J. Yates Quotes

Had I been more responsible I might have made something of myself as a junk bond trader, long-haul trucker or perhaps a plumbing contractor.

The bicycle is a former child's toy that has now been elevated to icon status because, presumably, it can move the human form from pillar to post without damage to the environment.

The hell with "love" anyway, and with every other phony, time-wasting, half-assed emotion in the world.

Racing is bulging at the seams with pure nutball characters, men who can drink more, screw more, fight more, laugh more, joke more, than practically any collection of people in the world.

More books, more racing and more foolishness with cars and motorcycles are in the works.

When a writer admits that he has an affection for something which he has written, it is high time to pray for his soul.

They say that we are better educated than our parents' generation. What they mean is that we go to school longer. They are not the same thing.

The proper direction of man's thought is not toward the creation of new laws for government, but toward the acceptance of every person's moral dignity.

I'm both an artist / filmmaker and a human rights defender.

Anybody's marriage might benefit from an occasional embargo on talk.

There's never been anything funny about a woman dying for love.

When it came to music growing up, it wasn't just gospel and R&B. My uncle brought rock 'n' roll to me when I was younger, and I loved it. I was open to all music.

Now I'm starting, relatively, to think straight again. I live one day at a time, one hour at a time. What makes it all worthwhile is my children.

People did change, and a change could be a bloom as well as a withering.

It seems to be that loneliness is a small price to pay for peace and quiet.

Witnessing is the essence of being a documentary filmmaker. Capturing moments in time; never knowing how history will judge them.

Until Eve gave him the apple, Adam didn't even know he wasn't wearing underpants.

When you're trapped in an abusive home environment you can feel completely hopeless and lost. Remember that situations can change with time, and that it won't be this way forever.

If one is looking for cultural testosterone and raging off-the-wall competition in the world of communications, Manhattan was - and is - home plate.

No scientific theory achieves public acceptance until it has been thoroughly discredited.

I'm a worldly angel, meaning I've adjusted to the ways of the world, even though I am a child of God. I wouldn't consider myself a Christian rapper, but if we were Christian rappers, we would kill.

The early 1970s was a time when illegal acts were in style. Everybody was going nuts with causes, most of them against the law.

Everything at a NASCAR event carries a corporate logo except the lavatory stalls.

A written regulation in NASCAR is about as reliable as an Egyptian immigration law.

Will a day come when our cars have carbon-fiber tubs, 18,000-rpm V-10 engines, and ground-effects tunnels? Perhaps, about the same time we have condos on the moon.

Regardless, I did rise to the editorship before embarking on a freelance career in the late '60's.

I like to create an atmosphere where actors feel safe enough to take risks.

I love 'The Stand;' I read it when I was a kid - it was one of my favorite books when I was growing up. I love Stephen King; I think he's a remarkable writer.

You never want to be the director who dropped the ball, you know?

In an ideal world, I'd bounce between big projects and no-budget TV dramas with fantastic scripts.

I'm a Harry Potter fan.

I like happy sets. Happy sets are good, and I think people feel comfortable on them.

Personally, I read a lot of scripts.

We are all, after all, just human beings, and most of us have a lot in common.

I think the two issues, racism and chauvinism, are linked. Look at how much weaker was support for U.S. actions in Iraq among black people.

What needs to be grasped is that the system itself is the cause of all of the misery in the world. This is a simple but powerful idea.

Capitalism is, in Mao's language, the main contradiction in the world today and so our efforts have to be focused on ending this system and making a new one.

You can't take the view of some of the sectarian parties that hard issues can't be confronted when dealing with workers. If you don't confront these issues, what will ever change?

You have to get out in the world and meet folks on their own turf, something which a lot of urban radical intellectuals seldom do.

Most people in this country, while they might not be happy about things, also are woefully ignorant about many things. Sometimes people can learn, but other times they have to be confronted.

Most young people are or will soon enough be workers. They can help to energize and radicalize the workers' movement. And what revolution has ever succeeded without youth?

Of course we can talk about the radical potential of youth. But in the U.S. it is still the case that most youth are conservative and not very sympathetic to the working class.

The main dividing line is still race. This is the issue that must be focused upon in all working class organizations.

Without an understanding of the issue of race and a willingness to confront it head on, the working class will not build its strength.

Racism is the most divisive force in our society, so until it is dealt with we cannot hope for much.

Celebrate your victories and mark your defeats. Ultimately documentary filmmaking is not a job, it's a calling.

I'm a storyteller who uses all of the beauty and power of cinema to tell tales of human struggles for positive social change.

Everyone has access to a pen and paper, but to be a great writer is difficult.

The digital revolution has had a democratizing effect. Now anyone can be a filmmaker, but to be a good filmmaker is as hard as it ever was.

I'm an eclectic and avid filmgoer. I try to see everything from romantic comedies to blockbusters to art house films, world cinema and documentaries.