I've always been interested in directing. I started acting when I was thirteen years old, so I've had some desire to do something else in my life.

I did one sci-fi movie. I did 'Gattaca.' I liked 'Gattaca' because that was always the kind of science fiction I really dug, the non-action oriented sci-fi.

Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything.

In New York, you've got Donald Trump, Woody Allen, a crack addict and a regular Joe, and they're all on the same subway car.

Read. It makes you more intelligent. It’s that simple. We all see the universe through the tiny keyhole of our own eyes, and every book is another keyhole from which you can gaze.

Success isn't measured by what you achieve, it's measured by the obstacles you overcome.

Don't you find it odd," she continued, "that when you're a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you're older, somehow they act offended if you even try.

I met a lot of famous people when I was about 24. And none of them seemed very appealing. And so I didn't know why I would struggle to be that kind of person.

There is no trick to writing a believable love story, a heartbreaking scene or real-sounding dialogue. All you need is to tell the truth. It’s always heartbreaking.

The older I get, the more I realize how rare it is to meet a kindred spirit.

I'm horrified to admit that I just love Salinger. I was devastated to find out that other people feel the same way.

The Old Testament may not seem relevant to us today—but it is, because it is part of God’s Holy Word, and He has much to teach us through its pages.

Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others.

I write because I want to have more than one life.

My life has a superb cast, but I cannot figure out the plot.

The only real advice you can give anyone is to keep writing.

The learned man aims for more. But the wise man decreases. And then decreases again.

Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses.

I was the kid that grew up watching Bette Davis films.

I'm a girl in boy's clothing. I like to get a little rough. I prefer mud to makeup. That's me in a nutshell.