--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever came up first with that saying a…" description: "\"Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.\" — Wim Wenders" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg" --- # Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth… ![“Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.” quote by Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg) > “Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.” [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” oversimplifies visual communication. **In simple terms:** Images convey complex ideas beyond simple comparison. Key Takeaway Recognize nuance in visual storytelling. Themes communication art interpretation Mood critical insightful Type artistic educational When to use this quote - advertising - film direction - social media Key Concepts semiotics visual literacy metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure visual messages are clear? - What limits a single image’s meaning? A Different Perspective Images can be misinterpreted without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture is worth a thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words/) ## Related quotes > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, in business, so is a number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-in-business-so-is-a-number/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [A picture is worth a thousand words. An interface is worth a thousand pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shneiderman/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-an-interface-is-worth-a-thousand/) [Ben Shneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shneiderman/) > [A picture is worth a thousand words, but conversations with them generally end in dissapointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-but-conversations-with-them/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, photographers are worth a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-photographers-are-worth-a/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-uses-up-a-thousand-times-the/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [One picture is worth a thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/one-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There's that statement, "A picture is worth a thousand words" - well, I think flying around in Google Earth is worth a million words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-moore/there-s-that-statement-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-well-i/) [Rebecca Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-moore/) > [“There is so much truth in the saying: A picture says a thousand words...so always do your best to look great when you take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/there-is-so-much-truth-in-the-saying-a-picture-says-a-thousand-words/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [i'm beginning to feel like this. caught the incredible sunshine just in the nick of time today on my walk. the wall of rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-m-beginning-to-feel-like-this-caught-the-incredible-sunshine-just/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, please paint me the Gettysburg Address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-please-paint-me-the-gettysburg/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“People talked. Let them talk. Nothing I could do to stop them. They knew the thousand words, but they didn't know the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/people-talked-let-them-talk-nothing-i-could-do-to-stop-them-they-knew/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [I don't believe a picture is worth a thousand words, unless they're very confusing words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-don-t-believe-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-unless-they-re/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [“A picture is worth a thousand words…and a video is worth a million pictures…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankala-subbarao/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-a-video-is-worth-a-million/) [Ankala Subbarao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankala-subbarao/) > [They say never judge a book by its cover but they also said a picture is worth a thousand words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaz/they-say-never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-but-they-also-said-a-picture/) [Jaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaz/) > [A picture of you is worth more than a thousand words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/a-picture-of-you-is-worth-more-than-a-thousand-words/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) ## More by Wim Wenders > [It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/it-s-a-great-lesson-in-modesty-that-you-realize-you-re-illiterate-in/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [The beautiful image today means nothing. It's worthshit. In fact, it's almost as if it has the opposite effect, becauseyou're just like everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-beautiful-image-today-means-nothing-it-s-worthshit-in-fact-it-s/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [The Yanks have colonized our subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-yanks-have-colonized-our-subconscious/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [On the contrary a film can promote the idea of change without any political message whatsoever but in its form and language can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/on-the-contrary-a-film-can-promote-the-idea-of-change-without-any/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [Every photo, every 'ONCE' in time is also the beginning of a story starting 'once upon a time...' Every photo is the first frame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/every-photo-every-once-in-time-is-also-the-beginning-of-a-story/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [The culture of independent film criticism has totally gone down the drain and this seems to come with the territory of the consumer age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-culture-of-independent-film-criticism-has-totally-gone-down-the/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [Everything is entertainment; criticism is now entertainment and it seems that the French directors have woken up one day and suddenly realised that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/everything-is-entertainment-criticism-is-now-entertainment-and-it/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [“What is it in the human condition that tries to impose our own view onto others, without the ability, capacity, propensity, to receive somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/what-is-it-in-the-human-condition-that-tries-to-impose-our-own-view/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [To evoke the classic period of Italian cinema in a little film seemed like a great, fun thing to do. I had relations to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/to-evoke-the-classic-period-of-italian-cinema-in-a-little-film-seemed/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [In books they don't have deleted scenes, like with DVDs. You could have your deleted scene in a book as well!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/in-books-they-don-t-have-deleted-scenes-like-with-dvds-you-could-have/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [For years all I seemed to be doing was lobbying politicians and others to persuade them that European culture needed movies, and that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/for-years-all-i-seemed-to-be-doing-was-lobbying-politicians-and/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [Sex and violence was never really my cup of tea; I was always more into sax and violins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/sex-and-violence-was-never-really-my-cup-of-tea-i-was-always-more/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [I can't do a million things anymore like I could when I was younger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/i-can-t-do-a-million-things-anymore-like-i-could-when-i-was-younger/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [If you travel a lot, if you like roaming about in order to lose yourself, you can end up in the strangest places. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/if-you-travel-a-lot-if-you-like-roaming-about-in-order-to-lose/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [So I am getting a little bored with defining one type of film as American and the other European or from somewhere else because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/so-i-am-getting-a-little-bored-with-defining-one-type-of-film-as/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) [Explore all 68 Wim Wenders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) ## More Firsts quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [You sort of can't talk about the post production unless you talk about what comes first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-greengrass/you-sort-of-can-t-talk-about-the-post-production-unless-you-talk/) [Paul Greengrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-greengrass/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) Browse all 32,432 Firsts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wim Wenders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Firsts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/wim-wenders-9999_firsts_whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a_2837911.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing…” — Wim Wenders", "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": "Wim Wenders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whoever came up first with that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/#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 } } ] } ```