If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.

United States could be a great country. It needs to be a great country. It's our responsibility as citizens to make that happen, every single one of us.

I miss my mother very, very much.

This is our fault. My fault as much as the next man's, because even if I was against the war, I didn't do enough to stop it.

I don't think it's the job of filmmakers to give anybody answers. I do think, though, that a good film makes you ask questions of yourself as you leave the theatre.

If you believe in someone enough, and you just don't stop believing in them, mo matter what, no matter how much they push you away, and no matter how often they prove they're only there to use you.

You don't do pictures because the audience is ready for them. You do them because there's something gnawing at you, something inside.