I'm very proud of my flops, as much as of my successes.

When that happens - when risk is taken and the filmmakers dive into the subject matter without a parachute - very often what you get it something with those qualities that make it age well with the public.

I think it's better to be overly ambitious and fail than to be underambitious and succeed in a mundane way. I have been very fortunate. I failed upward in my life!

The essence of cinema is editing.

The things you get fired for when you’re young are the same things that you get lifetime achievement awards for when you’re old.

The stuff that I got in trouble for, the casting for The Godfather or the flag scene in Patton, was the stuff that was remembered, and was considered the good work.

You ought to love what you're doing because, especially in a movie, over time you really will start to hate it.