I wanted to work on this central problem of killing. How you go about killing. Now, in the film I had to kill my children - well, I didn't want to get that far.

I sketched out a rough story for them and the director said, well it's a good story but we have the go-ahead from Universal to make this script and did I want to do it. I said no, and they left.

After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military.

After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

Before I'm a writer, I'm definitely a reader and when I read memoir, I really want it to be true.

I think writers tend to be experience junkies, and I think they also tend to want to be on the outside looking in.

I am passionately interested in understanding how my country works. And if you want to know about this thing called the United States of America you have to know about the Civil War.

I never, ever want to apologize for a film. If it's bad I'll say it's my fault. And that's what I can say so far in all the films that I've done, that if you don't like it, it's entirely my fault.

You come before me this morning with clean hands and clean collars. I want you to have clean tongues, clean manners, clean morals and clean characters.

I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is not in their power to help themselves.

I don't want boys to use their pencils for improper writing.

We want consumers to say, 'That's a hell of a product' instead of, 'That's a hell of an ad.'

Well, I don't know how astute I am, but I did want to be a journalist when I was growing up.

I want to be a soul singer.