There were times in 'Adaptation' during the editing where I really thought, 'Okay, well, this was a noble failure. I tried to do something good, but this is not going to work.'

I like hiring people based on a feeling - this person gets it - rather than what they've done in the past.

Even in this world where you’re getting everything you need and having this nice life, there’s still loneliness and longing and disconnection.

I always aspire to that, where it feels like the film was made by the characters as opposed to the filmmakers. I try to be invisible.

Don't differentiate between 'This is a job' and 'This is what I'm doing for fun.' It's all simultaneous.

You make a movie that is about what you want it to be about and let people have their reaction to it.

The things that are really out of control, and scary, are emotions - of people around you, that are unpredictable, or those in yourself which are unpredictable.

If I leave my phone in the car and go to dinner or something for a few hours, I'm very proud of myself.

The past is just a story we tell ourselves.

Doing a documentary is about discovering, being open, learning, and following curiosity.

Be willing to get fired for a good idea.

Of all the hard jobs around, one of the hardest is being a good teacher.

IMPROVIDENCE, n. Provision for the needs of to-day from the revenues of to-morrow.

Whoa!!! I heard I offended one of my all time favorite artists Ray Price by my statement “Nobody wants to listen to their grandpas music.

the less you had, the more careful you had to be about everything you did have.

Most Americans cannot save more than $6,000 a year from depreciating real estate. That's all they can write off against their salary or business profits.

Hard work is not punishment. Hard work is the price of admission for the opportunity to reach sustained excellence

Is the future of humanity really about clouds you can't see and chips you can't eat?

I'm a boxing junkie, a serial-killer junkie, and a classical guitar junkie. All of these guys are great, poetic references.

People see me in powerful roles. That's what people want to see. That's what I want to do.

My life has always been unplanned. So when something comes along, I feel like, Why not give it a try? It's fun to experiment like that.