I was not a collective person or a bohemian; I was an elitist.

When you know what an actor has, you can reach in and arouse it. If you don't know what he has, you don't know what the hell is going on.

A film director has to get a shot, no matter what he does. We're desperate people.

One final thing a director needs: The ability to say 'I am wrong' or 'I was wrong.' Not as easy as it sounds. But in many situations, these 3 words, honestly spoken, will save the day.

I've come to believe that everything worth achieving is beyond one's capacity - or seems so at first. The thing is to persist, not back off, fight your fight, pay your dues, and carry on. Effort is all; continue and you may get there despite everything.

The writer, when he is also an artist, is someone who admits what others don't dare reveal.

Stylized acting and direction is to realistic acting and direction as poetry is to prose.