What in Mandela was seen as an almost saintly ability to conciliate could, in a lesser man, be read as weak-kneed populism.

How is it possible to have a civil war?

Only courageous hearts can endure the bitterness of truth.

You can't just make me different and then leave

That was how evil magnified itself: it took root in the young and grew along with them.

The moment we confront our fears we are declaring that we are contenders for life, and for love.

Academic success depends on research and publications.

I never know what is going to have that 'X' factor and what isn't.

I always knew what I thought the theme was, the core, in one word. In 'The Godfather' it was succession. In 'The Conversation' it was privacy. In 'Apocalypse' it was morality.

We always felt that if you do something with quality and integrity, then it's going to come back to you.

If I could direct it [films] I would be very happy. But the economics of business don't always allow you to do what you want.