Skip to main content

Daily Inspiration Quote by Ridley Scott

"Do what you haven't done is the key, I think"

About this Quote

The line lands like a director’s note you can actually live by: stop polishing yesterday’s instincts and go find a new problem. Coming from Ridley Scott, it reads less like motivational poster language and more like a survival strategy for a career built on reinvention. This is the filmmaker who bounced from the grubby sci-fi horror of Alien to the neon-noir melancholy of Blade Runner, then pivoted again into historical spectacle, war drama, and late-career maximalism. “Do what you haven’t done” isn’t abstract bravery; it’s a production model.

The phrasing is tellingly plain, almost tossed off: “the key, I think.” That little hedge is classic craftsman modesty, but it’s also a quiet flex. Scott doesn’t sell genius; he sells process. The subtext is that originality isn’t a lightning strike, it’s a discipline of self-disruption. You avoid becoming a tribute band to your own greatest hits by engineering unfamiliarity: new genres, new tools, new collaborators, new rhythms. In an industry that rewards repeatable IP and punishes risk, the line doubles as a subtle rebuke. If you keep doing what works, you end up making the safe version of yourself, which is just another kind of sequel.

Context matters, too: Scott’s often discussed in terms of hits and “director’s cuts,” the myth of the auteur wrestling with studios and legacy. This quote shrugs at legacy. It’s a reminder that the most cinematic way to stay alive is to keep moving the camera somewhere you haven’t aimed it yet.

Quote Details

TopicEmbrace Change
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Scott, Ridley. (2026, January 15). Do what you haven't done is the key, I think. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-what-you-havent-done-is-the-key-i-think-21957/

Chicago Style
Scott, Ridley. "Do what you haven't done is the key, I think." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-what-you-havent-done-is-the-key-i-think-21957/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Do what you haven't done is the key, I think." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/do-what-you-havent-done-is-the-key-i-think-21957/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Ridley Add to List
Do What You Haven't Done: Ridley Scott's Key to Success
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

United Kingdom Flag

Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937) is a Director from United Kingdom.

29 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Red Auerbach, Coach
Red Auerbach
Øystein Stray Spetalen, Businessman
Øystein Stray Spetalen
Princess Diana, Royalty
Princess Diana