My movies more often are told through pictures, not words. But in this case, the pictures took second position to the incredible words of Abraham Lincoln and his presence [...] I was less interested in an outpouring of imagery than in letting the most human moment of this story evolve before us.

I just think that the qualities of leadership are unknown even to the leader until he's tested and given a challenge.

Lincoln's leadership is based on a number of precepts, but my favorite one is that he acted in the name, and for the good, of the people.

I just had a crazy, wild imagination all my life, and science fiction is the greatest outlet for me.

I'm not really interested in making money.

Wherever you are, I will find you and I will bring you home

I always think if it's a good story, the audience can't wait to run out of the theater and go tweet somebody with the gist of a story, in a nutshell, almost, because it was that interesting.