I don't make a division between an art film and commercial art.

I couldn't be a cameraman or a designer or an actor - I have to be a director because I learned how to do that from my dad.

I think my dyslexia was a vital part of my development because my inability to read and write meant that I had to find knowledge elsewhere so I looked to the cinema.

I see the job of directing as being one of creating the right atmosphere, creating an environment where people can realize their full potential.

Every time I make a film, I feel it gives me the chance to learn something new.

Fairy tales to me are never happy, sweet stories. They're moral stories about overcoming the dark side and the bad.

Modern, not bottom-dwelling literature like a carp.

I was known for a while for doing very long takes, especially after Atonement.

I feel more in touch with the world when I'm filming.

Generally, I've never known quite how to fit in in civilian life, but on set, making a film, I know exactly where to go, how to behave and how I fit.

I like the idea of doing something outside my comfort zone.

... You can't be with God and be neutral. / True contemplation is resistance. And poetry, / gazing at clouds is resistance I found out in jail.

Be happy while you have life.

Your dreams will come true- If you put your mind to it. Your fantasies not. They only help you imagine that things are better than they really are.

Coloring is very relaxing for one thing. And I think adults like to unplug from technology for awhile and do something tangible with their hands.

When I was a boy, unconsciously, spontaneously I learned the art of telling ironic stories.

After all, advocates, including advocates for States, are like managers of pugilistic and election contestants in that they have a propensity for claiming everything.

I am a strong believer in the intertwined nature of the personal and the political; I think they move together.

All the times I have suddenly realized that my parents are dead, even now, it still surprises me, to exist in the world while that which made me has ceased to exist

Mixtapes are very personal, and they describe who you are better than an album sometimes.

There can be no democracy without observing the law and everyone must observe it - that is the most basic and important thing that we all should remember.