“Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story. That is his duty.”

Human beings all change. Not what they are but who they are. We have the power to change what we do with our life and turn it into our destiny.

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.

I came to the conclusion that I am free to choose my own suffering. But I am not free to consent to someone else’s suffering.

I don’t want my past to become anyone else’s future.

We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with a sacred spark.

Be careful with words, they’re dangerous. Be wary of them. They begat either demons or angels. It’s up to you to give life to one or the other. Be careful, I tell you, nothing is as dangerous as giving free rein to words

Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

We are all teachers, or should be. Anyone who relays experience to another person is a teacher. Not to transmit your experience is to betray it.

We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.

Most people think that shadows follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories.

Once upon a time refugee meant somebody who has a refuge, found a place, a haven where he could find refuge.

Once you bring life into the world, you must protect it. We must protect it by changing the world.

The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Indifference creates evil. Hatred is evil itself. Indifference is what allows evil to be strong, what gives it power.

What is man? Hope turned to dust. No. What is man? Dust turned to hope.

In order to fly, you have to give up the ground you are standing on.

Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future.

My life is making movies. I like storytelling, and I’ve got a lot of stories that are stored up in my head that I hope to get out before my time is up.

I’ll empathize with your sad story and wish you could bear mine. – the weight of empathy.

Being Native American has been part of my story I guess since the day I was born.

Storytelling is about two things; it’s about character and plot.

A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.

Your story needs to move people’s spirits and build their goodwill, so that when you finally do ask them to buy from you, they feel like you’ve given them so much it would be almost rude to refuse.

Our life stories are at one and the same time reality, fallacy and fantasy.

Having a story is what people connect with, but the story alone doesn’t allow you to achieve greatness and results. It’s the day-to-day consistency of providing value to your audience.