The secret is not to give up hope. It’s very hard not to because if you’re really doing something worthwhile I think you will be pushed to the brink of hopelessness before you come through the other side.
No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.
You can’t do it unless you can imagine it.
Working hard is very important. You’re not going to get anywhere without working extremely hard.
The secret to film is that it’s an illusion.
People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians.
After a lot of struggling and sort of reflection I realized that the time you have to give is now, regardless of how old you are.
Someday you’re going to have to learn to separate what seems to be important from what really is important.
You simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Put blinders on and plow right ahead.
It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.
A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.
All democracies turn into dictatorships – but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it’s Julius Caesar or Napoleon or Adolf Hitler. Ultimately, the general population goes along with the idea...
So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.
I wanted to make abstract films that are emotional, and I still do.
I want to live where I want to live, and I will make films because I love to make films.
Making a film is like putting out a fire with sieve. There are so many elements, and it gets so complicated.
You don’t see the struggle part of a person’s life. You only see the success they have.
Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard.
I haven’t met anybody who hasn’t been able to describe years and years and years of very, very difficult struggle through the whole process of achieving anything whatsoever. And there’s no way to sort of get around that.
Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, but that’s one of the hardest things to do because you don’t always know exactly where you’re going, and you shouldn’t.