List of John Cassavetes Quotes

I'm Not Good At Comparing And Contrasting. I Take What's In Front Of Me For What It Is, Although I Guess There's Something About Paul's Realistic Writing That Is Like Cassavetes.

When I Started Making Films, I Wanted To Make Frank Capra Pictures. But I`ve Never Been Able To Make Anything But These Crazy, Tough Pictures. You Are What You Are.

The Camera Is The Slave To The Actor.

There's A Difference Between Ad-libbing And Improvising. And There's A Difference Between Not Knowing What To Do And Just Saying Something. Or Making Choices As An Actor. As A Writer Also, As A Person Who's Making A Film, As A Cameraman, Everything Is A Choice. And It Seems To Me I Don't Really Have To Direct Anyone Or Write Down That Somebody's Getting Drunk; All I Have To Do Is Say That There's A Bottle There And Put A Bottle There And Then They're Going To Get Drunk.

Film Is, To Me, Just Unimportant. But People Are Very Important.

To Me There Is A Name For Each Person. I Think It’s Marvelous To Have A Name. A Woman Is Not A Woman. It’s Either Gena Or My Mother Or Some Other Person.

Ricardo Montalban Is To Improvisational Acting What Mount Rushmore Is To Animation.

I Won't Make Shorthand Films, Because I Don't Want To Manipulate Audiences Into Assuming Quick, Manufactured Truths.

We Don't Take The Time To Be Vulnerable With Each Other

You Can Fail In Films Because You Don't Have The Talent, Or You Have Too Much Humility, Or You Lack Ferociousness. I'm A Gangster. If I Want Something, I'll Grab It.

I Like To Act In Films, I Like To Shoot 'em, I Like To Direct 'em, I Like To Be Around 'em. I Like The Feel Of It And It's Something I Respect. It Doesn't Make Any Difference Whether It's A Crappy Film Or A Good Film. Anyone Who Can Make A Film, I Already Love. But I Feel Sorry If They Don't Put Any Thought In It Because Then They Missed The Boat.

My Films Are Expressive Of A Culture That Has Had The Possibility Of Attaining Material Fulfillment While At The Same Time Finding Itself Unable To Accomplish The Simple Business Of Conducting Human Lives. We Have Been Sold A Bill Of Goods As A Substitute For Life. What Is Needed Is Reassurance In Human Emotions; A Re-evaluation Of Our Emotional Capacities.