Who could be more desperate than filmmakers?

Theres a kind of dream that movies sell to people: You can start as the lowliest person and rise to the top. Hit Me doesnt sell this fantasy.

I love moving through long spaces and being enclosed.

Like all independent movies, the first thing you're looking for is a name actor who will justify your financing.

You hear this said about actors sometimes, that they're fearless, but she [ Maggie Gyllenhaal] really is.

The problem with most love stories in my opinion is that they're too simplistic.

The movie that made me want to make movies was "Blue Velvet."

You don't make movies about "men" and "women." You make movies about this guy and this woman and if you get them right, you'll automatically connect with a lot of people.

I think a lot of young women are probably fearful or embarrassed or cautious or hiding whatever their particular sexuality might be. From the most odd to the just slightly abberrant.

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.

The sacred fire burns in our heart.

Wisdom is a reliable companion.

There's more to life than cause and effect.

I watch virtually no TV. All my screen time is computer time for me. When I'm not doing that I'm reading or talking to my friends who I got to know through computers.

So, if I had a mentor, it was Johnny Moss.

We have no permanent allies, only permanent interests.

For listening to the stories of others ... is a kind of water that breaks the fever of our isolation. If we listen closely enough, we are soothed into remembering our common name.

Making money isn't a bad thing at all - it allows for a lot more freedom.

Accept the priceless gift - the joy of work. Apply the greatest value in life: love people and serve them. You will attract big and generous portions of success.