102 Quotes by Mike Mills

My graffiti really comes more from a May ’68, sort of Situationist vibe than the hip-hop world. I think a real graffiti artist would find me a poser.

There’s great sadness and life doesn’t work out like you would want, on a lot of levels, but there’s no need to feel all alone. This happens to everybody, so there’s no self-pity. This is the ride that humans are on, and all of it is essential for our natural part of it.

Humans are vulnerable, messy little animals and that’s normal. And all I want to do is make a space for that in my films.

No one leaves the edit room thinking, ‘Yeah, I nailed that one!’ Everyone I know goes into their first premiere or their first screening thinking, ‘I screwed up so bad. I’m sorry, I messed up.’ It’s just a real common feeling.

People ask ‘How does doing a film compare to doing an ad?’ Well, when you’re doing a commercial you don’t have to sell tickets. You have a captured audience. Which is actually completely rare and great; it gives you a lot of freedom. When you make a film, you have to do advertisements for the film.

My dad’s gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships – how to better accept all the weirdness and ambiguity and ups and downs and paradoxes. I knew from the beginning I was writing about love.

I don’t really believe that documentary is objective reality and fiction is all illusion.

I’m not a craftsman of graphics or art or film. I’m more of an idea generator and manufacturer.

To me, sadness and humor aren’t disrelated and humor is the best tool I’ve had against the sadness in my life.