“I like to work in the morning. I like to sometimes go to a place where I'm all alone where I'm not going to get a phone call early that hurts my feelings, because once my feelings are hurt, I'm dead in the water.”

“I was never sloppy with other people's money. Only my own. Because I figure, well, you can be.”

“As long as I can make lots of money in other businesses, I'll continue to subsidize my own work.”

“I don't think there's any artist of any value who doesn't doubt what they're doing.”

“Art depends on luck and talent.”

“I have more of a vivid imagination than I have talent. I cook up ideas. It's just a characteristic.”

“It takes no imagination to live within your means.”

“Most Italians who came to this country are very patriotic. There was this exciting possibility that if you worked real hard, and you loved something, you could become successful.”

“People feel the worst film I made was 'Jack.' But to this day, when I get checks from old movies I've made, 'Jack' is one of the biggest ones. No one knows that. If people hate the movie, they hate the movie. I just wanted to work with Robin Williams.”

“I think a sequel is a waste of money and time. I think movies should illuminate new stories.”

“You have to really be courageous about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you'll just knuckle under, and things that might have been memorable will be lost.”