I was never a kind of superhero fan much growing up, I'm not a kind of comic book kid.

I couldn't be a cameraman or a designer or an actor - I have to be a director because I learned how to do that from my dad.

I think my dyslexia was a vital part of my development because my inability to read and write meant that I had to find knowledge elsewhere so I looked to the cinema.

I see the job of directing as being one of creating the right atmosphere, creating an environment where people can realize their full potential.

Every time I make a film, I feel it gives me the chance to learn something new.

Fairy tales to me are never happy, sweet stories. They're moral stories about overcoming the dark side and the bad.

Modern, not bottom-dwelling literature like a carp.

I was known for a while for doing very long takes, especially after Atonement.

I don't make a division between an art film and commercial art.

I feel more in touch with the world when I'm filming.

Generally, I've never known quite how to fit in in civilian life, but on set, making a film, I know exactly where to go, how to behave and how I fit.

A man does not consist of memory alone. He has feeling, will, sensibility, and moral being.

It's very important to know when to stop explaining yourself, because not everyone with ears listens with them.

My family is everything. They love me unconditionally.

Well, I am not afraid of the word 'liberal.'

We have been involved in racing for so long, it is astonishing we were not born with hooves.

Happy persons seldom think of happiness. They are too busy losing their lives in the meaningful sacrifices of service.

We do not live in a revolutionary time. People are not prepared to contest power.

​​​​​​You're going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. It always does feel strange to be knocked out of your comfort zone.

Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever.

A son could bear with great complacency, the death of his father, while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair.