The Now is as it is because it cannot be otherwise. What Buddhists have always known, physicists now confirm: there are no isolated things or events. Underneath the surface appearance, all things are interconnected, are part of the totality of the cosmos that has brought about the form that this moment takes.
You measure a person by what it takes to discourage them.
I'm drawn to a lot of first-time directors. One of the great common denominators in these small independent films is that there's a person, or two people, who have an absolutely monomaniacal passion to get these films made. That's what makes them happen. Sometimes, it takes years and years to finally get it done, but by never backing down, by never giving up, they get these films to the screen by hook or by crook.
I get sick of saying how hard everything is. It's hard to get up in the morning. Everything's hard. Everything takes effort.
The righteous man takes his life in his hand whenever he utters the truth.
I'm not interested in the director's commentary stuff. I think that stuff is really boring. And, if the director explains too much, it takes a certain mystery away from the interpretation that is very important for the audience to have. The audience should have their own interpretation.
Grime is not like messiness or some fingerprints on a cabinet; it takes a long time to accumulate.
It takes years of building that experience as a filmmaker, as well as physically. You have to have a high level understanding of martial arts.
Having regrets and things, it just takes your time away.
First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.
The step between prudence and paranoia is short and steep. Prudence wears a seat belt. Paranoia avoids cars. Prudence washes with soap. Paranoia avoids human contact. Prudence saves for old age. Paranoia hoards even trash. Prudence prepares and plans, paranoia panics. Prudence calculates the risk and takes the plunge. Paranoia never enters the water.
If it takes you apart, that's not love. Love puts you back together.
All politics takes place on a slippery slope. The most important four words in politics are up to a point.
Some days I'll be like, "You know what? Why don't I go to my daughter's studio and make a song?!" And then I don't! I don't know if I would have all the time it takes to put into a song.
Power is fortified not just by what it destroys, but also by what it creates. Not just by what it takes, but also by what it gives. And powerlessness reaffirmed not just by the helplessness of those who have lost, but also by the gratitude of those who have (or think they have) gained.
God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.
Noah Baumbach does more takes than any director I've ever worked with. He runs a very quiet set and he runs a very hard working set. He has such an intense level of dedication to what's happening that he cultivates a group of people around him who have an equal level of dedication. Nobody asks, "When is lunch?" That's just not part of our sets. It's complete immersion. He has a 'no cell phone' rule. Nobody checks their cell phone. Nobody reads on set. It's like, "If you're there, you're there. If you're not on board with that, don't work on this movie. "
It takes more courage to send men into battle than to fight the battle yourself.
It takes discipline to be a free spirit.
Ballet is an incredibly difficult, beautiful art form that takes a lot of training, a lot of time, and a lot of hard work.