Everything I've written is personal - it's the only way I know how to write.

You are what you love. Not what loves you.

I think of myself as a guy who tries to write screenplays and now has tried to direct one. Anything more than that is meaningless and it gets in the way of being a real human being.

I do like escapism. I like going to the movies on a Friday night and seeing something fun.

The only honest and generous thing for me to do is to give people myself. That's all I've got as an artist, so I want to do that in an unflinching way.

The passionate ones, the ones who go after what they want, may not get what they want, but they remain vital, in touch with themselves, and when they lie on their deathbeds, they have few regrets.

You and I share the same DNA. Is there anything more lonely than that?

Why do I fall in love with every woman I see that shows me the least bit of attention?

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon. Joel: I know. Clementine: What do we do? Joel: Enjoy it.

There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories. They have to be given their due.

Do not simplify. Do not worry about failure. Failure is a badge of honour. It means you risked failure.

Good political leadership for me involves getting the big decisions right - however difficult, however controversial, however potentially divisive - and then being able to take people with you.

Doctinaires are the vultures of principle. They feed upon principle after it is dead.

All our parents have levels of deviousness. We're driven to write about this discrepancy between the bright shining selves they invented and the monsters lurking underneath.

Most of what's around us is banal. We live with it. We accept it as inevitable.

New socialize by insulting each other, but don't really mean it. Woman socialize by complimenting each other but don't really mean it

My job is to pay attention to my children's genius and allow those leanings to lead them to their future.

Although I was raised in a profoundly secular home, I had a belief, an awareness of God, from as far back as I can remember.

I went to computer class with my Dell and I was bullied by a guy with a Mac.

Truly, the worst trains take one across the best landscapes.

We become what we love. Whatever you are giving your time and attention to, day after day, is the kind of person you will eventually become.