Werner Herzog

Film & Theater German 1942 379 quotes

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 way to truly live is to embrace death.

Various interviews

I don't believe in success. I believe in fulfillment.

Various interviews

The world is a canvas. And I am a painter.

Various interviews

I don't believe in fear. I believe in courage.

Various interviews

The only way to find peace is to accept chaos.

Various interviews

I don't believe in answers. I believe in questions.

Various interviews

The world is a song. And I am a singer.

Various interviews

I don't believe in limits. I believe in possibilities.

Various interviews

The only way to truly see is to close your eyes.

Various interviews

I don't believe in time. I believe in eternity.

Various interviews

The world is a mirror. And I am a reflection.

Various interviews

I don't believe in endings. I believe in new beginnings.

Various interviews

The only way to truly understand is to experience.

Various interviews

The trees in the jungle are not a community. They are a battleground.

Fitzcarraldo

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

Interview

There is a difference between a fact and a truth. A fact is something that can be proven. A truth is something that is felt.

Interview

The world is full of things that are beautiful, but they are also full of things that are terrifying.

Grizzly Man

I would rather die than live without dreams.

Burden of Dreams

The world is not a place for the weak. It is a place for the strong.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

We have to articulate the darkness, and we have to articulate the light.

Interview