I know only one method of operation: to be as honest with others as I am with myself.

If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

For every obstacle there is a solution. Persistence is the key. The greatest mistake is giving up!

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.

Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.

The supreme quality of leadership is integrity.

If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

You don't lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership.

Always try to associate yourself with and learn as much as you can from those who know more than you do, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you.

To be true to one's own freedom is, in essence, to honor and respect the freedom of all others.

I know a lot of writers, and everyone works differently, but this is something that we truly have in common across all genres - the fiction has to be real inside your head.

Perhaps as writers, we too should embrace the concept of wabi-sabi:

I don't like being alone.

Something there is moves me to love, and I Do know I love, but know not how, nor why.

Living in New York City gives people real incentives to want things that nobody else wants.

The period from 2001 to 2005 was really tough. My films were not working even though there was an acceptance of a model. I was depressed but did not cry. I cry when I am happy.

The most solid pleasure in this life is the empty pleasure of illusion.

All those words of praise they use for novels - spare, economical. Why should I shell out £17 for economical?

Marriage provides the solace of worked-on friendship and the joy of being known profoundly.

I think I always wanted to have adventures in my life. I was always kind of a rambunctious kid.