Agnes Varda Quotes, born May 30, 1928, in Ixelles, Belgium, was a French filmmaker, photographer, and artist, celebrated as a pioneer of the French New Wave. Her films, such as Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), Vagabond (1985), and The Gleaners and I (2000), blend documentary realism with feminist and social commentary, earning her an honorary Oscar in 2017. Known for her experimental style and curiosity about human experiences, Varda’s work reshaped modern cinema. These 15 quotes—sourced from her films, interviews, and posts on X—reflect her wisdom on filmmaking, creativity, feminism, and life, capturing her vibrant and visionary spirit.
15 Agnes Varda Quotes
- “In my films, I always wanted to make people see deeply. I don’t want to show things, but to give people the desire to see.” (Interview, Vanity Fair, 2019)
- “The first feminist gesture is to say: ‘OK, they’re looking at me. But I’m looking at them.’ The act of deciding to look, of deciding that the world is not defined by how people see me, but how I see them.” (Interview, Goodreads, n.d.)
- “If we opened people up, we’d find landscapes. If we opened me up, we’d find beaches.” (Film, The Beaches of Agnès, 2008)
- “I live in cinema. I feel I’ve lived here forever.” (Interview, AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “You have to invent life.” (Interview, A.V. Club, 2009)
- “Humor is such a strong weapon, such a strong answer. Women have to make jokes about themselves, laugh about themselves, because they have nothing to lose.” (Interview, InspiringQuotes, n.d.)
- “I’m curious. Period. I find everything interesting. Real life. Fake life. Objects. Flowers. Cats. But mostly people.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Memory is like sand in my hand, conservo un poco y un poco se va.” (Post on X, @literlandweb1, 2025-05-31)
- “I cannot plan anything. I have to have the desire to make a film. Then it’s a joy.” (Interview, Agnes Varda: Interviews, 2013)
- “This is all you need in life: a computer, a camera, and a cat.” (Interview, InspiringQuotes, n.d.)
- “I think I was a feminist before being born. I had a feminist chromosome somewhere.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I try to do nothing. I drink rosemary when I have a lot of work to do. People take coffee, they take speed, whatever. I take rosemary.” (Interview, The Believer, 2009)
- “I’m just curious about human beings, and the cinema is a powerful way of seeing what is going on in the world.” (Interview, Bookey, 2023)
- “The gleaning certainly made me reconnect with the actual value of things.” (Interview, Bookey, 2023)
- “I enjoy the time passing. I think it’s a privilege to be in friendship with time.” (Interview, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
Agnès Varda’s quotes shimmer with curiosity, creativity, and a fierce love for life, inspiring readers to see the world through a filmmaker’s lens and embrace their own vision. Which one awakens your desire to see deeply? Drop it in the comments and keep her cinematic legacy thriving!
Emma Thompson
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