I am as fond of colorful language as anyone, but I try not to inflict it upon strangers. I suspect many people sense they should have better manners, and need only a nudge. In high school, I was addressed for the first time in my life as "Mister Ebert" by Stanley Hynes, an English teacher, and his formality transformed his classroom into a place where a certain courtliness prevailed.

Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive.

Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us into better people.

Reese Witherspoon is as cute as a button on Raggedy Ann's overalls, but irresistible raw sex appeal is not one of her qualities.

All I require of a religion is that it be tolerant of those who do not agree with it.

To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts.

One of the gifts one movie lover can give another is the title of a wonderful film they have not yet discovered