I have never read horror, nor do I consider The Exorcist to be such, but rather as a suspenseful supernatural detective story, or paranormal police procedural.

You don't blame us for being here, do you? After all, we have no place to go. No home... Incidentally, what an excellent day for an exorcism.

But a myth, to speak plainly, to me is like a menu in a fancy French restaurant: glamorous, complicated camouflage for a fact you wouldn't otherwise swallow, like maybe lima beans.

The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us; but he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. His attack is psychological, Damien. And powerful.

What looked like morning was the beginning of endless night

I didn't read The Haunting of Hill House until sometime early in the 1990's.

I get cassettes near Academy Award time of every movie that's made that thinks it has some kind of chance for a nomination - that's when I watch my movies

God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.

And the sad truth is that nobody wants me to write comedy. The Exorcist not only ended that career, it expunged all memory of its existence.

Procrastination is what we often call 'resistance.

I lived in Georgetown in the late 70s about four houses down from the steps.

I always thought when I got older that God would sort of come into my life in some way. He didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I'd have the same opinion about me that he does.

The difference between the quest for the Holy Grail and someone saying ‘bring me a cup’ is the flavor text and the number of stops involved.

Oh, and I certainly don't suffer from schizophrenia. I quite enjoy it. And so do I.

The life of sensation is the life of greed; it requires more and more. The life of the spirit requires less and less.

I always thought being an artist was a lazy job. I was wrong.

Why should physical processing give rise to a rich inner life at all? It seems objectively unreasonable that it should, and yet it does.

I still think that there's some kind of psychological investment in black athletes carrying the flag for "us" at times. So, sports [remains a] metaphor for struggle and triumph and flair.

In today's world of technology we should no longer be using outdated paper processes to accomplish tasks such as requisitions, reports, approvals, and purchase orders

Just like that, with one phone call, she was a daughter again.

Even people capable of living in the past don't really know what the future holds.