--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone who makes films has to be an…" description: "\"Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain degree because cinema does not come from abstract academic thinking; it comes from your knee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg" --- # Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain… ![“Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain degree because cinema does not come from abstract academic thinking; it comes from your knees and thighs.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg) > “Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain degree because cinema does not come from abstract academic thinking; it comes from your knees and thighs.” [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Filmmaking demands physical stamina and visceral engagement, not just intellectual abstraction. **In simple terms:** Making movies is like a sport, requiring body and spirit. Key Takeaway Treat filmmaking as a physical practice. Themes creativity discipline physicality Mood energetic determined Type motivational practical When to use this quote - shooting on location - intensive editing - long‑day shoots - action sequences Key Concepts embodiment cinema artistic process Questions to Reflect On - How does your body influence your artistic choices? - What physical rituals support your creativity? A Different Perspective Physical fatigue can limit creative clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Thighs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thighs/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [An athlete must have a certain cockiness to succeed and win, but an athlete must also care about the game he or she plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/an-athlete-must-have-a-certain-cockiness-to-succeed-and-win-but-an/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [If I am doing a certain kind of cinema, that does not mean I hate the other kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabu/if-i-am-doing-a-certain-kind-of-cinema-that-does-not-mean-i-hate-the/) [Tabu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabu/) > [At its best, cinema does retain a remarkable ability to speak to people of every age, from every background, and in ways that almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-puttnam/at-its-best-cinema-does-retain-a-remarkable-ability-to-speak-to/) [David Puttnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-puttnam/) > [Music just gives me so much energy and inspiration. Music and literature in a way probably influence me more than cinema does because they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/music-just-gives-me-so-much-energy-and-inspiration-music-and/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [In case you don't know this, we're not in the '90s anymore. Indie cinema does not reign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/in-case-you-don-t-know-this-we-re-not-in-the-90s-anymore-indie-cinema/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [I think my films are always quite self-reflexive and always question 'why am I doing this, is this the right way to do it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-think-my-films-are-always-quite-self-reflexive-and-always-question/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [If an irreducible distinction between theatre and cinema does exist, it may be this: Theatre is confined to a logical or continuous use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/if-an-irreducible-distinction-between-theatre-and-cinema-does-exist/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Everyone makes films that don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waheeda-rehman/everyone-makes-films-that-don-t-work/) [Waheeda Rehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waheeda-rehman/) > [I am not that kind of a director who makes two films per year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/i-am-not-that-kind-of-a-director-who-makes-two-films-per-year/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) > [One filmmaker makes films that are deep, intellectual, profound and confrontational. And the other one makes purely vacuous, escapist films. I'm not sure the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/one-filmmaker-makes-films-that-are-deep-intellectual-profound-and/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I think staying away from labels is what makes my films refreshing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-guerrero/i-think-staying-away-from-labels-is-what-makes-my-films-refreshing/) [Aurora Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-guerrero/) > [It's not just about acting. I love film, I'm a director now, I love writing, I love producing, I love having a company that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/it-s-not-just-about-acting-i-love-film-i-m-a-director-now-i-love/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I think a very good movie director makes films to entertain people, but not to be considered like they were Cervantes, you know? One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-franco/i-think-a-very-good-movie-director-makes-films-to-entertain-people/) [Jesus Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-franco/) > [I think it's a wonderful time to be a black woman who makes films. It's a good time to be an artist period. Traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-think-it-s-a-wonderful-time-to-be-a-black-woman-who-makes-films-it/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [Vidhu Vinod Chopra is the only man I see around who makes films because he thinks 'this is a story that needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/vidhu-vinod-chopra-is-the-only-man-i-see-around-who-makes-films/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) ## More by Werner Herzog > [If your project has real substance, ultimately the money will follow you like a common cur in the street with its tail between its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-your-project-has-real-substance-ultimately-the-money-will-follow/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/every-man-should-pull-a-boat-over-a-mountain-once-in-his-life/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I know whenever it comes to be really dysfunctional and vile and base and hostile on screen, I'm good at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-know-whenever-it-comes-to-be-really-dysfunctional-and-vile-and-base/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [When we speak about trespassing, we speak about artistic trespassing. You have to be prudent and have common sense and a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/when-we-speak-about-trespassing-we-speak-about-artistic-trespassing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If you want to propose marriage to your girlfriend and you live in England and she is in Sicily, do the decent thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-you-want-to-propose-marriage-to-your-girlfriend-and-you-live-in/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I'm a very circumspect and prudent person, and I eliminate danger as far as it can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-m-a-very-circumspect-and-prudent-person-and-i-eliminate-danger-as/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [It is not only my dreams, my belief is that all these dreams are yours as well. The only distinction between me and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-is-not-only-my-dreams-my-belief-is-that-all-these-dreams-are-yours/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [My non-fiction films are pretty much fiction, or at least close... It's all "movies" for me. I never have searched for a subject. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/my-non-fiction-films-are-pretty-much-fiction-or-at-least-close-it-s/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [If an actor knows how to milk a cow, I always know it will not be difficult to be in business with him,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-an-actor-knows-how-to-milk-a-cow-i-always-know-it-will-not-be/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ِِِِِِِِِِArt house theaters are vanishing. They have almost disappeared completely, and that means there's a shift in what audiences want to see. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/art-house-theaters-are-vanishing-they-have-almost-disappeared/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I always had a feeling, for example, that there should be something from Verdi's "Requiem" in the film. You hear it when you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-always-had-a-feeling-for-example-that-there-should-be-something/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Along with this rapid growth of forms of communication at our disposal - be it fax, phone, email, Internet or whatever - human solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/along-with-this-rapid-growth-of-forms-of-communication-at-our/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ I had complete freedom. They \[Netflix\] knew roughly what I was doing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-had-complete-freedom-they-netflix-knew-roughly-what-i-was-doing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [For example, the face of Nicole Kidman in Queen of the Desert and she is the most beautiful goddess on screen that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/for-example-the-face-of-nicole-kidman-in-queen-of-the-desert-and-she/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I have always postulated that we have to find a new way to deal with reality. It's not so much facts that interest me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-have-always-postulated-that-we-have-to-find-a-new-way-to-deal-with/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) [Explore all 318 Werner Herzog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain degree because cinema does not come from abstract academic thinking; it comes from your knees and thighs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Herzog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-athlete-to-a-certain-degree/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-athlete-to-a-certain-degree/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/werner-herzog-964_abstract_everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-at_1672446.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everyone who makes films has to be an athlete to a certain degree because cinema does not come from abstract…” — Werner Herzog", "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": "Werner Herzog", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everyone who makes films has to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-athlete-to-a-certain-degree/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/everyone-who-makes-films-has-to-be-an-athlete-to-a-certain-degree/#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 } } ] } ```