“I had these little babies [my twins] and it gave me something so spectacular, such a feeling – I was so turned on and so excited by them that I wrote a poem.”

What’s this thing that gets between us and Shakespeare?

All due respect and trying to be as modest as I can be,

I like women who can cook. That’s first. Love is very important, but you’ve got to have a friend first.

I don’t see my Oscar much now. But when I first got it, there was a feeling for weeks afterward that I guess is akin to winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

So that you and the audience are giving to each other, in a sense. It’s an extraordinary thing. It’s wild turf up there.

I went back to the stage because it was my way of dealing with the success I had, my way of coping.

The fruit falls off the tree. You don’t shake it off before it’s ready to fall.

I understand it on a superficial level, but the depth of it just boggles my mind. I think it’s probably the greatest of all speeches ever written.

Forget the career, do the work. If you feel what you are doing is on line and you’re going someplace and you have a vision and you stay with it, eventually things will happen.

I did say to her that I thought that she had a real gift, and it’s a good idea to know that. It’s always good to go with your gift.

The thing is doing it, that’s what it’s all about. Not in the results of it. After all what is a risk? It’s a risk not to take risks. Otherwise, you can go stale and repeat yourself.

What kind of failure was it? A failure because it’s misunderstood by others? A failure because you misunderstood it yourself?

The whole thing is, they never asked for it, that kingdom.

Man is a little bit better than his reputation, and a little bit worse

An actor basically likes to be asked to do something, no matter what position he’s in. It feels more natural. Sitting and waiting is more gratifying.

Lee Strasberg is like that, my grandfather was like that. These are the kinds of men I’ve had close relationships with.

All things must change to something new, to something strange.

The way I look at it is, if you don’t want somebody to know something, don’t say it. If you don’t want them to see you do something, don’t do it.

If you’re disciplined enough, you don’t get down when you’re behind, and you have a chance to create something positive.

No longer asking why something happened, but asking how we will respond, what we intend to do now that it happened.

I don’t want to go out there and do something 3,000 other people can do.

I don’t remember as a kid wanting to do or be anything else but drive something, be a race driver.

Teachers are always trying to inspire people to do better, to learn, to grow. That’s what we do, and we’re proud of the success we’ve had here doing that, and it’s something we’ll certainly continue to do.

You don’t go to Notre Dame to learn something; you go to Notre Dame to be somebody.