I want to give up every single day of my life, but I can't. I'm obsessed.

It's always about a character that I become obsessed with and who refuses to leave me alone.

I want people to feel something in the pit of their stomach. I want my movies, especially the ending, to stay with people long after the credits have rolled.

The secret is you need a director who refuses to walk away and you need a director willing to put their whole career behind the project.

As a director I always look at someone's eyes. How truthful are they? Will this person take me on this journey?

I want to give the audience what they want, but not at all costs. I want to leave them with something. I try to do that with every single movie I make.

Desperation makes men fearless

The road to happiness starts with a deep breath and an awareness of the many blessings tied to that single breath.

When he left us, he stole all the words.

Sometimes, lies were the same things as wishes. Sometimes, wishes were things to hate.

It is better to seek purity than the pleasure of sin.

Melody is the first thing that comes to me when I'm songwriting. I learned piano classically first, and then I went into soul, and so melody has always been the first. It's so important.

All my life I'd gone for women who were a little off.

Truth consists of having the same idea about something that God has.

I'm as proud of many of the things we haven't done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.

Sins may be forgiven through repentance, but no act of wit will ever justify them.