I'm trying to find out what the hell we - who we are.

I grew up within Italian-American neighborhoods, everybody was coming into the house all the time, kids running around, that sort of stuff, so when I finally got into my own area, so to speak, to make films, I still carried on.

You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it.

I know there were many good policemen who died doing their duty. Some of the cops were even friends of ours. But a cop can go both ways.

Always get to the set or the location early, so that you can be all alone and draw your inspiration for the blocking and the setups in private and quiet. In one sense, it's about protecting yourself; in another sense, it's about always being open to surprise, even from the set, because there may be some detail that you hadn't noticed. I think this is crucial. There are many pictures that seem good in so many ways except one: They lack a sense of surprise, they've never left the page.

When I was growing up, I don't remember being told that America was created so that everyone could get rich. I remember being told it was about opportunity and the pursuit of happiness. Not happiness itself, but the pursuit.

My working-class Italian-American parents didn't go to school, there were no books in the house.