I don't consider myself to be particularly gifted in the way that other filmmakers are gifted.

I think I'm good at amplifying an actor's strengths, and minimizing their weaknesses. And they all have strengths and weaknesses.

When a film like Chris Nolan's Memento cannot get picked up, to me independent film is over. It's dead.

To me the director’s job is to leave it in better shape than you found it, literally.

If you're sitting around thinking what other people think about your work, you'll just become paralysed.

We [people] are a species that's wired to tell stories. We need stories. It's how we make sense of things. It's how we learn.

I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating...anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us-I think this world would be unlivable without art and I thank you.

You’re supposed to expand your mind to fit the art, you’re not supposed to chop the art down to fit your mind.

There are three major social issues that this country is struggling with: education, poverty, and drugs. Two of them we talk about, and one of them we don't.

What are the stories you want people to tell about you?

The ought to be a worldwide cultural taskforce that just stops you when you have ideas like combining The Red Desert with an armored car heist movie.

Science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say.

God is so much bigger than our ‘what ifs’ that he can turn them into ‘why nots

Vacate the bench of rest and play the game of the bests. Keep on marching

A colleague like Barnabas could comfort him (Paul) in illness and keep him from overstrain when fit.

A strong drink can numb the soul as good as any prayer

A lot of actors don't like to see how they've done every day.

Children can find other children to be pals. Children need fathers to be fathers.

[My father] taught me (at least he showed me) a dignified way to be a former president is that once you're off the stage, you're off the stage.

Because if I see you defeated, then I think I will see Alban defeated, and if that happens, none of us can go on. To guard you is to guard the heart of this land of ours.

Our death is our wedding with eternity.