Werner Herzog
Visionary filmmaker and profound quotable figure
Most quoted
"There are deeper strata of truth in cinema, and there is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylization."
— from Minnesota Declaration, 1999
"I don't think there's any such thing as 'nature' in the abstract. There's only the nature of this particular jungle, this particular desert, this particular mountain range. And they are all hostile."
— from Various interviews
"I don't think there's any such thing as a natural born filmmaker. I think you have to be a little bit crazy to want to be a filmmaker."
— from Interview
All quotes by Werner Herzog (379)
The only true failure is to stop trying.
Every film is a journey into the unknown, a leap of faith.
The human heart is a vast and mysterious landscape.
I seek to understand the madness that drives us.
The world is full of stories waiting to be told, if only we listen.
I have no patience for those who cling to comfort.
The beauty of the world is often found in its harshness.
To truly live, one must confront their own mortality.
My films are not about answers, but about questions.
The spirit of adventure is the most precious gift.
I'm not a pessimist. I'm an optimist who carries a camera.
The film director has to be a kind of warrior, a kind of gladiator.
I make films for people who are willing to dream.
I don't think there's any such thing as objective truth. There's only subjective truth.
I'm not interested in facts. I'm interested in illumination.
I believe in the power of images.
The only way to learn is to do.
I'm not interested in making films that are easy to watch.
The world is a mystery, and I'm trying to unravel it.
I'm not a storyteller. I'm a truth-teller.
Contemporaries of Werner Herzog
Other Film & Theaters born within 50 years of Werner Herzog (1942).