I never rewatch the great films of my favorite directors because I'm afraid they won't hold up.

It wasn't until I started reading and found books they wouldn't let us read in school that I discovered you could be insane and happy and have a good life without being like everybody else.

Don’t sleep with people who don’t read.

My idea of an interesting person is someone who is quite proud of their seemingly abnormal life and turns their disadvantage into a career.

True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks.

Without obsession, life is nothing.

[My catholic education] sticked with me. It caused the rage I had to make 'Pink Flamingos.'

Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own; it's the freedom to buy any book you want without looking at the price and wondering if you can afford it.

Do we secretly idolize our imagined opposites, yearning to become the role models for others we know we could never be for ourselves?

I like hard movies; I like ones that are basically the opposite of a date movie.

The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" hitchhiker really made people never want to hitchhike again - the hitcher, the show. Hitchhiking is always vaguely sexual.

Adolescence isn't about relationships, its about dating. Its suppose to be relaxed, and fun. Isn't that what being a teenager is all about?

Many a man that couldn't direct ye to th' drug store on th' corner when he was thirty will get a respectful hearin' when age has further impaired his mind.

I've worked a lot in comedy. As much as I love playing dramatic roles, it's always nice to be able to have some humor around when working.

But I'm very careful with opinions because I never know what the truth is. When I read what the press says about me, I don't really believe what it says about other people.

There is no true liberty for the individual except as he finds it in the liberty of all. There is no true security for the individual except as he finds it in the security for all.

I'd love to be approached to do ordinary things more.

A country without a language is a country without a soul.

I am an educator who thinks globally.

If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat

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