I wanted to use today’s post to hit you with some great quotes that I’ve heard lately. All of these are filmmaking and business related – most by people in the film industry.

We can get stuck in our own heads trying to figure out what it is we need to do to improve. Sometimes it’s good to just take a step back and read what someone else has to say.

Often it’s these times where we can use this wisdom to find some clarity in a certain problem or issue that we might have tossing and turning in our heads.

Some random quotes that I’ve stumbled upon at various times.

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year.

–John Foster Dulles

Here’s a zen proverb I keep reading:

Before enlightenment, chop wood and fetch water. After enightenment, chop wood and fetch water.

Some others from filmmakers:

I think one of the privileges of being a filmmaker is the opportunity to remain a kind of perpetual student.

–Edward Zwick

Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee.

–James Cameron

Most people don’t know what they want or feel. And for everyone, myself included, It’s very difficult to say what you mean when what you mean is painful. The most difficult thing in the world is to reveal yourself, to express what you have to… As an artist, I feel that we must try many things – but above all, we must dare to fail. You must have the courage to be bad – to be willing to risk everything to really express it all.

–John Cassavetes

The funniest thing is that all the things every director goes through, I thought I could shortcut, but there was no getting around those issues.

–George Clooney

A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but not necessarily in that order.

–Jean-Luc Godard

I saw this next one as I was watching the baseball the other night (we get baseball on ESPN America here in the UK, and it’s one of my favourite sports). It’s a Joe DiMaggio quote and it resonates with success in life in all things, including filmmaking:

There is always some kid seeing me who may be seeing me for the first or last time. I owe him my best.

I hope these have been interesting to readers. Thanks for stopping by and make sure you read some of the other posts around the site.