Nature is millions of things. And there are millions of ways of understanding its preoccupations.

There is no realism in American films. No realism, but something much better, great truth.

You see, in this world there is one awful thing, and that is that everyone has his reasons.

Is it possible to succeed without any act of betrayal?

To the question, ‘Is the cinema an art?’ my answer is, ‘what does it matter?’... You can make films or you can cultivate a garden. Both have as much claim to being called an art as a poem by Verlaine or a painting by Delacroix… Art is ‘making.’ The art of poetry is the art of making poetry. The art of love is the art of making love... My father never talked to me about art. He could not bear the word.

The saving grace of the cinema is that with patience, and a little love, we may arrive at that wonderfully complex creature which is called man.

I am against great themes and great subjects... You can't film an idea. The camera is an instrument for recording physical impact.