Often the magical elements in my books are standing in for elements of the real world the small and magical-in-their-own-right sorts of things that we take for granted and no longer pay attention to like the bonds of friendship that entwine our own lives with those of other people and places.

A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old the incurable the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.

A film is a petrified fountain of thought.

You make movies for the people. If critics happen to like them too well that’s a home run.

Men kick friendship around like a football but it doesn’t seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces.

Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.

The first principle of success is desire – knowing what you want. Desire is the planting of your seed.

Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.

I have learned that acting is not about beauty.

Yes I believe blue material is funny but if that’s all you’ve got you’re dead in the water. It’s not good.

James Cameron has always been way ahead of the curve in terms of the use of technology in his movies.

Whatever success I’ve had I always like to top it.

I try to devote my afternoons to making music in my home studio but it’s a lot more fun hanging out with musicians and friends and trying subtly to influence a band than making your own stuff.

If anything a lot of electronic music is music that no one listens to at home hardly. It’s really only to be heard when everyone’s out enjoying it.

Yeah anybody can go in with two turntables and a microphone or a home studio sampler and a little cassette deck or whatever and make records in their bedrooms.

I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.

Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world except money.

Going online and asking questions is the best way to learn.

I like physics. I think it is the best science out of all three of them because generally it’s more useful. You learn about speed and velocity and time and that’s all clever stuff.

Wealth beauty and fame are transient. When those are gone little is left except the need to be useful.

I wish to assure you that there can never be any return to the state of armed conflict which existed before our commitment to peace and the democratic process of election under the Lancaster House agreement.

I wish the government and the Minister of Justice would address these legal and constitutional arguments but they refuse to. They want Canadians to go blindly into their brave new world but it is not wise for a society to move blindly in any direction.

I wish that there were more stringent laws to make guns sold anywhere that they’re legal harder to get.

I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.

I wish people would turn off their computers go outside talk to people touch people lick people enjoy each other’s company and smell each other on the rump.

I wish I had coined the phrase ‘tyranny of choice’ but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance of options does not make you feel privileged and indulged too many options make you feel like all of them are wrong and that you are wrong if you choose any of them.

I wish I could just go tell all the young women I work with all these fabulous women ‘Believe in yourself and negotiate for yourself. Own your own success.’ I wish I could tell that to my daughter. But it’s not that simple.

I wish I could give you a lot of advice based on my experience of winning political debates. But I don’t have that experience. My only experience is at losing them.

I wish I could be as thin as Jessica Simpson. I think she looks gorgeous! I have had Jessica on my show several times and I can tell you that girl is genuine and funny with a great self-deprecating sense of humor.

I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

I will not play tug o’ war. I’d rather play hug o’ war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug Where everyone kisses and everyone grins and everyone cuddles and everyone wins.

I will not attempt to deny the reasonableness and necessity of a party war but in carrying on that war all principles and rules of justice should not be departed from.

I will not attack your doctrines nor your creeds if they accord liberty to me. If they hold thought to be dangerous – if they aver that doubt is a crime then I attack them one and all because they enslave the minds of men.

I will continue to work as hard as I can to make this organization proud. Every time I step on the field I will give everything I have and I will leave everything I have on the field every single Sunday.

I went to the bank and asked to borrow a cup of money. They said ‘What for?’ I said ‘I’m going to buy some sugar.’

I went to college at the University of Kansas where I got a degree in political science.

I went to America and got into a band had success had hits in Australia.

I went to a football school which meant that I went to a university that served up education and was simultaneously operating a sports franchise.

I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.

I wear black skinny-fit jeans – I can’t get away from them. It’s funny because I wore baggy jeans for ages then one day my friend convinced me to try on a skinny pair and I thought they were great.