Screenplays are not works of art. They are invitations to others to collaborate on a work of art.

The best advice is essentially that thing in the back of your mind that you really aren't sure of, and when you start to hear other people bring up the same concerns, you say, "Okay, let's address that."

Let's just shoot in black and white. Don't explain why. Have no reason for it. Just do it because it's interesting.

'Taxi Driver' wasn't autobiographical in terms of the actual events, but I did draw on my own mental state.

There's something wrong - the performance, the weather, the set design, the lighting. Something is not working. And so you say, "Give me 10 minutes." When you're first directing, you're terrified. But when you've been in that situation enough times, you know that under pressure, it will come to you.

Now I see it clearly. My whole life has pointed in one direction. I see that now. There never has been any choice for me.

You know, when you're in your twenties you use a great deal of symbolism. You somehow think that a character standing beneath a cross is more interesting than a character standing underneath a billboard, but when you get a little older you realize that there's not much difference.