I cannot be a character in a bad movie. I can't be.

To connect to people at the deepest level, you need stories.

Aristotle said time is a measure of change, and this movie is about changing in time, through time, while remaining the same person. That's a philosophical paradox and a moral dilemma. But 'Casablanca' says it's possible. You can have both. That's what it means. And that's my wish for you: that you would have both.

What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens.

Never sleep with anybody who has more problems than you do.

Stories are how we remember; we tend to forget lists and bullet points.

Write every day, line by line, page by page, hour by hour. Do this despite fear. For above all else, beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of the fable, your dance will dazzle the world.