People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainty of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.

Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for.

What determines your success isn’t “What do you want to enjoy?” The question is, “What pain do you want to sustain?”

happiness requires struggle. The positive is the side effect of handling the negative. You can only avoid negative experiences for so long before they come roaring back to life.

The quality of your life is not determined by the quality of your positive experiences but the quality of your negative experiences. And to get good at dealing with negative experiences is to get good at dealing with life.

99% of your thoughts are useless.

You have the ability to decide what you think. Or, you can choose NOT to think.

“How do I train myself to stop thinking useless thoughts?” Awareness. That’s where it starts. Every time you start drifting off, become aware of it. Just observe your brain. Step outside yourself and just observe the crazy shit you’re thinking about.

Set priorities on Sunday. I outline my weekly priorities and what I want to have accomplished by the following Sunday.

Map out work, play, fit, and push. Work: For each day, I outline my “Top 3,” meaning the three most important things I will have accomplished by the end of the day.

Play: Play enables me to self-express, reflect, and give my ideas space, which shows up positively in my work.

Fit: Movement keeps ideas moving forward so I aim to move my body for at least 30 minutes each day.

Push: Since learning and growth is important to me, I do something that scares me (almost) every day. This may be asking someone whom I deeply respect for an interview or writing about a topic that makes me feel vulnerable.

Batch your days. Batching actions into specific days and creating time for creativity.

CREATE on Monday/Wednesday/Friday: I create holes in my schedule for thinking and creating. On these days, I pay attention to my body and take breaks as needed.

CALLS and MEETINGS on Tuesday/Thursday: When possible, I avoid phone calls and meetings because I find them typically unproductive and often easy to solve via email.

SPONTANEOUS Saturday: With so much structure, I make room for spontaneity. On Saturday, I let go and go where the day takes me. Balancing structure with a day of free-spiritedness makes me feel whole.

INTENTIONAL Sunday: Plan for the week ahead.

Do nothing but be prepared to do anything.

We're like old people now playing music. I'm so glad we stuck it out because it's a lot better. I used to feel kind of anxious. Now our apprenticeship is over.

The system that had grown up in most states is that wealthy districts with an affluent population can afford to spend a lot more on their public school systems than the poorer districts.

I used to dislike it, but now I like it more and more, feeling small. I like feeling like a little speck.

Exceptional thinkers ignore their critics and go about their business making history.

I definitely gravitate towards things like vegetables, chicken, brown rice, but I don't deprive myself of anything. If I want a Sprinkles cupcake, I'm having a Sprinkles cupcake. But I'm not going to have one every day... you just have to have a sensible outlook on all of it.

I was interested in science before I even knew what science was.

I categorically resist this idea that films are supposed to be autobiographical and the only stories you tell are about your own life.

As a private person, professionally I am invisible.

If There's A Wheel, There's A Way.

A positive attitude turns 'I can't & I won't,' into 'I have & I WILL!'

My mama always used to tell me: 'If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for.'

Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air.

War is no picnic. Wars should be prevented, and if you can't prevent them, you have to put them off.

The question is, will we continue to fight what may be a rearguard action to defend universal literacy as a central goal of our education system, or are we bold enough to see what's actually happening to our culture?

I just did a part in 'Sin City 2.' I got to do a scene with Ray Liotta. Amazing man, extraordinary gentleman who was just so kind to me... I'm so excited about that; I think it's gonna be very cool.

In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.

If you've made enough money where you're not worried about the rent or survival, you start asking yourself why you're on this planet. Your point is to do the most good you can before you die - well, I could do more good if I didn't die.

A carefree letting go of oneself not a caution but a wise blindness.

Whether youre aware of it or not any kind of collage idea becomes a part of how you see the world once you incorporate media and internet and video games and all these things.

I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it.

I don't know if I could ever really be cast in a heartthrob role apart from 'Twilight', which I didn't really know was a heartthrob role. I really don't feel I am one.

Seek more strength for weaker spine. No grape grows on sinners vine

I enjoy meeting not only contemporary children, but yesterday's children as well. It's nice to talk about the experiences we shared, they tell me, 'You were a good friend.' That's the warmest part.