“There's nothing like impending death to rouse you from existential boredom.”

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

“I begin to feel like most Americans don't understand the First Amendment, don't understand the idea of freedom of speech, and don't understand that it's the responsibility of the citizen to speak out.”

“One sign of a great actor is when he can be alone by himself on the screen, doing almost nothing, and producing one of a film's defining moments.”

“I like smart movies about smart people, and enjoy it when most of the facts are on the table and we can contemplate them together.”

“The movies that are made more thoughtfully or made or with more ambition often get just get drowned out by the noise.”

“Most of us do not consciously look at movies.”

“My motto: 'No good movie is depressing. All bad movies are depressing.'”

“Every great film should seem new every time you see it.”

“To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”

“If a movie is really working, you forget for two hours your Social Security number and where your car is parked. You are having a vicarious experience. You are identifying, in one way or another, with the people on the screen.”