All presidents swear an oath to the Constitution to keep this country united, and when the country fell apart, Lincoln had to put it back together again, with a lot of help. But he bore total responsibility.

The essence of what it is to be American is the deep moral urge to be free, to freely express yourself and have the right to do so, and to look at all people as equals.

[The way Stanley Kubrick] tells a story is antithetical to the way we are accustomed to receiving stories.

Whether in success or in failure, I'm proud of every single movie I've ever directed.

I didn't read reviews earlier in my career, but I read them now as I'm older. I read them all.

For one thing, I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero.

When I don't have a story to tell, I'm a terror to live with.