Sometimes I worked with just a background of a rock or a tree or black velvet, and just had to imagine the whole thing.

When I'm in New York I look at the Empire State Building and feel as though it belongs to me ... or is it vice versa?

My children didn't when they were little because I thought that they had to be of a certain age. I hoped they liked me well enough not to want to see me in that sort of a spot.

They were very considerate, I must say. Every time I felt I was about to slip out of these fingers and would yell for help, they'd let me down and re-organize things.

Only in your imagination can you revise.

Recently, a six-year-old boy said to me, "I've been waiting to meet you for half my life."

Lillian Gish thought that there should be a cabinet position for the arts and I think she was right. I think she was right.

Juan Tripp was a friend. Good name for an airline man, huh? Juan Tripp after another?

Paul Lucas had a particularly amusing accent, so I chuckled. That was terrible; I shouldn't have done that, but he took it too big. He got up and said he couldn't work with people who laughed at him!

I went to Washington to ask for a little residual payment for the people who had written films in the early, early days, people who never got any residuals on tapes or anything at all.

As far as advice, that will be in my next book, my next collection. I certainly never like to instruct anyone, but just say as I feel. That's the same as advice, isn't it?

Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.

I admire Eudora Welty. 'Delta Wedding' is a book I've given as a present to numerous women. Eudora Welty rocks. She writes such jewel-like, fine, refined short stories.

There are times when directors just don't know what they're doing.

On a daily basis, you must take more care of your mind than just money, money, money!

When you are in the valley, keep your goal firmly in view and you will get the renewed energy to continue the climb.

God is a hacker, not an engineer

I always think first about the nature of the story. When I had the idea for 'The Namesake,' I felt that it had to be a novel - it couldn't work as a story.

It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed.

If you don't like what you're getting, then change what you're doing. It's up to you.

I'm not really cool, or dashing, or any of those things.