"There are some things that are real, that you can see, that you can observe, like the moon, and grass and things. But for ideas to become real, they have to be played on your senses."

"I can't imagine people telling me what to do - I just can't imagine it."

"But I think it's quite clear in my work that my orientation isn't political or doesn't come out of modern politics."

"With 'Bright Star' and with 'The Piano,' too, I felt a kind of sadness about it being in such a different era, because of my lack of experience with the era. And one of the ways I'd get over it is to remind myself that every film, even if it's contemporary, creates its own world."

"Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth."

"Never underestimate the power of every step forward is a victory over stagnation."

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."

"It is a subtle truth that do not wait for favorable winds; take the oars and row toward your horizon — an essential principle for the reflective life."