Sometimes it only takes three words, so long as they're the right words, to direct an actor in the right way.

You may think it's very presumptuous, but I really hope that my movies are going to turn people into better people.

I never storyboard. I hate it. I don't understand why so many directors want to make comic strips of their films.

I like cinema. I am very fond of it. But from time to time I feel like having some time on my own.

No, but it’s not because I’m getting older that I’m trying to accelerate. But something very curious is happening: The older I get, the more ideas I’m getting.

But I won't work with the exact same crew film after film because I feel the work would get a little complacent.

When I was young, my idea was to become a filmmaker.

What I expect of a movie reviewer is that he should love cinema as much as I do.

Working with a bunch of actors is like trying to tune each violin.

I can zero in on subtle things because I'm holding the camera.

I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation.

We all have issues & we have usually come by them honestly.

The deepest reality you are aware of is the one from which you draw your power.

I love working in New Zealand. It's just the most beautiful country I've ever been to.

Los Angeles is a very special city. It's a great ethnic mix, a great cultural mix.

Teaching literature is impossible; that is why it is difficult.

Most conduct is guided by norms rather than by laws. Norms are voluntary and are effective because they are enforced by peer pressure.

Lying to other people is fine and usually funny, but lying to yourself is tacky.

A man shall never be enriched by envy.

Faith that doesn't affect your life isn't really faith.

Because government has tremendous power, it attracts people who are eager to game the system, obtaining by force of law what they could never achieve through consensus.