The films that I do tend to polarise people's views.

Rain is also very difficult to film, particularly in Ireland because it's quite fine, so fine that the Irish don't even acknowledge that it exists.

I always argued against the auteur theory; films are a collaborative art form. I've had some fantastically good people help me make the movies.

A Great Movie Evolves when Everybody Has the Same Vision in Their Heads.

Personally I am very much against the death penalty for several reasons.

Period recreation is very difficult unless you make a black and white movie.

Have a go. Anybody can do it.

Well, if you ask any filmmaker how they got into it, everyone came a different route. Ive never actually watched another director work.

Most directors have little lists in their heads of people they really want to work with.

Film-making is a physically hard job.

I turn on the TV sometimes, start watching something and think: 'This seems quite good, a bit familiar.' Then I realise … It's one of my movies. It's a pretty odd feeling.

At some point the future becomes reality. And then it quickly becomes the past.

it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

We won't let history define our future. Our actions will do the talking. Our determination will turn doubters into believers.

Those of us who don't have a party affiliation ought to be able to register under the heading "Confused.

My dear if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head I should better understand your affairs.

A book does not discriminate against any reader. All are welcome at the table of literature.

Women comedy is different than men comedy. Guy comedy is very aggressive, it's about insulting each other, name-calling, and kind of busting each other's chops, and that's not what women's comedy is.

Already this war on gangs in California is taking money from universities to build prisons, and the universities have some clout.

I want people to come away from my book with questions. Questions about virtue and goodness. Not answers.

It is good from time to time to recall all those big and little reasons why you wanted to quit smoking in the first place. Reading this blog once in a while might also be helpful