photograph-because-you-ve-never-left-my-mind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't find any real rivalries with crime and thriller writers anyway. That might sound a little Pollyanna, but for the most part the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-don-t-find-any-real-rivalries-with-crime-and-thriller-writers/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [There are really two kinds of optimism. There's the complacent, Pollyanna optimism that says, 'Don't worry - everything will be just fine,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/there-are-really-two-kinds-of-optimism-there-s-the-complacent/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I suffer from a genetic flaw, which is that my mother was a hopeless Pollyanna.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-suffer-from-a-genetic-flaw-which-is-that-my-mother-was-a-hopeless/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Millions of Americans would still despair in the eight long years of the Depression that lay ahead and many of their individual dreams would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-alter/millions-of-americans-would-still-despair-in-the-eight-long-years-of/) [Jonathan Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-alter/) > [“If I’d found out that Norman Mailer liked me, I’d have killed myself. I think he was too hung up. I’m glad Kurt Vonnegut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-i-d-found-out-that-norman-mailer-liked-me-i-d-have-killed-myself-i/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Be a balanced optimist. Nobody is suggesting that you become an oblivious Pollyanna, pretending that nothing bad can or ever will happen. Doing so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/be-a-balanced-optimist-nobody-is-suggesting-that-you-become-an/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Whenever someone calls me a Pollyanna, I consider it to be the highest of compliments. This courageous girl finds a community that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-tye/whenever-someone-calls-me-a-pollyanna-i-consider-it-to-be-the-highest/) [Joe Tye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-tye/) > [My family absolutely comes first, and I don't mean that in a Pollyanna way. 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I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-m-an-optimist-in-my-heart-i-m-a-hopeless-pollyanna-just-like-my/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [To affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see in themselves and to repeat it in spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/to-affirm-a-person-is-to-see-the-good-in-them-that-they-cannot-see-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I hate the pollyanna pest who says that all is for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-p-adams/i-hate-the-pollyanna-pest-who-says-that-all-is-for-the-best/) [Franklin P. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-p-adams/) ## More by Weegee > [If I had a picture of two handcuffed criminals being booked, I would cut the picture in half and get five bucks for each.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/if-i-had-a-picture-of-two-handcuffed-criminals-being-booked-i-would/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [What I did, anybody can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/what-i-did-anybody-can-do/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [To me a photograph is a page from life, and that being the case, it must be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/to-me-a-photograph-is-a-page-from-life-and-that-being-the-case-it/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [I am a perfectionist. When I take a picture...it's gotta be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/i-am-a-perfectionist-when-i-take-a-picture-it-s-gotta-be-good/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [I’m no part time dilettante photographer, unlike the bartenders, shoe salesmen, floorwalkers plumbers, barbers, grocery clerks and chiropractors whose great hobby is their camera.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/i-m-no-part-time-dilettante-photographer-unlike-the-bartenders-shoe/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [To me, pictures are like blintzes - ya gotta get 'em while they're hot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/to-me-pictures-are-like-blintzes-ya-gotta-get-em-while-they-re-hot/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [I have no chips on my shoulder. I like to be constructive. As I have said, I have inspired many persons to take up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/i-have-no-chips-on-my-shoulder-i-like-to-be-constructive-as-i-have/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [ It's been a strange \[summer\]… I was sent by a magazine to photograph famous photographers… Of course, I included myself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/it-s-been-a-strange-summer-i-was-sent-by-a-magazine-to-photograph/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [Hollywood is Newark, New Jersey with palm trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/hollywood-is-newark-new-jersey-with-palm-trees/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [My name is Weegee. I’m the world’s greatest photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/my-name-is-weegee-i-m-the-world-s-greatest-photographer/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [People are so wonderful that a photographer has only to wait for that breathless moment to capture what he wants on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/people-are-so-wonderful-that-a-photographer-has-only-to-wait-for-that/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [News photography teaches you to think fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/news-photography-teaches-you-to-think-fast/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [There are photographic fanatics, just as there are religious fanatics. They buy a so-called candid camera there is no such thing: it’s the photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/there-are-photographic-fanatics-just-as-there-are-religious-fanatics/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [A natural-born photographer, with hypo in my blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/a-natural-born-photographer-with-hypo-in-my-blood/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) > [Many photographers live in a dream world of beautiful backgrounds. It wouldn’t hurt them to get a taste of reality to wake them up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weegee/many-photographers-live-in-a-dream-world-of-beautiful-backgrounds-it/) [Weegee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) [Explore all 19 Weegee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weegee/) ## More Average quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) [Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. 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