Quotes

Talent is not as important as hard work.

I'd rather write a new script from scratch than have to do a second draft.

Do I think I'm the next Woody Allen? I certainly aspire to be. But I'm more neurotic and less talented.

I have a very short attention span and the patience of a child.

Political correctness is the new terrorism.

Everyone should learn to direct. If I can do it, it can be done by anyone.

We live in an age of victims and complainers. I'm so offended by people who are so easily offended. Ironic, I know.

I've got a lot on my mind. And my mind don't hold a lot.

I honestly thought a "friend with benefits" was just a buddy on the dole. Now I've got to track down everyone I've spoken to in the past decade and clarify my relationship with a guy I know who's on welfare.

I have infinite ideas. Of course, that doesn't mean any of them are good.

It's not a case of the public needing to support Australian films, it's a case of Australian films needing to support the public. We have to make films audiences want to see, not the obscure, plotless, depressing "art" that defines Australian cinema at present. These films waste millions of taxpayer dollars every year and audiences, rightly, keep away.

I don't have friends, just people who can tolerate me.

The most important quality for a film editor is impatience.

When I catch the student who's adding things I say in film lectures to the personal quotes section on my IMDb page, there's going to be trouble.

I think the best you can say about my work is it's not terrible.

Too many people don't understand the meaning of equality. It's about treating people equally, not giving concessions to those who happen to belong to a minority group.

My favourite Woody Allen film is Sweet and Lowdown (1999). Sean Penn plays such a self-centred, egotistical, obnoxious character. I can really relate to him.

The level of incompetence in the film industry is staggering. To make a film is to deal with one hack after the next.

Whiplash (2014) is one of the best films in the last ten years. J.K. Simmons really reminds me of my mother.

What I love about filmmaking is it can be applied to anything.

A director should not have to be an acting coach.

Political correctness has no place in comedy. Or anywhere. But that doesn't mean you can't have a few manners.

I love the raw authenticity of Mumblecore and how it continues the spirit of Dogme95.

"Don't judge me!" is the last line of defence for the guilty.

I think, if we are to move forward as a society and achieve real equality, heterosexual marriage should be illegal too.

Art should be imitative enough to be familiar but creative enough to be distinct.

An artist cannot tiptoe about in fear of offending those who are most in need of a wake-up call anyway.

I'm sometimes praised for my accessible writing. It's only accessible because I have a limited vocabulary.

A good film can nourish the soul.

I'm an artist. That means it's impossible for me to be racist, sexist or homophobic.

I don't consider myself a director any longer, I'm just a guy who plays around with a camera now and then.

Self-contempt is powerful motivation. I mean, look at all the films I've made.

It's a good thing the French have beautiful women because their films are terrible.

The trouble with social media is that it gives everyone a voice. And not everyone deserves a voice.

I don't like to talk about my work when it's in progress because it's such a distraction. I don't like to talk about my work when it's completed because it's such a disappointment.

Political correctness has become the censorship of the day. It used to be profanity that was censored. Now it's truth.

I'd rather be a flexible conservative than a rigid progressive.

You shouldn't get upset over a dog barking at you in the street.

We must teach resilience to the minority instead of censorship to the majority.

The left celebrates diversity of everything except opinion.

I don't like that man. I must get to know him better. So I can dislike him more.

We live in a post-truth era where emotion takes precedence over fact. This point in history will be looked on with scorn and contempt by more-intelligent, future generations.

Behind every child genius stands a deluded parent.

I'd never do anything as controversial as to express an opinion.

Pride is a young man's racket.