Susanne Bier Quotes

Powerful Susanne Bier for Daily Growth

About Susanne Bier

Susanne Bier (born October 31, 1960) is a Danish film director and screenwriter, renowned for her thought-provoking narratives that delve into the complexities of human relationships and emotions. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Bier was initially drawn to journalism, studying at the Danish School of Journalism before transitioning to filmmaking. Her directorial debut came with the critically acclaimed film 'Freutopia' (1998), followed by the successful 'The One and Only' (2000) and 'Open Hearts' (2002), which earned Bier international recognition, winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Bier's breakthrough came with the poignant drama 'Brothers' (2004), a powerful exploration of family dynamics, loss, and redemption that won her a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film. The success paved the way for more significant works like 'After the Wedding' (2006) and 'In a Better World' (2010), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to her filmmaking career, Bier has also ventured into television, creating the critically acclaimed series 'The Night Manager' (2016). Her works often reflect her personal influences, including her interest in politics and social issues, as well as her ability to empathize with characters from diverse backgrounds. Bier continues to push boundaries in storytelling, using her platform to tackle complex themes and evoke profound emotions in her audiences. Her impact on Danish cinema and the global film industry has cemented her status as a trailblazing director and an inspiring figure in contemporary filmmaking.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Life is not black and white, it's a thousand shades of grey."

Susanne Bier's quote signifies that life is complex and nuanced rather than being strictly good or bad. Life often presents us with situations where decisions are not clear-cut, but require thought, empathy, and understanding to navigate effectively. This perspective encourages us to consider the multiple facets of a situation, to see beyond the obvious, and to strive for balance, wisdom, and compassion in our actions.


"The only true love story is a tragedy."

Susanne Bier's quote, "The only true love story is a tragedy," suggests that enduring love often involves deep emotional pain or heartbreak. It implies that true, passionate love can lead to intense feelings of loss and sorrow when relationships encounter obstacles such as separation, betrayal, or death. This perspective underscores the bittersweet nature of love – while it brings immense joy and connection, it also carries the potential for profound suffering. The quote invites us to embrace the complexities and vulnerabilities inherent in love, and to recognize that even amidst heartache, the memories and emotions we experience with our loved ones remain a powerful part of who we are.


"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction."

This quote emphasizes that true love transcends individual self-absorption and encourages shared experiences and goals. It suggests that couples who love deeply do not simply focus on each other's physical appearance or emotions, but rather find joy and purpose in pursuing common interests and objectives together. The idea is to grow and navigate life's journey side by side, moving forward towards a mutually agreed upon direction. This quote highlights the importance of companionship, understanding, and shared vision in a loving relationship.


"In every ending there is a new beginning."

This quote by Susanne Bier emphasizes that change is an inherent part of life, and endings should not be viewed as something to fear or mourn, but rather as opportunities for growth and the beginning of new chapters. Whether it's a relationship, job, or phase in one's personal development, embracing the idea that every ending leads to a fresh start encourages resilience and an openness to possibilities.


"Life has many ways of testing a person's will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once."

This quote implies that life can challenge our resolve in two seemingly contradictory ways: through periods of stagnation where we feel tested by the absence of meaningful events, or through times of overwhelming change where everything seems to be happening simultaneously. Both scenarios can test one's willpower and resilience, emphasizing that endurance and adaptability are essential qualities for navigating life's challenges.


I really don't like that modern notion of 'I don't need anyone.' I see a lot of young women feeling they have to be that way, they have to be hard, in a way. And what does that bring them? They're just going to be lonesome. They're going to be, at best, lonesome and capable, at worst, lonesome and hard. And is that what we want? No.

- Susanne Bier

Young, Bring, I See, Lonesome

I don't feel that I'm strictly Danish; I don't feel that my sense of humor is strictly Danish or my human sensibility is strictly Danish.

- Susanne Bier

Sense Of Humor, Danish, Sensibility

I've always been slightly hesitant about generalizing movies made by men and women being different in their nature; I think movies by each director are different. Having said that, I think that it's kind of disgraceful that there aren't more female directors.

- Susanne Bier

Been, I Think, Slightly, Being Different

I have this almost obsessive desire to whomever is close to me: I want to have a very intense, close, intimate relationship with them.

- Susanne Bier

Desire, Very, Almost, Whomever

Any creative process is about being in a territory which isn't secure, isn't necessarily familiar, and isn't convenient in any sort of way. And that's the excitement of it.

- Susanne Bier

Process, About, Which, Convenient

I think most of my films all have a certain tone or intensity in them. They are tense, and you kind of anticipate some kind of catastrophe, but you're not quite sure.

- Susanne Bier

Think, Some, Films, Anticipate

I don't do a lot of rehearsal. I don't like rehearsals. I rehearse the day or morning. I spend one hour and a half with all the actors, and we go over the scenes, and we change it and change the dialogue, and we do a lot of things to it, but prior to shooting, I don't really rehearse.

- Susanne Bier

Shooting, Half, Lot, Rehearsals

For years, whenever I'd been travelling and came back to Copenhagen, I'd think: 'People are so stylish.' And it's not any one class. It's everyday life.

- Susanne Bier

Think, Been, Travelling, Copenhagen

In a way, the whole notion of a blueprint of a building is not that different from a script for a movie. A sequence of spaces, which is what you do as an architect, is really the same as a sequence of scenes.

- Susanne Bier

Movie, Which, Architect, Blueprint

There are certain things you cannot accept. There are certain things that human beings cannot tolerate.

- Susanne Bier

Things, Certain Things, Tolerate

John le Carre's 'The Night Manager' is a relentlessly exhilarating thriller with profound emotional depths.

- Susanne Bier

Night, Manager, Profound, Depths

I don't know that there's more bullying or whether it's just more talked about. It seems to me that possibly that there's been a lot of bullying all the time, but at the moment, it's something that people are talking about.

- Susanne Bier

More, Been, About, Possibly

I think possibly, as an artist, you're always treated with a certain respect but also with a certain sort of nervousness.

- Susanne Bier

Think, Always, Treated, Possibly

I guess I strongly feel that we cannot pretend that the Third World is not part of our world. We cannot say 'OK, there's that problem over there, let's just close our eyes' - we cannot do that.

- Susanne Bier

Over, Third World, We Cannot, OK

I have a slight controversy with the Dogme brethren because I've been saying that rules are to be interpreted; not that I haven't followed the rules, because I don't see the point of submitting yourself to a set of rules if you don't follow them. But having said that, it is always a lot of interpretation.

- Susanne Bier

Rules, Been, Point, Interpreted

People don't necessarily do evil deeds because they want to; people happen to do something with horrible consequences even if they meant to be kind.

- Susanne Bier

Happen, Deeds, Meant, Meant To Be

I generally edit quite heavily. In general, there aren't many scenes that are sitting where they sat in the script in the final form.

- Susanne Bier

Edit, Sat, Many, Sitting

I did learn a lot from 'Things We Lost in the Fire,' but I've learned different things from different films.

- Susanne Bier

Learn, Films, Learned, Different Things

The main thing as a director, you always want to have a bit of a worry about the material you're going to get yourself into. You want to be a bit scared of it so that you have that excitement of having to climb the mountain.

- Susanne Bier

Worry, Always, Having, Scared

I'm extremely straightforward. And I can't do that sort of traditional girl thing of saying one thing that actually means something else. I never understood it, and I still don't understand it.

- Susanne Bier

Straightforward, Means, Understood

I think that being Jewish has generated an extremely strong sense of the importance of family. If I look at my Scandinavian colleagues, they don't have that urgency about family. All my movies are about that.

- Susanne Bier

Strong, Think, I Think, Scandinavian

There were 10 or 15 years where all the Scandinavian movies were gray and light brown. I got really bored with it. I really felt that movies had to have that life of vivid colors.

- Susanne Bier

Brown, Had, Felt, Scandinavian

If my daughter's going to go out in the winter with summer clothes, I'm gonna question it. And at some point, I assume, if the conversation goes on long enough, if I can convince her, she will put on some warm clothes. And I think that sort of exchange is pretty valid.

- Susanne Bier

Winter, Some, I Think, Assume

If you look at children's stories in fairy tales, they're pretty brutal.

- Susanne Bier

Pretty, Stories, Brutal, Tales

My mother has had breast cancer twice. And my mother has always been this very positive human being: a glass-half-full type. Like, when she was in treatment and feeling really bad, she would always talk about some nurse that was particularly nice to her.

- Susanne Bier

Some, Very, Treatment, Nurse

Women, nowhere in the world, have the kind of important position in society in the amount that they ought to have.

- Susanne Bier

Society, Important, Amount, Ought

A lot of people who live in Denmark will understand Danish but not necessarily speak it.

- Susanne Bier

Will, Danish, Lot, Denmark

Denmark is like a big family of people.

- Susanne Bier

Big, Big Family, Like, Denmark

For me, grief is a static thing, and my movies have an extremely dynamic sort of movement.

- Susanne Bier

Movies, Static, Extremely, Grief

I'm a huge fan of Richard Curtis - there's real grief, real compassion in his films as well as cheekiness; it's a wonderful cocktail.

- Susanne Bier

Wonderful, Richard, Films, Grief

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.