I don't think that jealousy and love and hate and anger and all those things have changed in the past 200 years - people just express themselves differently.

The story [of Allied] stayed with me, like a stray dog outside the office, waiting.

I think that helps because there has been no formality of friendship, the politeness of friendship, so we can just work directly on the work that's ahead of us [with Tom Hardey].

If you've read something brilliant, it's good. It's good to look out the window and see what's going on in the world.

True stories are always good because they're so odd, and so unlikely.

In terms of how [Allied] looks, it's fantastic and much better than I had hoped because it's so lush and so beautifully executed.

It's always good to have a world that people don't know about - a world that hasn't yet been done. It's like treading on fresh snow. You're the first one there.

No screenplay is possible, unless you get some attachment from somebody who's going to get it made.

Sometimes you take something because it's an offer and it's big and it's good money and you have to absolutely respect that process, because it's not easier.

I've realized that the only thing I'm interested in is the performance. If the performance is right, then I'm happy. You offer up the dialogue and then the performance comes around.

There's lots of different ways of writing stuff and lots of different mindsets to have, but I think when it's your own creation, it's more pleasurable because you have total control.

Learn from Bad and Understand from Good.

Whoever serves his country well has no need of ancestors.

Someone once told me that God figured that I was a pretty good juggler. I could keep a lot of balls in the air at one time. So He said, "Let's see if he can juggle another one."

In theater, the wellspring of the character comes from the doing of it, like a trial by fire, but in front of an audience.

I try to remind myself that nothing is permanent.

Don't say that you want to give, but go ahead and give! You'll never catch up with a mere hope.

Encourage your kids' artistic side. Toughen up everything else.

Work bears a particular mark of man and of humanity, the mark of a person operating within a community of persons

Being educated means to prefer the best not only to the worst but to the second best.

When the heart is right, "for" and "against" are forgotten.