Sam Taylor-Johnson Quotes

If you love someone, you love someone. It doesn't matter; age, colour, c'mon!

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Love, Matter, Someone, Colour

I think, for me, Julian Schnabel set a great precedent in being able to cross over so successfully. I feel like his artwork is kind of big, grand, and bombastic, yet the films that he makes are very beautifully sensitive, and I just feel that his filmmaking sensibility is very different from his artwork.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Big, I Think, Very, Sensibility

When I was eight, a hippie guy taught me how to meditate and gave me this scarf I was supposed to wear when I meditated. I still have it; it's probably one of the items that mean most to me.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Scarf, Wear, Still, Hippie

My stepfather was quite into opera, but he'd play it when he was in a bad mood, so you'd hear this boom through the floor, Wagner, and you'd feel nervous.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Play, Opera, Through, Stepfather

I was living with my stepfather for a while, and then I moved out and went and lived on my own in Hastings-by-the-Sea from about 16.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Living, My Own, Moved, Stepfather

Mum and Dad split up when I was nine. We upped and moved from London to Sussex, and suddenly I went from an urban life to nothing in the countryside - with a new father and new life.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

London, New, Nine, Mum And Dad

I'm not a shouter, and I'm not a bully.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Bully

The line between private and public lives is a fertile one for me. I've lived quite a public life, and it's the reason I have used well-known people in my work. I'm interested in what's going on beneath the facades they present to the world, taking them to a place which is uncomfortable.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Reason, Line, Private, Public Life

When Scorsese or Coppola cast celebrities in their work, it goes without question.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Question, Scorsese, Cast, Coppola

When I had cancer, people were surprised at how cheerful and upbeat I was, but I couldn't let myself go to depression - to go there, that defeat would allow everything in. If you look too far into the abyss, you might never come out again. You can stand on the abyss and peep but not give in to sadness.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Sadness, Allow, Had, Cheerful

I only photograph myself at poignant moments in my life as a check of where I am and how large my thighs are.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

My Life, Thighs, Large, Poignant

When I was out in Georgia doing photographs, I found myself trying to undo my own sense of composition. I'd think, 'Why do I want to take it like this? Is it because I want to take a beautiful picture?' It's quite hard to try and undo it.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Doing, Own, Why, Undo

I'd like to make something about someone who hasn't existed so that I don't have to tread so carefully and can feel a little bit more creative freedom.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

More, Like, Carefully, Tread

My parents were Beatle fans, but my mom was especially a Lennon fan, so I was exposed to him more. I remember her playing 'Double Fantasy' quite often.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Fantasy, I Remember, More, Beatle

People tell you you're having chemotherapy, but there are different types of chemotherapy, and you don't know which one you're going to get and how it's going to affect you. The people in the hospitals don't always have time to help you understand it.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Always, Hospitals, Which, Chemotherapy

You think, 'You hired me because I'm a creative artist with a vision. Don't try and knock it out of me.'

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Think, Artist, Knock, Creative Artist

In the old days, 'controversial' in a relationship meant same-sex or mixed races.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Old, Meant, Same-Sex, Controversial

To be feminist doesn't mean you can't be submissive.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Mean, You, Feminist, Submissive

It was so amazing to fall crazily in love and get married and have kids.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Love, Amazing, Fall, Get Married

My favorite part of the whole filmmaking process is working with a fantastic cinematographer, a fantastic actor or actors, and then just creating emotions and stories. I get so excited by that. That's the part I'm utterly addicted to.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Part, Favorite Part, Whole, Cinematographer

Just because you've faced your own mortality, it doesn't make it any less frightening.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Own, Less, Your, Faced

Sometimes when you're looking at your own work, you can't really see, and it's only when you step back a little bit later that you think, 'Oh, that's completely in line with everything else I've done.'

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Sometimes, Own, Line, Everything Else

If you look at art history, at Goya or Gainsborough, it's always about acknowledging the people of your time who have influence.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Art, Always, About, Acknowledging

The way I was grew up gave me a slight fearlessness and a sense of independence. There are things about it that have definitely informed me. And then, as a parent, it's done the opposite. It's made me feel much more protective. There are boundaries in my kids' lives that I don't think I had.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Parent, Feel, About, Fearlessness

If you have the ideas, and you're a creative person, then you don't really differentiate in how your ideas manifest themselves.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Ideas, Manifest, Then, Differentiate

I'm motivated every second by my work; it doesn't switch off.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Work, Motivated, Every, Every Second

I am completely, utterly obsessed with clothes. To an embarrassing extent.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Obsessed, Extent, Utterly, Embarrassing

I'm twitchy. I think I've got ADD. I find it hard to sit down. I need to be constantly challenged; otherwise, I get very... well, I guess 'bored' is the word.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Think, Add, Otherwise, Bored

I believe that life is short, and there is too much time wasted bearing grudges, and I like to move on.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Life Is Short, Like, Move, I Believe

Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, Worried

I keep seeing in the papers that I am good friends with Samantha Cameron. I've never met her in my life.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

My Life, Cameron, Am, Good Friends

I can be a bit extreme. I'll spend too much time running round the park, doing yoga and drinking green tea. I can get a bit obsessive. I have to rein it in sometimes.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Green, Doing, Drinking, Rein

You have to be brave when you've got a kid.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Brave, Kid, Got, Be Brave

My mum told me once I was a Hindu.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Me, Once, Mum, Hindu

I'm interested in the acting and staging of specific emotions, and so I work with actors. It's a small proportion of what I do, but it's always what people seem to focus on.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Small, Emotions, Always, Staging

I'm annoying to be around because I keep twitching.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Because, Keep, Around, Annoying

The thing that is so great about Ang Lee is the diversity in his filmmaking, from 'Brokeback...' to 'The Hulk.'

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Great, Filmmaking, About, Ang

There are terrible things going on in the world, but I am not going to force them down everyone's throats.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Everyone, Going, Them, Terrible

I don't eat any dairy products at all, usually - it's a self-imposed ban. I've done it for a year now, since I was ill, but it's so hard.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Year, Ill, Any, Dairy

I want to protect my vision, and that's the hardest thing.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Vision, Want, Hardest Thing, Protect

I was always interested in film, but I never knew how to go about becoming a filmmaker.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Never, How, Always, Filmmaker

Shooting at Coco Chanel's apartment was an unexpectedly absorbing experience. The essence of Chanel is firmly rooted there in all of her possessions, and I truly believe that her spirit and soul still inhabit the second floor.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Still, Firmly, Unexpectedly, Floor

Directing 'Fifty Shades of Grey' has been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful. I have Universal to thank for that.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Grateful, Which, Hugely, Directing

I love showing my scar on my tummy - it is shaped like a question mark.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Love, I Love, Scar, Question Mark

Even today I work with Niall O'Brien, who is far more technically astute than I am, but I still have the clearest idea of every detail I want in my photograph.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Work, Still, Clearest, Detail

I feel like I became an artist by default. I went to art college, but my interest was always more towards film than painting or sculpture.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

College, Always, Became, Sculpture

A woman going out with a younger man feels like the last taboo.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Woman, Last, Feels, Taboo

My biggest fears aren't with my work. My biggest fears are walking through hospital doors. Once you can face that, being fearless about your work is easy.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Work, Fearless, Through, Hospital

I don't understand why there aren't more powerful female directors. I don't have the answers, but I hope that things may start to shift and that studios will employ more women to handle strong and interesting material.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Strong, Studios, Employ, Female

I think I just love films where men have complete breakdowns.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Love, Think, Films, Complete

I think the whole of people's psychology and where they are in life interests me, and the decisions you make that take you on particular journeys to different places.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Think, I Think, Journeys, Interests

Sometimes photographing people is like pulling teeth, trying to get some sort of personality.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Personality, Some, Like, Pulling

I took on cancer like I take on everything - like a mission and a job to accomplish.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Mission, Took, Take, Cancer

I feel like I've lost 10 years of my life to cancer.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

My Life, Feel, Like, Cancer

I was determined to have a spotless house when I grew up.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

House, Up, Grew, Determined

Despite great advances in women's rights, statistics show that when it comes to the balance of power between the sexes, equality is far from being a global reality.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Show, Global, Being, Advances

When I decide I want something, I go in like an Exocet missile.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Want, Go, Like, Missile

The pictures I make come from every blink of my lashes.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Lashes, Come, Make, Blink

Snobbery just inhibits you.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

You, Just, Snobbery

I always say, and I truly believe this, that my work is three steps ahead of me. I have an idea for something, and I tend to feel like it's leading me, and I'll follow the process through, and it's not until after I've seen it that I truly understand why I'm doing this.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Doing, Through, Ahead, Steps

When you have an author and an auteur, it's a difficult and challenging relationship.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Difficult, Author, Challenging

Finding your place as an artist is the hardest thing. You come out of college with what feels like a Mickey Mouse degree that qualifies you for nothing in the real world.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

College, Artist, Feels, Hardest Thing

It would be nice to be a bit autonomous again, to enjoy something a bit quiet.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Enjoy, Again, Would, Be Nice

I try to leave things as open ended as possible, not too overladen with meaning.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Leave, Things, Too, Meaning

In my life, I've never really listened to when people start forming opinions on how you should be doing things.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

My Life, Doing, Forming, Listened

I've made lots of big decisions in my life that have shocked people.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

My Life, Big, Lots, Shocked

There's definitely something transformative about clothes.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Something, About, Definitely, Transformative

I think it was Elisabeth Shue who said that if you start a movie with a woman seen through a man's eyes, that woman is objectified by him throughout.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Think, Through, I Think, Throughout

I'm fascinated by male vulnerability.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Fascinated, Male, Vulnerability

My mother reads tarot cards, actually, but I won't let her read mine.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Mother, Actually, Mine, Reads

I'd love to make a thriller.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Love, Make, Thriller

In 'Fifty Shades,' seemingly, Christian has all the power and control - but actually, Anastasia does.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Fifty, Seemingly, Actually, Shades

I don't think you can judge something without seeing it.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Think, Seeing, You, Judge

A friend got me a job on the door of the Camden Palace nightclub, which quickly progressed to running the place.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Palace, Nightclub, Which, Camden

Tea is a huge part of my life.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Tea, My Life, Part, Huge Part

It's difficult for me to work with women, because I find that direct references are made back to me too fast. Working with men, it gives it a little distance.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Work, Distance, Made, References

I am just reflecting the times. I can't ignore them.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

I Am, Ignore, Times, Reflecting

I get over-excited by every opportunity that comes my way. I end up doing too much.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Opportunity, Too Much, Doing, Every Opportunity

I'm very blessed with the perfect husband.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Blessed, Perfect, Very, Husband

I remember as a kid not ever wanting to have friends around to my house because it was, for want of a better description, disheveled.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Kid, I Remember, Wanting, Description

I think I was lucky I got into art college. That's what saved me.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

College, Think, Lucky, Saved

My mum has always been quite free-spirited, and she has taught me a lot. I think that is probably why I have the sort of mind that I do.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

Mind, Think, Always, Mum

I am not famous at all.

- Sam Taylor-Johnson

I Am, Am, Famous

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