I have never regarded myself as this or that. I have been too busy being myself to bother about regarding myself.

[A] pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant.

The only thing I want is something I can't have; and that is to know if, 100 years from now, people will still buy my books.

I have a strong moral sense - by my standards.

Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.

Measure your minds height by the shadow it casts.

Being broke is not a disgrace, it is only a catastrophe.

Every Sherlock Holmes story has at least one marvelous scene.

Sarcasm is not the rapier of wit its wielders seem to believe it to be, but merely a club: it may, by dint of brute force, occasionally raise bruises, but it never cuts or pierces.

The more you put in your brain, the more it will hold - if you have one.

I don't approve of open fires. You can't think, or talk or even make love in front of a fireplace. All you can do is stare at it.

Love shouldn't be dictated

Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.

I loathe nationalism. It is a form of tribalism--the idolatry of the 20th century.

Seeming contentment is real discontent, combined with indolence or self-indulgence, which, while taking no legitimate means of raising itself, delights in bringing others down to its own level.

When you're with your family you're with them and when you're working you're doing that. I definitely try to separate the time when I'm working and when I have my personal time.

These broke rappers always rappin bout a pink truck. I'm only happy when I'm hoppin out the Brinks truck.

I've tried to stay out of the frame more as a director.

I've said that "2012" was my favorite ensemble cast, because it was so evenly good.

My goal is to be myself, and to challenge stereotypes, and to follow the rules, and break them, and make new rules. It's not about doing something that's already been done. That would be silly.

Concocting a good guest list is like seasoning a gourmet sauce. Too many similar ingredients and it's bland. Too much variety in the seasoning and the result may be overpowering.