I don't really analyze my stuff when I write. I write about stuff that I'm interested in, that I'm feeling at that particular time. When I stand back and look at the complete work, I might see themes that run through the whole film, but I'm not really conscious of it when I'm doing it.

I really don't deal with hypotheticals.

I collect names for characters. Names are valuable; they can be your first source of insight into a character.

It has been my observation that parents kill more dreams than anybody.

I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully.

I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive.

Racism in America absolutely exists - it is an issue. We need to fix it. We're a great country - probably the greatest country but we could be a hell of a lot greater.