To write a story about New York that only deals with people in your age and socioeconomic bracket, that feels dishonest to me. So much of New York comes from everyone bumping into each other.

I like movies that are about real people in real time with real problems.

It really shocks me when I encounter people who think kindness doesn't matter. Because I think it's pretty much the only thing that matters.

In college, you're kind of designing who you want to be. And I wanted to be a big reader.

I kicked college nostalgia in my late 20s. As much as I loved college and treasure the memories, I no longer want to go back.

I care about reading, a lot. It's a big part of my life.

Even though I occasionally appear on it, I don't watch television.

Kindness is not about instant gratification. More often, it's akin to a low-risk investment that appreciates steadily over time.

Film allows me to ask some really big questions with the time to explore them deeply. I love the form.

I actually have a thing about proper nouns. They clang on my ear in a weird way when I hear them dropped into movies.

All of the things I used to obsess over, I'm no longer as obsessed with. I have new concerns but they're a little more existential or cosmic.

Bring the mind and the phenomena will follow.

the heart is an organ of fire

Plant a good seed in the right spot and it will grow without further coaxing

The science [of global warming] is beyond dispute... Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response

You cannot increase the quality or quantity of your achievement or performance except to the degree in which you increase your ability to use your time effectively.

It's not about ego. Really. If it was ego, I'd be telling you about my awesome... oh, never mind.

Were one merely to seek information, one should inquire of the man who hates, but if one wishes to know what truly is, one better ask the one who loves

I think Fidel [Castro] has a stronger allergy to the market than his brother, but he is not getting in the way of what his brother is implementing.

Found myself screaming in a hotel room. I didn't want to self-destruct.

I am convinced that Christian fundamentalism is a far greater threat to this country than Muslim terrorists could ever be.