Paul Thomas Anderson Quotes, Thoughts and images

Screenwriting is like ironing. You move forward a little bit and go back and smooth things out.

I am always looking for that nuance, that moment of truth, and you can't really do that fast.

I'll rebel against powers and principalities, all the time. Always, I will.

How do I respond to criticism? Critically. I listen to all criticism critically.

To make a film, the final big collaborator that you have is the composer.

My writing has a lot to do with who I am, and what my life is like, and my relationships to people.

I have a feeling, one of those gut feelings, that I'll make pretty good movies the rest of my life.

There’s a lot for screenwriters to steal from songwriters, in terms of getting to the point.

I'm completely aware of the fact that I'm a control freak.

Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it.

I've never been a fan of whimsical or confusing storytelling.

No matter how many times you do it, you don't get used to the sadness - for me at least - of coming to the end of a film.

The films that I love are very straightforward stories, like really old-fashioned stuff.

Well I'd really love to work with Robert De Niro, because he's still the most talented actor out there.

Acting is the hardest job in the entire world. By far. Harder than ditch digging.

I write from my stomach.

I don't think it's a director's job to peek behind the curtain too much.

I don't think the competition's so rough, within the majority of movies made in Hollywood.

As I have got older and become a father, there's less and less time for films.

So with 'There Will Be Blood,' I didn't even really feel like I was adapting a book. I was just desperate to find stuff to write.

Crazy is so hard to play, there's nothing you can really tell an actor.

You know, I'm really not that competent at describing things musically.

I don't want to be the angry guy.

My dad was this sort of avant-garde guy who did all kinds of weird things. He was a true original and anybody who met him never forgot him.

I had the standard movie geek childhood, because for as long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was make movies.

Of course, I'm no dummy.

I'm not really a Sundance baby, but they helped me so much I feel I have to acknowledge it.

Clinton used to like to get out of the White House a lot. He would take night trips to McDonald's, and stuff like that. I think he wanted to get out of the house.

I didn't have any desire I might have had 10 years ago to shoot every single word that I wrote.