I felt that the world, and in particular this country, were going in circles. What had happened 40 or 50 years ago was happening again, but even in a worse form - that we were sinking into a lot of ignorance and a lot of superficial change.

[James] Baldwin explained that you have your own history, and that you cannot be responsible, for example, for slavery.

You cannot be responsible for Jim Crow. You can not be responsible for racism. This is much more a problem for the person exercising racism.You are confronted with the reality of racism when you go in the streets, when the eyes of others come upon you. [James] Baldwin goes back with you to all the experiences you went through and gives a name to them, and explains why it is like this.

There are only one or two geniuses every century.

Your tweet is as important as if you would have written a Ph.D. [dissertation] on the subject.

[James] Baldwin is needed even more today because he helps you focus to the essential, to what is important.

I just hope that my films will survive me.