An old thing becomes new if you detach it from what usually surrounds it.

Practice the precept: find without seeking

Hostility to art is also hostility to the new, to the unforeseen.

Empty the pond to get the fish.

My movie is born first in my head, dies on paper; is resuscitated by the living persons and real objects I use, which are killed on film but, placed in a certain order and projected on to a screen, come to life again like flowers in water.

The most ordinary word, when put into place, suddenly acquires brilliance. That is the brilliance with which your images must shine.

The ear is profound, whereas the eye is frivolous, too easily satisfied. The ear is active, imaginative, whereas the eye is passive. When you hear a noise at night, instantly you imagine its cause. The sound of a train whistle conjures up the whole station. The eye can perceive only what is presented to it.