I choose to write characters from the inside because I feel like that's the way I'm gonna get the most honest version of them.

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.

Her mind is a mess, and she has no intention of cleaning today.

Love is a spark. It’s the smile that says come to me. It’s the flirty hello. It’s the scent of her perfume. It’s his new haircut. It’s the look that ignites a dozen possibilities. - Set on Fire

If we heard that somebody starved to death in Sweden or Switzerland, we would be shocked.

Poor people cannot rely on the government to come to help you in times of need. You have to get your education. Then nobody can control your destiny.

Any horse can win on any given day.

A good listener truly wants to know the speaker.

It's a funny thing, by the way, how people who love free markets are also quite sure that they know that investors are being irrational.

There is a lot of silence in me, and I feel that silence is often better than spoken words.

What's the earth With all its art, verse, music, worth — Compared with love, found, gained, and kept?