“All the religions are true, they just see a different part of the elephant.”

I’ve discovered that most critics themselves are cinematically illiterate. They don’t really know much about movies. They don’t know the history. They don’t know the technology. They don’t know anything. So for them to try to analyze it, they’re lost.

The technology keeps moving forward, which makes it easier for the artists to tell their stories and paint the pictures they want.

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.

Boldness makes even the smallest animal dangerous.

No animal ever has an ugly body until it is domesticated. It is the same with the human body.

There is a world of created beings – living things, animals, entelechies, and souls – in the least part of matter. Thus there is nothing waste, nothing sterile, nothing dead in the universe; no chaos, no confusions, save in appearance.

My spirit animal probably like a turtle, because I have no concept of time.

We should remember in our dealings with animals that they are a sacred trust to us from our Heavenly Father. They are dumb and cannot speak for themselves.

I never claimed to be a predator, but right now she’s certainly the prey.

Don’t be something you’re not. Unless you can be a fabulous unicorn. Always be a fabulous unicorn.

I’m very involved with PETA – People for Ethical Treatment of Animals – and Greenpeace and a lot of women’s shelter and clothing giveaways.