“I think as you grow up, you realize you have obligations just in your life – being a citizen, being part of humanity – to help other people, to help your country, to help the world.”

It’s not a matter of how well can you make a movie. It’s how well can you make it under the circumstance, because there’s always circumstances. You cannot use that as an excuse.

Someday you’re going to have to learn to separate what seems to be important from what really is important.

The one way the world hasn’t changed: teaching is still the most important job.

But having a really good understanding of history, literature, psychology, sciences – is very, very important to actually being able to make movies.

Education is the single most important job of the human race.

The older you get, the less seriously you take criticism. I’ve gotten to a point now where I ignore it completely. It’s just not relevant to me anymore.

From kindergarten to college, certain teachers engaged my curiosity and motivated me to learn. While I was not the best student, their efforts left a lasting impact.

Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.

Any society begins by realizing that together, by helping each other, you can survive better than if you fight each other and compete with each other.

Good luck has its storms.

I am simply trying to struggle through life trying to do God’s bidding.

Part of the reason my friends and I became successful is that we were always helping each other.

A movie is never finished, only abandoned.

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.

It’s okay to lose; just don’t lose the lesson.

There is no why. We are. Life is beyond reason.

When the history of this country is written, when a final accounting is done, it is this small, quiet woman whose name will be remembered long after the names of senators and presidents have been forgotten.

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Let’s drive this country forward, together.

America is too great for small dreams.

I promise to protect Japan’s land and sea, and the lives of the Japanese people no matter what.

Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.

If we are going to restore faith in the American political system, we must act boldly.