--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is never an excuse not to finish a…" description: "\"There is never an excuse not to finish a film.\" — Werner Herzog" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg" --- # There is never an excuse not to finish a film. ![“There is never an excuse not to finish a film.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg) > “There is never an excuse not to finish a film.” [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. Finishing a film is a moral imperative; excuses undermine artistic integrity and the story’s completion. **In simple terms:** Never excuse incomplete work; finish the film. Key Takeaway Commit to completing creative projects. Themes art discipline integrity Mood determined reflective Type cinematic philosophical When to use this quote - film production - independent projects - art school assignments Key Concepts filmmaking creative process Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to finish a project? - How do you handle creative blocks? A Different Perspective Budget or health issues can impede completion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuse/) [Excuse Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuse-finish-2598639/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish/) [Finish Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish-film-301026/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [I know certainly, when one job draws to a close, that I feel I'm simply never going to work again. No one will ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/i-know-certainly-when-one-job-draws-to-a-close-that-i-feel-i-m-simply/) [Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/) > [When I finish a film, I put it away and I never look at it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/when-i-finish-a-film-i-put-it-away-and-i-never-look-at-it-again/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [Once I finish a film, I don't ever see it again. Never ever. I have never seen any of my films since I finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/once-i-finish-a-film-i-don-t-ever-see-it-again-never-ever-i-have/) [Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/) > [I live in the present. When I finish a film, it is behind me. My reward is in my work, not in a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-preminger/i-live-in-the-present-when-i-finish-a-film-it-is-behind-me-my-reward/) [Otto Preminger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-preminger/) > [Often, when I finish a film, I'll have that feeling inside me: 'I never want to do this ever again. I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/often-when-i-finish-a-film-i-ll-have-that-feeling-inside-me-i-never/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [My part as an actor ends on the last working day. I think the success or failure only really matters to the producer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-menen/my-part-as-an-actor-ends-on-the-last-working-day-i-think-the-success/) [Nithya Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithya-menen/) > [After I finish any film, I move to the next one. It takes about a year to write and another six months are for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/after-i-finish-any-film-i-move-to-the-next-one-it-takes-about-a-year/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [Heading out to L.A., doing this acting thing. You can't rest on your laurels out there. You finish a film, you don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-hawkins/heading-out-to-l-a-doing-this-acting-thing-you-can-t-rest-on-your/) [Corey Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-hawkins/) > [When I finish a film, I want to feel drained. I want to feel like I couldn't have possibly done any more to service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-goth/when-i-finish-a-film-i-want-to-feel-drained-i-want-to-feel-like-i/) [Mia Goth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-goth/) > [When you finish a film, if you believed in your character, you're empty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-van-damme/when-you-finish-a-film-if-you-believed-in-your-character-you-re-empty/) [Jean-Claude Van Damme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-van-damme/) > [You can rely on your team to do their jobs, but you have to carry the torch and do anything you need to, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-saulter/you-can-rely-on-your-team-to-do-their-jobs-but-you-have-to-carry-the/) [Storm Saulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-saulter/) > [When you finish some film and you let it out there, it is completely out of your control. You've done what you've done, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/when-you-finish-some-film-and-you-let-it-out-there-it-is-completely/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [When I begin a film, I want to make a great film. Halfway through, I just hope to finish the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/when-i-begin-a-film-i-want-to-make-a-great-film-halfway-through-i/) [Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [There is a sense of emptiness when you finish any film because you're empty and you can't give anything more to it anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/there-is-a-sense-of-emptiness-when-you-finish-any-film-because-you-re/) [James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/) ## 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 Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [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'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is never an excuse not to finish a film.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Herzog" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a-film/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a-film/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/werner-herzog-964_cinema_there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a_2683213.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is never an excuse not to finish a film.” — 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": "There is never an excuse not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a-film/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/there-is-never-an-excuse-not-to-finish-a-film/#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 } } ] } ```