“When I was growing up, I don't remember being told that America was created so that everyone could get rich. I remember being told it was about opportunity and the pursuit of happiness. Not happine...”

“If your mother cooks Italian food, why should you go to a restaurant?”

“Eradicating a religion of kindness is, I think, a terrible thing for the Chinese to attempt.”

“Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this.”

“I love studying Ancient History and seeing how empires rise and fall, sowing the seeds of their own destruction.”

“Any film, or to me any creative endeavour, no matter who you're working with, is, in many cases, a wonderful experience.”

“I am neither male nor female, nor am I sexless. I am the Peaceful One, whose form is self-effulgent, powerful radiance.”

“You have peace," the old woman said, "when you make it with yourself.”

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”