There are certain pieces of music that are always attached to certain books.

I am quite certain in my heart of hearts that modern music and modern art is not a conspiracy but is a form of truth and integrity for those who practise it honestly decently and with all their being.

Beyond a certain point the music isn't mine anymore. It's yours.

All that stuff about heavy metal and hard rock I don't subscribe to any of that. It's all just music. I mean the heavy metal from the '70s sounds nothing like the stuff from the '80s and that sounds nothing like the stuff from the '90s. Who's to say what is and isn't a certain type of music?

There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured such as poetry music painting public speaking.

There are certain sounds that I've found work well in nearly any context. Their function is not so much musical as spatial: they define the edges of the territory of the music.

Music in itself carries a whole set of messages which are very very rich and complex and the words either serve to exclude certain ones or point up certain others.

I've studied various schools of thought... I acknowledge that some Muslims consider music prohibited but I've found a lot of evidence from the life of the Prophet to show that he allowed certainly but even encouraged music at certain times.

All that stuff about heavy metal and hard rock I don't subscribe to any of that. It's all just music. I mean the heavy metal from the Seventies sounds nothing like the stuff from the Eighties and that sounds nothing like the stuff from the Nineties. Who's to say what is and isn't a certain type of music?

I'm not terribly happy about rock and roll. Certain rock music is uninspiring numbing it makes you feel like an idiot.

Certainly tolerance and acceptance were at the forefront of my music.

I'll give up this sort of touring madness certainly but music-everything is based on music. No I'll never stop my music.

I did try to get a few of those teen high-school movies but they just didn't like me. I guess I wasn't a certain type.

I never think it's right to chew gum in front of other people but a lot of times I'll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I'll forget I'm chewing it. Then you don't want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something so I've asked to throw it away. I've started to wonder if that's why I didn't get certain movies.

My childhood was influenced by the roles my father played in his movies. Whether Abraham Lincoln or Tom Joad in the 'Grapes of Wrath ' his characters communicated certain values which I try to carry with me to this day.

There's this index that tallies up how much your movies have made and if they haven't grossed a certain amount then you're not bankable. I know I'm not Will Smith but you know my ranking's pretty low. The only studio picture I've done is 'Zodiac ' and that didn't perform that well.

I've been involved with violent movies and then I've also said at a certain point 'I can't take it anymore. Please cut it.' You know you've got to respect the filmmaker and it's a really tough issue.

As far as writing I like watching bad movies. Nothing stops me in my tracks more than watching a great film like 'The Godfather' or 'Dog Day Afternoon' or 'The Graduate.' You watch one of those and you never want to write again. Whereas with bad movies it makes you think If that counts I certainly could write.

There certainly is no secret in that there are plenty of people who don't like plenty of my movies. Each one of my films is personal each one of my films is emotionally autobiographical. And I like directors who do that. With each one of my films I'm exploring one of my own issues and I try to expose myself a little in the film.

There are movies that require fantasy and slightly more fantastical acting. Lines that are good for certain movies in real life circumstances would be absolutely unbelievable things to really say and you would look at these people like they're freaks for conversing that way. But somehow for certain styles of movies it works and it seems fine.

Ultimately to have a career in movies to a certain extent certainly in England you can't sustain a career in just English movies.

Movies are something people see all over the world because there is a certain need for it.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

I had someone call me this morning telling me they had somebody who would only work a certain number of hours a week because if they worked too many hours a week then they couldn't get their government assistance. And that person has multiple cell phones and gets them new every month with new minutes.