I have a supermarket full of ideas and the challenge is how many ideas can I get in my cart before I'm gone. When you're doing it, you're not focused on success. It's not a matter of modesty. You're simply trying to get all the things done that you want to get done in your life.

I've had much more down in my life than I've had up. And much more struggle. First of all, when I went into the film school everybody said, "What are you doing? This is a complete dead-end for a career."

The sciences are the 'how,' and the humanities are the 'why' - why are we here, why do we believe in the things we believe in. I don't think you can have the 'how' without the 'why.'

Part of the reason my friends and I became successful is that we were always helping each other.

If America is the pursuit of happiness, the best way to pursue happiness is to help other people.

They were at the wrong place at the wrong time naturally they became heroes

'American Graffiti' was unpleasant because of the fact that there was no money, no time, and I was compromising myself to death.