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John Sayles Quotes

Powerful John Sayles for Daily Growth

About John Sayles

John Sayles (born August 5, 1950) is an acclaimed American filmmaker, writer, and actor who has made significant contributions to independent cinema. Born in Schenectady, New York, he developed a love for storytelling at a young age, often crafting tales with his older brother. Sayles attended Syracuse University, where he honed his writing skills and began directing short films. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco, joining the experimental theater company The Bay Area Theater Sports (BATS), which would serve as a crucial influence on his future work. In 1975, Sayles co-wrote and acted in the cult classic "The Resurrector," directing his first feature film, "Return of the Secaucus 7," in 1980. The film, which he also wrote, was a critical and commercial success, showcasing his unique storytelling style. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Sayles directed and wrote films such as "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984), "Baby It's You" (1983), and "City of Hope" (1991). His works often tackled complex social issues, featuring diverse casts and intricate narratives that defied conventional Hollywood storytelling. Sayles is also known for his historical dramas, including "Men of Respect" (1991) and the critically acclaimed "Lone Star" (1996), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Apart from filmmaking, Sayles has authored several novels, including "The Peach Orchard War" (1972) and "A Moment in the Sun" (2015). He continues to write, direct, and act, with his latest work being the novel "The Great Northeastern War" (2021). Throughout his career, John Sayles has demonstrated a commitment to storytelling that is authentic, thought-provoking, and deeply rooted in humanity. His work continues to inspire filmmakers and readers alike.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The best thing a writer can be is surprised."

John Sayles' quote "The best thing a writer can be is surprised" suggests that being open to new experiences, ideas, and perspectives is essential for a successful writing career. Being surprised means keeping an open mind and remaining receptive to the world around us, which can lead to fresh insights, unique perspectives, and compelling stories. In other words, writers should continually seek out the unexpected in order to create original and engaging works.

"You don't make a movie for money, you make it for heart."

John Sayles' quote underscores that filmmaking should not be solely driven by financial considerations; rather, it is about the emotional investment one puts into a project. The "heart" refers to the passion, creativity, and dedication behind every frame of a movie - be it in storytelling, character development, or cinematography. In essence, Sayles encourages filmmakers to produce films that resonate emotionally, rather than focusing solely on monetary returns.

"In the end, all writing is autobiographical."

This quote suggests that every piece of writing, regardless of genre or subject matter, carries an element of the author's personal experiences, emotions, thoughts, and perspectives. In other words, writers often draw from their own lives to create fictional worlds, characters, and stories. The author's unique voice, style, and viewpoint are inescapable when writing, making every work a reflection of themselves in some way.

"Everyone wants to go home, but no one wants to leave."

This quote by John Sayles highlights a universal human sentiment about homes, which are more than just physical structures; they represent safety, comfort, familiarity, and emotional connections. People long for the sense of belonging and security that their homes provide, yet leaving these places, often for new experiences or opportunities, can also be desirable due to the promise of growth, change, or adventure. It's a reminder that while we value our roots and past, we also strive for personal development and exploration.

"There are no small parts, only small actors."

This quote by John Sayles emphasizes that every role, regardless of its perceived size or importance within a production, has the potential to significantly impact the story and the overall performance. The quality of an actor's portrayal can elevate even the smallest parts, demonstrating that it is not the size of the role that matters, but rather the skill and dedication of the actor playing it. In essence, this quote encourages actors to give their best in every scene they appear in, regardless of its length or prominence.

Well, acting is cheap; I knew all these actors who weren't in the Screen Actors Guild yet, and it happened that they were all just about thirty years old.

- John Sayles

Old, Knew, About, Guild

But compared to writing a novel, where you can be God, I did the Bay of Pigs invasion in six pages once, and there were 50,000 guys with boots that I didn't have to pay, and all those extras; we didn't have to pay them.

- John Sayles

Pay, Six, Them, Bay

And it was out in the theaters in two weeks. This is not, 'We're going to develop twenty-five and maybe one's going to get made,' so the first three things I wrote got up on the screen and, good, bad or indifferent, I got to see them on their feet.

- John Sayles

Feet, Bad, Weeks, Two Weeks

I figured, 'When is that ever going to happen again?'. So I basically set out the opposite way movies are made; I set out with a budget first. I said, 'What can I do well for $40,000?'.

- John Sayles

Happen, Going, Set, Budget

Basically, if you could get a good trailer out of the script, Roger had no objection to you making a really good movie. He liked it if you did. He liked the more cleverness and ingenuity you could bring to it. He just wasn't going to give you any more money.

- John Sayles

Movie, Bring, Had, Trailer

In a movie you have all these logistical problems; all these practical problems. But you're also going to have people come who can do things that you can't do, and you get to direct their talents.

- John Sayles

Movie, Going, Practical, Logistical

You get to say, 'Here's my philosophical idea about what the costume should like,' and the costume designer comes and gives you choices and sometimes they're all good, and I say, 'What do you think?' and they pick the right thing.

- John Sayles

Sometimes, Here, Idea, Costume

I made it about a three-day weekend so people wouldn't have to change their clothes a lot. We didn't have an art department; we didn't have a make-up department.

- John Sayles

Art, Made, Make-Up, Department

There were not fifteen people in the story department and twenty-five producers and stuff. And Roger had produced 1,000 movies and directed a couple of hundred, and their comments were always very, very specific.

- John Sayles

Always, Fifteen, Very, Department

I take more jobs when I need more money, if I'm investing in films. I take fewer when I don't. Or if something really good comes along, I usually find a way to do a good job on it in the time that I've got.

- John Sayles

Good, Got, Fewer, Investing

I think I got spoiled and that writing a short story and getting it published, or writing a novel and getting it published, you pretty much get to do the first, second and third draft yourself without a whole lot of interference.

- John Sayles

I Think, Whole, Short Story, Interference

Not that I've always loved the movie when they finally come out, or if they ever come out-because many of them don't come out-but I've gotten to work with really good story editors and stuff like that.

- John Sayles

Movie, Always, Good Story, Editors

There was a widespread indignation in the American media. They were saying, 'How can you make a movie during an election that's about politics? What are you doing? Are you trying to influence people's lives?' To which my response was, 'Well, I hope so.'

- John Sayles

Politics, Doing, Movie, Widespread

I always feel that there are no final victories and no final defeats. But it's true that America is in a hole right now. There are a lot of dead fish in the water.

- John Sayles

Feel, Always, Victories, Defeats

Fahrenheit 9/11 took public domain information that should have been on the news every night and put it in a film that a lot of people went to see. But still Bush has never had to answer those charges.

- John Sayles

Been, Had, Bush, Every Night

The hardest thing about movie acting is that if you're playing a character who changes within the movie, you've got to do that, but you've got to do it out of sequence, because we never have gotten to shoot in sequence, and that's really, really tough.

- John Sayles

Movie, Within, Gotten, Sequence

We just said, 'Okay, you're in the movie. Bring what you would bring for a three-day weekend and I hope you like the way you look in it because once you're on camera, that's your wardrobe.' But it worked; it worked and we were very surprised.

- John Sayles

Movie, Okay, Very, Surprised

To this day, I get rewrite offers where they say: 'We feel this script needs work with character, dialogue, plot and tone,' and when you ask what's left, they say: 'Well, the typing is very good.'

- John Sayles

Feel, Tone, Very, Rewrite

For me the writing, when I'm going to direct it myself, is really just the first draft, and I don't change it very much; I only change it on average about two lines per movie.

- John Sayles

Average, Movie, Very, Lines

When I was really young I didn't know that there was such a thing as a screenwriter. I wrote stories.

- John Sayles

Young, Stories, Screenwriter, Such A Thing

Those are fun, especially if they're going to shoot them in four weeks, because you know they're not going to mess with anything you do, so it can be very imaginative.

- John Sayles

Going, Very, Weeks, Shoot

I remember being out here at the Sunset Marquis, and whoever knocked on the door, I would take that picture that I was writing and I would put that in the typewriter, so when I had the meeting, they would say: 'Oh, you're working on it right now?'

- John Sayles

Door, I Remember, Here, Sunset

If you write a movie for Roger Corman, it's going to get made. You saw it almost the next day.

- John Sayles

Next, Movie, Going, Roger

The media in America has become so cowed and compromised.

- John Sayles

Media, America, Become, Compromised

I certainly grew up seeing more movies and television than I read books, but when it came time to do the thing itself you don't have to hire a lot of people to sit down and write a book, so that was the story-telling medium that was available to me.

- John Sayles

Book, Hire, Available, Medium

I never thought about being a writer as I grew up. A writer wasn't something I wanted to be. An outfielder was something to be. Most of what I know about style I learned from Roberto Clemente.

- John Sayles

Thought, About, Learned, Roberto

I figured somebody wrote a story who had a typewriter and I thought that movies were made by the cowboys and that they just said, 'Okay, you fall off the horse this time.'

- John Sayles

Thought, Okay, Made, Typewriter

My argument has always been that this is not an anti-Bush film, it's a pro-democracy film. And if Bush comes out on the wrong side of democracy, that's his problem.

- John Sayles

Argument, Always, Been, Wrong Side

There are genres I don't care for, and I've never worked in those genres, and then sometimes there are people that I haven't liked and I haven't worked for those people. But if I feel like there's a movie that I would like to go see, I'll jump into it.

- John Sayles

Sometimes, Feel, Movie, Jump

Michael Moore, whether you like him or hate him, has done something very important.

- John Sayles

Important, Michael, Very, Moore

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