A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end … but not necessarily in that order.

While this statement and a few variants are often attributed entirely to Godard, it is actually a paraphrase of combined remarks, incorporating a query made by director Henri-Georges Clouzot, and Godard's response, as reported in "Films: Verdict on Cannes" by Kenneth Tynan in The Observer (22 May 1966), p. 24; this report is cited, along with precursors and later variants in the Quote Investigator article "Films Should Have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End" "Yes, But Not Necessarily in That Order" (4 January 2020)

Clouzot: But surely you agree, M. Godard, that films should have a beginning, a middle part and an end? | Godard: Yes, but not necessarily in that order. | A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order. | As cited in "Jean-Luc Godard: 'Film is over. What to do?' by Fiachra Gibbons, in The Guardian (12 July 2011)