--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Directing is a huge amount of work with…" description: "\"Directing is a huge amount of work with very little payoff, and a quarter of the money, and nine times more time spent.\" — William H. Macy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/william-h-macy-3931_amount_directing-is-a-huge-amount-of-work-with_2510912.jpg" --- # Directing is a huge amount of work with very little… ![“Directing is a huge amount of work with very little payoff, and a quarter of the money, and nine times more time spent.” quote by William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/william-h-macy-3931_amount_directing-is-a-huge-amount-of-work-with_2510912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/william-h-macy-3931_amount_directing-is-a-huge-amount-of-work-with_2510912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/william-h-macy-3931_amount_directing-is-a-huge-amount-of-work-with_2510912.jpg) > “Directing is a huge amount of work with very little payoff, and a quarter of the money, and nine times more time spent.” [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Directing demands massive effort with minimal reward and disproportionate resources. **In simple terms:** Directing is hard work with little payoff. Key Takeaway Weigh effort versus reward before committing. Themes career film effort reward resource allocation Mood contemplative realistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - film production - career planning - budgeting - time management Key Concepts cost-benefit analysis creative labor Questions to Reflect On - Is the creative fulfillment worth the cost? - How do you balance artistic vision with practical limits? A Different Perspective Passion may outweigh financial logic for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [More time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Directing is such a huge responsibility. So after doing that, you kind of want to go into an acting job where you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-gordon/directing-is-such-a-huge-responsibility-so-after-doing-that-you-kind/) [Molly Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-gordon/) > [I think directing is a huge responsibility and it's not something where you can just be like, "Yeah, sure, I'll give it a go!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hutcherson/i-think-directing-is-a-huge-responsibility-and-it-s-not-something/) [Josh Hutcherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hutcherson/) > ['Geronimo' was a huge amount of work. That involved 80-piece orchestras and Indians and Tuvans and all kinds of crazy people on that thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/geronimo-was-a-huge-amount-of-work-that-involved-80-piece-orchestras/) [Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/) > [here's a huge amount of work that goes into placating a network in regular television. It's literally 70% or 80% of your workload, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/here-s-a-huge-amount-of-work-that-goes-into-placating-a-network-in/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [For a while in my teens, I was sure I had it. It was about getting to heaven. If heaven existed and lasted forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/for-a-while-in-my-teens-i-was-sure-i-had-it-it-was-about-getting-to/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [No one wants to work for little money; otherwise, they would be living on the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-eto-o/no-one-wants-to-work-for-little-money-otherwise-they-would-be-living/) [Samuel Eto'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-eto-o/) > [Work done with little effort is likely to yield little result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/work-done-with-little-effort-is-likely-to-yield-little-result/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The truth is, if we abuse ourselves with too much work and too little play, our body is eventually going to fight back, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/the-truth-is-if-we-abuse-ourselves-with-too-much-work-and-too-little/) [Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/) > [When we live longer, we must work a little bit longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/when-we-live-longer-we-must-work-a-little-bit-longer/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [The desire of excellence is the necessary attribute of those who excel. 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There is a little luck along the way, but there is no substitute for really super-hard work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-callahan-erdoes/there-is-no-substitute-for-hard-work-there-is-a-little-luck-along-the/) [Mary Callahan Erdoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-callahan-erdoes/) ## More by William H. Macy > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [Another mistake a director can make is not to be prepared, so you get there on the day to shoot the scene, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/another-mistake-a-director-can-make-is-not-to-be-prepared-so-you-get/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I don't know if it's fair to say that it's a bad time for movies. It seems to me that throughout the entire history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-fair-to-say-that-it-s-a-bad-time-for-movies-it/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I do want to do TV, but I'm looking to be a creator, writer, and producer, and perhaps I could be a recurring character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-do-want-to-do-tv-but-i-m-looking-to-be-a-creator-writer-and/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [We all want to be 20 again and have that first sense of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/we-all-want-to-be-20-again-and-have-that-first-sense-of-love/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [It’s a shame...you just don’t see young people doing anything outside these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/it-s-a-shame-you-just-don-t-see-young-people-doing-anything-outside/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. It's not right. Someone's gotta say it. They said it. I applaud them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/talk-about-putting-your-money-where-your-mouth-is-it-s-not-right/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I think what all actors share is that, somewhere down in your solar plexus, there's this fear that you're not going to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-think-what-all-actors-share-is-that-somewhere-down-in-your-solar/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I don't watch rushes. My whole thing is to try to stay in the moment with the other actor, and to let it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-don-t-watch-rushes-my-whole-thing-is-to-try-to-stay-in-the-moment/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [One of the things I did early on in film was over-enunciate and talk too loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/one-of-the-things-i-did-early-on-in-film-was-over-enunciate-and-talk/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [If I like the story and it's well written, and it's a character I want to play and they'll pay me, then I decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/if-i-like-the-story-and-it-s-well-written-and-it-s-a-character-i-want/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [The emotions will take care of themselves. You don't have to prod them along. 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Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/that-s-pretty-much-what-every-scene-is-about-getting-people-to-see/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) [Explore all 119 William H. 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What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. 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