Steven Spielberg Quotes (1946-)

“The Holocaust was life without light. For me the symbol of life is color. That's why a film about the Holocaust has to be in black-and-white.”

“Godzilla was the most masterful of all dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening.”

“Godzilla was the most masterful of all dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening.”

“People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don’t have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.”

“The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages.”

“For me, honestly, if I had the choice, I would not have chosen to bifurcate my attention between Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park, because that in itself was a very bipolar experience for me. To be shooting the story of the Holocaust and at the same time, getting these effects of dinosaurs from an entirely different kind of motion picture genre to look believable to audiences.”

“Watching violence in movies or in TV programs stimulates the spectators to imitate what they see much more than if seen live or on TV news. In movies, violence is filmed with perfect illumination, spectacular scenery, and in slow motion, making it even romantic. However, in the news, the public has a much better perception of how horrible violence can be, and it is used with objectives that do not exist in the movies.”

“Watching violence in movies or in TV programs stimulates the spectators to imitate what they see much more than if seen live or on TV news. In movies, violence is filmed with perfect illumination, spectacular scenery, and in slow motion, making it even romantic. However, in the news, the public has a much better perception of how horrible violence can be, and it is used with objectives that do not exist in the movies.”

“Watching violence in movies or in TV programs stimulates the spectators to imitate what they see much more than if seen live or on TV news. In movies, violence is filmed with perfect illumination, spectacular scenery, and in slow motion, making it even romantic. However, in the news, the public has a much better perception of how horrible violence can be, and it is used with objectives that do not exist in the movies.”

“I did not make this film about Frank Abagnale because of what he did . . but because of what he has done with his life the past 30 years.”

“He's sort of a fawn in a burning forest. It's a nice place where Michael comes from. I wish we could all spend some time in his world.”

“I have always admired him, and I wish I could be a equally good filmaker as he is, but it will never happen. His love for the cinema almost gives me a guilty conscience.”

“In a sometimes unreasonable business, Jack Valenti was a giant voice of reason. He was the greatest ambassador Hollywood has ever known and I will value his wisdom and friendship for all time.”

“"Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe."”

“I couldn't retire if I hadn't done The Psychiatrist, one thing that was absolutely right! I was a last-minute choice. I hadn't read the script when I came on the set. But I watched Spielberg directing — this kid, this infant in a cowboy hat — and I knew after five minutes we had something. You get so distrustful in this business that you get to expect nothing from a director. If he leaves you alone, he's a good director. But to find one like Spielberg who really brings a scene to life, who genuinely contributes — it makes you want to cry. It's like being an orphan all your life who is suddenly adopted.”

“Spielberg has been ridiculed for shooting his actors from below against impossibly Spielbergian skies and a denouement that lays the love on copiously. But there’s nothing simpleminded about how he uses movie magic, as a spell to dispel nihilism, to save us from the worst of ourselves by summoning up the best.”

“[Steven Spielberg's films] are comforting, they always give you answers and I don't think they're very clever answers. … The success of most Hollywood films these days is down to fact that they're comforting. They tie things up in nice little bows and give you answers, even if the answers are stupid, you go home and you don't have to think about it. … The great filmmakers make you go home and think about it.”

“Steven's films are marked most importantly by a faith in our common humanity. His stories have shaped America's story, and his values have shaped our world.”