Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.

When I was 24 I went to Nigeria and it was such a culture shock, growing up in Australia and suddenly being the only white man in this unit full of black men.

When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.

In Australia, they set up a special fund to kick films off. It was quite an enlightened sort of move. You could go to this government bureau with scripts and and get finance for films.

There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that.

With a film, I do my best to understand the author's intentions and try to bring the characters to life.

Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.

The music of the most popular operas is so highly esteemed, it can stand endless revivals.

It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying.

On stage, the audience watches from a fixed viewpoint and the director cannot retake something he doesn't like. It has to work straight through.

Directing an opera is similar to directing a play. The singing must not get in the way of the drama.

Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.

Everyone who searches for power, without exception, searches for battle. Do you fight in order to become more powerful? Or do you want more power so you can fight?

Do not be bad because others treat you badly.

Even in the tough times, He's still a good God.

The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations.

If there are too many cooks in the kitchen, the dish is not going to work out.

I have very girly hands and I use them a lot when I talk in a way that I think is very feminine.

Only out of stir and change is born new salvation. To deny that is to deny belief in man, to turn our backs on courage!

The writing begins when you’ve finished. Only then do you know what you’re trying to say.

The first must that any director has is to not force his public.