Spike Jonze Quotes

I like hiring people based on a feeling - this person gets it - rather than what they've done in the past.

Even in this world where you’re getting everything you need and having this nice life, there’s still loneliness and longing and disconnection.

I always aspire to that, where it feels like the film was made by the characters as opposed to the filmmakers. I try to be invisible.

If I leave my phone in the car and go to dinner or something for a few hours, I'm very proud of myself.

The things that are really out of control, and scary, are emotions - of people around you, that are unpredictable, or those in yourself which are unpredictable.

You make a movie that is about what you want it to be about and let people have their reaction to it.

Don't differentiate between 'This is a job' and 'This is what I'm doing for fun.' It's all simultaneous.

The past is just a story we tell ourselves.

Doing a documentary is about discovering, being open, learning, and following curiosity.

Be willing to get fired for a good idea.

If I can make one generalised statement, and generalised statements are never entirely true, nobody wants to be talked down to, kids included.

On everything I do I'm always taking someone's money, whether it's a movie studio or a record label. Somebody's paying for it, and I'm always respectful of that. But I'm never going to compromise.

It's fun when you start a movie, because it's kind of like you get to go Christmas shopping... you get to make your wish list and you start thinking about what each character needs.

I feel like you only have so much time to make stuff. I'm definitely aware of that. I'm also excited about it.

I just want to make whatever is exciting.

I like naps. I don't drink coffee.

As a parent, your perspective of childhood is through the eyes of this person that you care so much about and you just want the world to be great for them. You want their life to be easy and happy.

I'm not one to intellectualize why I did something.

Where The Wild Things Are we were asking a lot of a 9-year-old kid. We were asking a lot of any actor.

You have to be involved and relate to the characters in order to make a film that is true emotionally.

I think because I'm not a parent, my most immediate connection to childhood is my memory of my own childhood.

I don't understand the whole testing-numbers thing. It is not how I want to make movies.

Felt is not the easiest thing to animate. It's very flimsy.

I am better at math than spelling.

The invention of the iPod changes how you use music. Suddenly you have music everywhere.

Big emotions that are unexplained are really scary. At least to me.

I feel like everything I make is personal to me.

Chris Cooper I got to work with many times.

I think the way kids create is so inspiring. They're drawing a picture? They love the picture they drew; they're not tortured about it.

I definitely enjoy getting to know people I find inspiring.

Music is thousands and thousands of years old and I don't think that basic, primitive connection to the language of music ever changes.

Emotions are messy and hard to figure out.

The strengths and failings of a relationship depend entirely on your ability to talk about your feelings.

There's great food everywhere, and even McDonald's uses nice wood now.

Is artificial intelligence less than our intelligence?

There were times in 'Adaptation' during the editing where I really thought, 'Okay, well, this was a noble failure. I tried to do something good, but this is not going to work.'

I love when me and my friends don't know how to make something - there's that risk of failure, which should be there. If it's guaranteed not to fail, it's something you already know how to do.

Don't differentiate between "This is a job" and "This is what I'm doing for fun." It's all simultaneous.