Ambition interests me because it’s such a surefire indicator of damage.

The minute you become a leader of a country, you go into a very small club. You join that sort of pantheon of other world leaders.

If you have distance from the events, then your story can work as an analogy or parable, rather than its literal narrative.

To what degree are historians chroniclers of the truth and to what degree are they just novelists, frankly?

Firms are a bit concerned about things like oil prices and US growth but actually the change (in firms expectations) is quite small so I think broadly theyre looking for more of the same.

I wrote 'Hereafter' quickly and without mapping it out too much or being too schematic. As an exercise, I think that was incredibly important.

Generally, I read nonfiction. Theres very little fiction that I enjoy enough to spend my time reading. I am generally a nonfiction guy.

Movies feel like work, and reading fiction feels like work, whereas reading nonfiction feels like pleasure.

I just try and do something good. But as a writer, you're slightly out of control.

I am not a politics wonk. I like the idea of my writing reflecting more about who I am or other people.

The real beauty in my professional experience has been friendships and collaborations with filmmakers.

Sometimes, if you get too close to a subject you can miss what’s most important.

My father was a farmer and my mother was a farmer, but, my childhood was very good. I am very grateful for my childhood, because it was full of gladness and good humanity.

Living in New York after 14 years, I'm such an outdoors kind of person. I love gardening and building things. I like restoring old furniture.

Fortune is for all, judgment is theirs who have won it for themselves.

I have done some tacky films, but then they were all my decisions, and I'm happy to have made those because they have made me who I am.

As human beings in general ... I don't think we've grown that much. Technology wise, we are getting too intelligent for our own good.

The goal was scored a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona.

Sometimes the highest form of action is inaction.

Malice scorned, puts out itself; but argued, give a kind of credit to a false accusation.

There must be a judicious arrangement of all the parts. Considered conversely, the artist's task is to fill his panel with a design that conforms to its shape and is beautiful in itself.