In a sense I've made the same film over and over again. In all of them I've asked, 'Who are we as Americans?

Write: write letters. Keep journals. Besides your children, there is no surer way of achieving immortality.

History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.

I think my expectations for myself are much more severe and much more direct. You can't work on a film for six years without being your own toughest critic. So you can't really be distracted by the expectations based on your previous performance.

You know, you meet some people, and do a lot of interviews, and you come across a Buck O'Neill and you know you are going to know him for the rest of your life. The same thing happened with.

Do something that will last and be beautiful. It doesn't have to be a bridge-or a symphony or book or a business. It could be the look in the eye of a child you raise or a simple garden you tend. Do something that will last and be beautiful.

There is no communication in this world except between equals.