I have a pathological fear of being on my own. When I'm with my own thoughts I start to unravel myself and I start to think really dark thoughts self-destructive thoughts.

I thought Erica Jong's Fear of Flying was one of the biggest pieces of crap that I've ever read in my life.

I sometimes have a horrible fear of turning up a canvas of mine. I'm always afraid of finding a monster in place of the precious jewels I thought I had put there!

Although I am deeply grateful to a great many people I forgo the temptation of naming them for fear that I might slight any by omission.

I had to confront my fears and master my every demonic thought about inferiority insecurity or the fear of being black young and gifted in this Western culture.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.

The scariest thought in the world is that someday I'll wake up and realize I've been sleepwalking through my life: underappreciating the people I love making the same hurtful mistakes over and over a slave to neuroses fear and the habitual.

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.

This man is freed from servile bands Of hope to rise or fear to fall Lord of himself though not of lands And leaving nothing yet hath all.

Fear is the thought of admitted inferiority.

I think the thing to remember though the next time you hear someone who is really certain that he is on the side of the angels is that the idea of angels was created by human beings who are famous for being frequently untrustworthy and occasional.

Everyone always asks me 'Do you want to be famous... ' I never really thought about becoming famous. I just want to work to be able to put out inspiring and good film and TV.

It isn't false modesty when I say this but although I am supposed to be a famous person it doesn't mean anything to me. I just sit at home and work.

I thought that somehow your life would be much different when you're famous... and it's not. You just buy more stuff.

I never thought about being famous.

I always thought it was strange when these artists like Kurt Cobain or whoever would get really famous and say 'I don't understand why this is happening to me.' There is a mathematical formula to why you got famous. It isn't some magical thing that just started happening.

Sonny and another Hells Angel who was at the meeting thought they were beyond a little patch so they headed down to a local tattoo shop in Oakland and were the first to get the famous One Percent tattoos.

On the other hand when I give it closer thought I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it requires a pretty awful person. When you read these biographies of famous conductors they are all awful people who fail in their private relationships.

While we are being fascinated by the tales of famous serial killers and how they were brought to justice the real serial killer goes about his business with hardly a thought to being caught.

Although I get so much fan mail from Great Britain tell me am I more famous there than Michael Madsen?

When I was growing up I thought I'd be a lot happier if I was famous and successful and if I had money.

I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't tell you that at one time in my life I thought the way that you made music was you got on a major label and you got famous.

It wasn't glamorous in my day. In the regions reporters were seen as such low life that they didn't merit their name in the Radio Times. Now people are interested in being famous. I never gave it a thought.

I hear the way people talk about the children of famous people. They're not treated very well. The presumptions are usually quite awful. So I tried to establish myself with a couple of movies. After 'Juno' I thought: 'I think I've defined myself enough as my own director that I'd love to work with my father.'