Quotes By Paul Thomas Anderson

I think my job is to try and be as honest as I can with what is in my mind and how I feel - I think that's what you're supposed to do, if you're a good writer. So I try to do that. I know I do that. I do do that.

No matter how many times you do it, you don't get used to the sadness - for me at least - of coming to the end of a film.

There's a lot for screenwriters to steal from songwriters, in terms of getting to the point.

Screenwriting is like ironing. You move forward a little bit and go back and smooth things out.

I had the standard movie geek childhood, because for as long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was make movies.

I don't want to be the angry guy.

I always had a dream about trying to make a movie that had no dialogue in it, that was just music and pictures. I still haven't done it yet, but I tried to get close in the beginning.

I remember being taught in school that you would underline things that you liked. I remember just underlining everything as a kid, thinking, 'This has all gotta be important!' I would just underline the whole thing!

I am always looking for that nuance, that moment of truth, and you can't really do that fast.

I'm not really a Sundance baby, but they helped me so much I feel I have to acknowledge it.

I'll rebel against powers and principalities, all the time. Always, I will.

I don't get a sense of American pride. I just get a sense that everyone is here, battling the same thing - that around the world everybody's after the same thing, just some minor piece of happiness each day.

My writing has a lot to do with who I am, and what my life is like, and my relationships to people.