(On Roosevelt's New Deal) That all probably as profound an influence on me as any event on which I can base the things I believe in; my attitudes regarding the blacks; the freedom of teachers; world guilt and sectarian prejudice. I never became any kind of evangelist because of those beliefs, but I tried to translate the drama of them into film. Show less «

If I am to be remembered for anything I have done in this profession, I would like it to be for the four films in which I directed Spencer Tracy. Show less «

[on Lee Marvin] I'm not his psychiatrist. I don't know whether he has one or needs one. I'm only saying that to understand him, one needs help. Show less «

[on Katharine Hepburn] The most completely thorough, driving, constantly seeking actress with whom I'm been associated. She's never really satisfied; she never stops thinking about what she's doing and about what everybody else is doing. She is a marvelous woman who has a capacity for many emotional areas and she has great talent. She can trigger an emotional truth at precisely the right time. I don't know what she draws on; it's a deep, deep well. Show less «

[in 1949] I firmly believe that the independent producer today can select material which will return vitality to the motion picture industry. I think people are completely fed up with the pattern. The independent has simply got to destroy that pattern. If our industry is to flourish, we must break away from formula thinking. Show less «

I'm always pursuing the next dream, hunting for the next truth.

During the filming of Mad World with all the comedians, I think Spencer Tracy was in poorer health than I (believed): he had bad colour and no stamina whatever. But then, even though this lack of energy showed, I think he had his best time ever during the making of a film. The comedians worshipped him. Never before or since has a king had a court full of jesters who strove only to entertain him so that his majesty might say, 'That was funny,' or just laugh and smile. Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, Mickey Rooney - even the silent Sid Caesar - crowded about him and vied for his affection. They had it. And he talked about them to the very last; he loved them all. Show less «

[on some of the directors who emerged in the 60's (1968)] The put-on leads to the adoration of technique. The nouvelle vague, the neo-realists and the angry young men have opened the gates to interrupted dialogue, mismatching, jump cuts, super-imposures, split screens and the camera as primary weapon in the director's bag. Technique covers a multitude of sins. Show less «

[on working with Montgomery Clift during the filming of Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)]. He was a total wreck at this point. He kept stumbling and forgetting his lines during take after take. Finally I said to him: "Just forget the damn lines, Monty. Let's say you're on the witness stand. The prosecutor says something to you, then the defence attorney bitterly attacks you... and you have to reach for a word in the script. That's all right. Go ahead and reach for it. Whatever the word may be, it doesn't really matter. Just turn to [Spencer] Tracy on the bench whenever you feel the need, and ad lib something. It will be all right because it will convey the confusion in your character's mind." He seemed to calm down after this. He wasn't always close to the script, but whatever he said fitted in perfectly, and he came through with as good a performance as I had hoped. Show less «

[on studio chiefs and backers who wanted him to soften his message (1960 interview)] I take a very reluctant and conservative view on what a single film can do in affecting our lives. I don't make films to stir the world. I am not conscious of a responsibility to society or even to my own social consciousness when I make a film. My motivation can be as simple as saying, gee, this would make an exciting picture. Show less «

[on Sidney Poitier] Sidney has a greatness and professionalism and a deep, deep sensitivity. He's an absolutely beautiful man inside and out. Show less «

[on Humphrey Bogart] He was playing Bogart all the time, but he was really just a big sloppy bowl of mush. Show less «

[on Ava Gardner] She can read a script and immediately give you a completely lucid explanation of its merits and faults. Show less «