The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

Morality is doing what is right, no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

Time isn't a commodity, something you pass around like cake. Time is the substance of life. When anyone asks you to give your time, they're really asking for a chunk of your life.

A selfless act out of even the purest desire to do for others, will be selfish in the satisfaction and happiness it brings to one doing it.

The simple truth is that happy people generally don't get sick

Define your business goals clearly so that others can see them as you do.

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.

When I'm in meetings until 5am and then have to get up two hours later for filming, sometimes I ask myself 'why?'

People believed in an afterlife because they couldn't bear not to.

It's not the place, I think. It's the people. We'd have all been the same anywhere else.

Italy, my Italy! Queen Mary's saying serves for me (When fortune's malice Lost her Calais): "Open my heart, and you will see Graved inside of it 'Italy.'"

As a filmmaker, "no" is not in my vocabulary. I've got to figure out a way.