“I hear these melodies. I hear horn lines and string lines. That’s what’s fun about recording with an orchestra.”

There is nothing more important in life than love.

I worked in a Chinese restaurant.

A human being is only interesting if he’s in contact with himself.

I got sent to a health camp when I was about 6 years old, and we all had to wear the same starchy blue uniform. The lady who took care of me after school knit me a burgundy sweater. It was the only thing that gave me any individuality.

I’m a work in progress.

Sometimes, when you work with mediocre talents, they feel entitled. They act like stars. Genuinely talented people don’t.

New York critics – I hear when one of them watched “A Star Is Born”, he talked back to the screen.

My biggest nightmare is I’m driving home and get sick and go to hospital. I say: ‘Please help me.’ And the people say: ‘Hey, you look like…’ And I’m dying while they’re wondering whether I’m Barbra Streisand.

Why does a woman work ten years to change a man’s habits and then complain that he’s not the man she married?

Everybody’s frightened a bit. But how many of us just go through the fear and do it anyway?

I knew that with a mouth like mine, I just hadda be a star or something.

I think when I was younger, I wanted to be a star, until I became a star, and then it’s a lot of work. It’s work to be a star. I don’t enjoy the stardom part. I only enjoy the creative process.

. . . it is true, even people with painful childhoods. . . grow up to be more interesting people. So, there’s always a positive to a negative.

I don’t care what you say about me. Just be sure to spell my name wrong.

Just imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same. My idea of a perfect world is one in which we really appreciated each other’s differences: Short, tall; Democrat, Republican; black, white; gay, straight-a world in which all of us are equal, but definitely not the same.

The artist as citizen is here to stay.

I come from a line of self-motivated, determined folk – not grand, not high society, but no-nonsense, family-minded go-getters.

The line between life or death is determined by what we are willing to do.

I like writing on piano and a computer, and a lot of ‘Plans’ came out of samples and vocal lines.

My line-learning is very special. I like to learn the dialogue of the whole film before I arrive.

I hope that when I commence that oath, my tongue may cleave to the roof of my mouth. If I ever sign one line to show allegiance.

Nobody wants to end up super rich and famous – but divorced. I’m always clear on that and try to stay on the right side of the line.

Sometimes a line of mathematical research extending through decades can be thought of as one long conversation in which many mathematicians take part. This is fortunately true at present.

You know, there’s such a very thin dividing line between inspiration and obsession that sometimes it’s very hard to decide which side we’re really on.