Is Walt turning over in his grave? A man named Joe Roth runs Disney right now-he gave me the go-ahead and total freedom to do whatever I wanted to do.

I mean, what are they scared of? Who`s going to vote for anyone from the Communist Party, for God`s sake?

I learned never to listen to acting teachers because they don`t know what the hell they`re talking about.

I don`t think people have been able to deal with the fact that African American filmmakers can make movies about life and relationships.

I learned much more about acting from philosophy courses, psychology courses, history and anthropology than I ever learned in acting class.

My father described me as the oldest baby he`d ever seen. I apparently was very serious and reflective.

Hollywood is full of closet Republicans, and also you`re sometimes not sure who your friends are. When the whole Bull Durham (1988) controversy happened there were three people who came very vociferously to our support, all either very conservative Democrats or Republicans - Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner and Jack Valenti. And how many liberals? I didn`t see any. So I am not one that makes a judgment on someone because they are Republican. I know enough Republicans that are decent people, they love their families, we might have differences of opinion but we can find common ground.

If you`re in the position to help someone and you do it, it`s very rewarding.

I started getting on my feet and clowning around, and they ended up putting me in a play when I was 12. And I was hooked.

My philosophy is, don`t take no for an answer and be willing to sacrifice your entire project for freedom.

When you have a person in power who punishes people for speaking their mind, it`s truly dangerous.

I couldn`t care less about being a presenter at the Oscars.

I`m the kind of person who does not remember bad things.

If you find yourself in a movie that you have questions about, it`s not a compromise to your integrity.

I`ve used drugs that I do consider to be dangerous, drugs that are potentially detrimental to kids and society at large.

It`s certainly a lot more difficult to get a project made if you`re talking about something progressive. That`s just the nature of the industry.

There is absolutely no way that I would enter that world. I would never run for office.

It`s difficult when you have to turn down a tremendous amount of money because you don`t like what the script is saying and you don`t have any money.

There are a great number of Republicans who are economically conservative but have hearts and a consciousness about their country.

You get money out of acting. You get gray hair out of directing. Actually, I get more of a rush from directing.

I`m fairly competant as a director and actor, but I am Mr. Neurotic as a writer. I just don`t have enough confidence in my abilities to take criticism well. I take it personally. Start with `It`s a masterpiece,` and then tell me what you think could be changed.

Every man dies. Not every man lives.

Americans accept that gangsters are running the government.

I have personal beliefs and they are sometimes reflected in the movies I make, but I also reflect other points of view.

I ran spotlight. Swept up. Did box office. Ran the lighting board. But acting was the most fun.

Any time you`re trying to do a movie with a happy ending, it`s very difficult because it`s been done before and you don`t want to be manipulative.

I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you`re afraid to the point where you censor yourself.

I`ve been lucky-my looks haven`t put me into one category. I don`t look like a blue blood. I don`t look like a criminal. I don`t look like anything.

Altman was told they wouldn`t do the film with me. He could easily have abandoned me, but he stood by me and really bailed me out.

New York is not conductive to theater. New York does not encourage its young. It does not encourage experimentation.

I don`t know if I ever really bought into the eternal damnation bit.

Considering the fact that I`ve used it in the past, and know what it is, and seen the results of it, I don`t view marijuana as a dangerous drug.

I love iconoclasts. I love individuals. I love people that are true to themselves, whatever the cost.

American people are not evil. Given information, they will do the right thing. But they`re not given the information.

Directing is creating a whole. You`re able to combine different elements and create a film that is unique and true to your vision.

We have right now a media that is willfully ignoring the high crimes and misdemeanors of the president of the United States. Clinton lied about a blow job, and got impeached by the media and Congress. Bush got us into the Iraq war based on lies that he knew were lies. ... His war has recruited more Al- Qaeda members than Osama bin Laden could ever have dreamed for ... yet no one in the media is calling for impeachment. Unfortunately, the book and the play is more relevant now than it ever has been. It talks about continuous warfare as a means to control the Western economy, and as a way to control rebel elements within society through the use of fear, constant fear. In my country we seem to be sanctioning renditioning of innocent people without trial ... put them in jail without telling anyone ... and torture them out of suspicion of what we think they might do. This is exactly what Orwell was talking about when he spoke of thought crimes.

I wouldn`t even get elected. I`d probably deck a couple of people, too which would not play very well with the national media.

I wouldn`t say I`m a method actor. I do research when I feel I don`t have enough experience for the part I`m playing.

Toy Soldiers was my introduction to film. I certainly didn`t think I was doing art by any stretch of the imagination.

It was dangerous to hit the wrong kid in my neighborhood, because a lot of the guys I played with had fathers in the Mafia.

There`s the theory that nudity doesn`t really make something sexy; the characters and their relationship make it sexy.

I don`t view myself as a political leftie. I view myself as a storyteller who is fair to both sides.

I`ve long ago compromised my eight hours a night.

I was a sports fan, but I also went to peace marches.

Most good actors have a huge intelligence about the human condition and a real open heart to different kinds of people and behavior.

I don`t care about Clinton`s haircuts or his affairs or any of that stuff.

I`m six foot four and a half and I have a temper. It`s reserved for very important issues. If someone is asking me to make an artistic concession, then I`ll become a madman.

There are dumb actors. But there are dumb politicians and dumb bakers.

You had to know how to fight or you had to know how to avoid a fight. I didn`t enjoy fighting, so I learned how to avoid them.

There`s nothing more boring than unintelligent actors, because all they have to talk about is themselves and acting. There have to be other things.

I like Spike Lee a lot. He`s incredibly gifted and I don`t think he gets the credit he deserves as a filmmaker.

Susan is just great. I know I`m biased, but she`s a great actress.

Bush is very clever. When the debate should have been about the deterioration of our cities and the lack of action by government, he sent in his idiot to make an outrageous statement about Murphy Brown.

Just because someone gets arrested doesn`t mean what they are doing is wrong. Some laws are unfair and unjust.

If I`m a commodity, it wouldn`t be a wise idea to buy stock in me - although, in the long run, maybe I`m a slow growth investment.

When you make the judgement as a network that there are only three candidates, you are censoring points of view.

I`m not gangly; I`m very coordinated. I do have a bit of a baby face. But I guess that just means I`ll be working longer.

"In this time when a citizenry applauds the liberation of a country as it lives in fear of its own freedom...when people all over the country fear reprisal if they use their right to free speech, it is time to get angry. It is time to get fierce."

Haven`t criminal acts occurred in government? Shouldn`t there be accountability for inept policy decisions? Shouldn`t someone be fired? And you know something? I didn`t hear any of that, because I am still thinking about that starlet getting out of the car without the panties.

I`m six foot four and a half and I have a temper.

I`m fairly competent as a director and actor, but I am Mr. Neurotic as a writer. I just don`t have enough confidence in my abilities to take criticism well. I take it personally. Start with `It`s a masterpiece,` and then tell me what you think could be changed.

A movie script is a malleable entity when you`re shooting and should be able to become different things and should be able to be rewritten at the last minute.

[On his screenwriting] "I always write from an actor`s perspective, which is writing dialogue that fits comfortably into one`s mouth, as opposed to dialogue that is strained and defective."