Film Director Quotes

“In past generations, people would try to play younger than they really are. My trick is, I don't try to play younger than I really am.”

“I hate to see anybody sink. I hate to see anybody lose their dream, lose their home, something like that.”

“Libertarian: everyone leaves everyone else alone”

“There's a rebel lying deep in my soul. Anytime anybody tells me the trend is such and such, I go the opposite direction. I hate the idea of trends. I hate imitation; I have a reverence for individuality.”

“I've taken advantage of a few breaks that came along and moved along with them.”

“If you're afraid to take risks in anything in life, it's just boredom.”

“I always revered people that I thought had an idea and proceeded through with it. I guess I've been that way since the day I called my father and told him I was going to study acting and maybe try to see if I could do well with that, and he told me: "Don't do that. You don't want to do that, that's just dream stuff. Get a legitimate job and move forward."”

“You know I've had people come up and ask me to sign their guns. Sign my name on gun handles and holsters and stuff. I've done it once or twice for law enforcement officials, but when people do that -- and there have been quite a few of them lately -- I always tell them no. I don't want to do that. I don't want my name on that and I hope you use this gun, whatever its purpose is, I hope it's used wisely.”

“I just don't like killing creatures.”

“A lot of people are realizing they had the wool pulled over their eyes by Obama.”

“Man becomes his most creative during war.”

“I do believe in the energy and the productivity of the American business world.”

“In 'Changeling,' I tried to show something you'd never see nowadays - a kid sitting and looking at the radio. Just sitting in front of the radio and listening. Your mind does the rest.”

“I'm more focused on making a scene seem real as opposed to perfect.”

“I'm in the saddle every day playing a screwball. And then somebody comes along and says, "How would you like to go to Italy and Spain and do an Italian/Spanish/German co-production with an Italian director who's only directed one movie?" It wasn't like I was going there to be with Federico Fellini. But something was there, and I thought, Well, I loved this story when it was told by Akira Kurosawa; maybe this is a good idea. That's an instinctive moment. A Fistful of Dollars was made.”

“Most people are afraid of change, but if you look at it as something you can always count on, then it can be a comfort.”

“I'm thinking, That's Barack Obama. He doesn't go to work. He doesn't go down to Congress and make a deal. What the hell's he doing sitting in the White House? If I were in that job, I'd get down there and make a deal. Sure, Congress are lazy bastards, but so what? You're the top guy. You're the president of the company. It's your responsibility to make sure everybody does well. It's the same with every company in this country, whether it's a two-man company or a two-hundred-man company... . And that's the pussy generation - nobody wants to work.”

“I've got to learn French because I've been going there for years and still, the only words I know are the swear words.”

“Conflict is the basis of drama. I guess that goes back as long as time has existed as far as mankind is concerned, dating back to the Greek tragedies or the Old Testament. And violence is a form of conflict, so whether that's catharsis or whether that has some socially damaging effect on audiences - I suppose that would just depend.”

“You make a movie, and if somebody reads something into it, then great, more power to him.”

“Abuse of power isn't limited to bad guys in other nations. It happens in our own country if we're not vigilant.”

“You see, in this world, there's two kinds of people, my friend - those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.”

“I loved the fact that Obama is multi-racial. I thought that was terrific, as my wife is the same racial make-up.”

“There's a lot of young guys coming along, but I'd like to say to the various financiers, don't forget the senior guys. The senior guys and gals are there, willing to do their best work for you.”

“Hoover was a patriot in his heart, but he definitely exceeded his power.”