A good daguerreotype was as perfect a kind of photograph as was ever made.

Photography is a major force in explaining man to man.

I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.

The use of the term art medium is, to say the least, misleading, for it is the artist that creates a work of art not the medium. It is the artist in photography that gives form to content by a distillation of ideas, thought, experience, insight and understanding.

A good daguerreotype was as perfect a kind of photograph as was ever made.

The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each to himself. And that is the most complicated thing on earth.

Every other artist begins with a blank canvas, a piece of paper the photographer begins with the finished product.

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.

Every ten years a man should give himself a good kick in the pants.

When that shutter clicks, anything else that can be done afterward is not worth consideration.

No photographer is as good as the simplest camera.

There is only one optimist. He has been here since man has been on this earth, and that is man himself. If we hadn't had such a magnificent optimism to carry us through all these things, we wouldn't be here. We have survived it on our optimism.

Once you really commence to see things, then you really commence to feel things.

When I first became interested in photography, I thought it was the whole cheese. My idea was to have it recognized as one of the fine arts. Today I don't give a hoot in hell about that. The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself.

A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited and the wealth and confusion man has created.

I wanted to grow up to be just like my father.

I don't think it's good for people to be born into money and not know what it is never to have it.

My view is that, as management, the focus has to be on having a strategy and executing it. As you do the strategy and execution, it is important to communicate it consistently.

I have so many indie bands on my iPod. What I don't really understand is the attitude that if a band is unknown, they're good, and if they get fans, then you move on to the next band.

Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.

It's about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen. It's not about praising one charismatic leader but celebrating thousands of them... 'Black Messiah' is not one man. It's a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.

When you have a person in power who punishes people for speaking their mind, it's truly dangerous.

The main goal in my life is to make extraordinary things out of the ordinary.

I've always won, and I'm going to continue to win. And that's the way it is.

Venture capitalists certainly create value for themselves, but they also singularly create value for the rest of the world.

Lying is not only saying what isnt true. It is also in fact especially saying more than is true and in the case of the human heart saying more than one feels. We all do it every day to make life simpler.

At any period of an actor's life, it's fairly likely that they'll be cast in ways that are reminiscent. That's the way it goes.

To win a major tournament you have to face the top teams at some point, but if you avoid those at the beginning then you can win games and build confidence. I think the key is just to get off to a good start.

I have some eye problems from when I was a pilot.

In my films, I either want the music to be very subtle and very buried or just put it right out in front and be super blunt with it.

I imagine Heaven would have very nice weather - perfect climate where you can wear a leather jacket or shorts and a sweater.

We can go back to economic plans that are only designed to benefit the wealthiest among us, like Mitt Romney. Or we can keep moving forward with President Obama's vision for a growing economy that works for middle-class families in North Carolina and all across the country. For me, for North Carolina and for America, it's an easy choice.

I love Monet: his 'Water Lilies' would look great on my wall. But would I prefer to see money helping kids get better from cancer rather than spending it on a work of art for my own personal indulgence? Yes, I probably would.

I don't think about fights that didn't happen.

I like the cold; I don't have problem with cold, and I don't have problem with rain either, as long as people are smiling. You know, early in my career, I used to wonder about this fan frenzy, but now I realize that there is genuine love, respect and affection, which makes me very proud to be an actor.

I think that the presidency really brings out the best in a lot of people.

Right now, I feel like I can take on the world. Ambition is the perfect word for where I am in my life right now.

I think downloading is both saving and killing the music industry at the same time.