Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true.

You are what you love. Not what loves you.

I think of myself as a guy who tries to write screenplays and now has tried to direct one. Anything more than that is meaningless and it gets in the way of being a real human being.

I do like escapism. I like going to the movies on a Friday night and seeing something fun.

The only honest and generous thing for me to do is to give people myself. That's all I've got as an artist, so I want to do that in an unflinching way.

The passionate ones, the ones who go after what they want, may not get what they want, but they remain vital, in touch with themselves, and when they lie on their deathbeds, they have few regrets.

Everything I've written is personal - it's the only way I know how to write.

You and I share the same DNA. Is there anything more lonely than that?

Why do I fall in love with every woman I see that shows me the least bit of attention?

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon. Joel: I know. Clementine: What do we do? Joel: Enjoy it.

There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories. They have to be given their due.

Maybe illusion and artifice—lies, even—are a necessary part of romance.

In a world full of pebbles dare to be a diamond.

A great magician is as divine as God and his stage is as majestic as the paradise.

Part of the process in healing from trauma, like recovering from addiction, is developing connection and support with others.

Pleasure without joy is as hollow as passion without tenderness.

Everyone should have an evil secret plan.

Patriotism means advocating plunder in the interests of the privileged class of your particular country. The time will soon come when calling someone a patriot will be the deepest insult.

I said it was a mistake. It wasn't the best choice. But all my emails have been turned over to the public.

That spirit of mockery characteristic of the guaracha was part of the mambo from the beginning.

A pinch of praise is worth a pound of scorn. A dash of encouragement is more helpful than a dipper of pessimism. A cup of kindness is better than a cupboard of criticism.