--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The volcano itself wasn't that…" description: "\"The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man who refused to be evacuated - the only one of 75,000 people - was what set the tone for the fil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg" --- # The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man… ![“The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man who refused to be evacuated - the only one of 75,000 people - was what set the tone for the film ["Encounters at the End of the World"] that we made together [with Clive Oppenheimer] ten years later.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg) > “The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man who refused to be evacuated - the only one of 75,000 people - was what set the tone for the film \["Encounters at the End of the World"\] that we made together \[with Clive Oppenheimer\] ten years later.” [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. The quote highlights how a single individual's defiance can shape a narrative, emphasizing personal agency amid collective events. **In simple terms:** One person's refusal can define a story. Key Takeaway Notice how individual actions influence larger narratives. Themes courage individualism storytelling humanity resilience Mood inspirational serious contemplative Type documentary motivational When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - leadership training - crisis management - personal motivation - team dynamics Key Concepts agency narrative framing heroism Questions to Reflect On - What motivates someone to resist evacuation? - When does personal defiance become reckless? A Different Perspective It may romanticize risk without considering safety or broader consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppenheimer/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) [Volcanoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volcanoes/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [ The wonderful thing is that Clive \[Oppenheimer \] insisted on training his camera - his private camera - on me at one point. We… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-wonderful-thing-is-that-clive-oppenheimer-insisted-on-training/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [This climate surrounding me has reached Clive Oppenheimer. In practical terms he sees that I'm not interested in any sort of daredevil stunts, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/this-climate-surrounding-me-has-reached-clive-oppenheimer-in/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ Ten years ago in Antarctica shooting "Encounters at the End of the World," I met a very fine volcanologist from Cambridge University \[Clive Oppenheimer\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/ten-years-ago-in-antarctica-shooting-encounters-at-the-end-of-the/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ Clive \[Oppenheimer\] and I figured out that I'm the only one probably in the film industry who is clinically sane. I say that as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/clive-oppenheimer-and-i-figured-out-that-i-m-the-only-one-probably-in/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [The power of a volcano when it erupts is so evident, so visible, so palpable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-power-of-a-volcano-when-it-erupts-is-so-evident-so-visible-so/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [There's happens to be a volcano in the vicinity and there's some talk about a volcano as well, so that's the title Salt and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/there-s-happens-to-be-a-volcano-in-the-vicinity-and-there-s-some-talk/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Of course, you do not do any research: you have to go there and do your film. It's not that I would travel there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/of-course-you-do-not-do-any-research-you-have-to-go-there-and-do-your/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I was able to persuade them to let me shoot in areas that were beyond the volcano itself. Beyond the joint scientific program between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-was-able-to-persuade-them-to-let-me-shoot-in-areas-that-were-beyond/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [As for the "anger" of the volcano, we leave it up to the local populations who create their demons, their gods and their divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/as-for-the-anger-of-the-volcano-we-leave-it-up-to-the-local/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [It's very strange, for example, in North Korea where the volcano at the Chinese border is some sort of the mythical birthplace of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-s-very-strange-for-example-in-north-korea-where-the-volcano-at-the/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [North Korea is not an exception. Even there, where you think it would be completely sober, they have the myth of their revolution being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/north-korea-is-not-an-exception-even-there-where-you-think-it-would/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [At the same time, there's something magnificent about volcanoes; they created the atmosphere that we need for breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/at-the-same-time-there-s-something-magnificent-about-volcanoes-they/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [When the camera is looking back at our planet Earth, it's the tiniest of specks somewhere out there in the universe. So we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/when-the-camera-is-looking-back-at-our-planet-earth-it-s-the-tiniest/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [It's curiosity, and always a sense of poetry. You see it in particular in the chapter "Iceland" where I'm reciting ancient Icelandic poetry. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/it-s-curiosity-and-always-a-sense-of-poetry-you-see-it-in-particular/) [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/) ## 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 Encounters quotes > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Gun control laws don't work. What is worse, they act perversely. While legitimate users of firearms encounter intense regulation, scrutiny and bureaucratic control, illicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-polsby/gun-control-laws-don-t-work-what-is-worse-they-act-perversely-while/) Daniel D. Polsby > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The truly still mind, with which you were born, is the mind that moves freely. Without ignoring anything, it reacts wholeheartedly to everything it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soko-morinaga/the-truly-still-mind-with-which-you-were-born-is-the-mind-that-moves/) [Soko Morinaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soko-morinaga/) > [Wherever you encounter truth, look upon it as Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/wherever-you-encounter-truth-look-upon-it-as-christianity/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-you-abide-in-the-love-of-christ-rooted-in-the-faith-you-will/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-enable-him-first-to-discover/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) > [God isn't chocolate, he's the encounter between chocolate and the palate capable of appreciating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/god-isn-t-chocolate-he-s-the-encounter-between-chocolate-and-the/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [A crisis is a close encounter of the third kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/a-crisis-is-a-close-encounter-of-the-third-kind/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [...not all encounters with the world affect the mind equally. Studies have demonstrated that if the brain appraises an event as "meaningful," it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/not-all-encounters-with-the-world-affect-the-mind-equally-studies/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [The Internet offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-internet-offers-immense-possibilities-for-encounter-and/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I've had some very close encounters with the other side. They chose me to do this - I was doing this all before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-ve-had-some-very-close-encounters-with-the-other-side-they-chose-me/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [The impulse to paint comes neither from observation nor from the soul (which is probably blind) but from an encounter: the encounter between painter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/the-impulse-to-paint-comes-neither-from-observation-nor-from-the-soul/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) [Browse all 1,199 Encounters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man who refused to be evacuated - the only one of 75,000 people - was what set the tone for the film [\"Encounters at the End of the World\"] that we made together [with Clive Oppenheimer] ten years later.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Herzog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesting-but-the-man-who-refused-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Encounters" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesting-but-the-man-who-refused-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/werner-herzog-964_encounters_the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesti_2537122.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The volcano itself wasn't that interesting, but the man who refused to be evacuated - the only one of 75,000…” — 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": "The volcano itself wasn't that interesting,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesting-but-the-man-who-refused-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/the-volcano-itself-wasn-t-that-interesting-but-the-man-who-refused-to/#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 } } ] } ```