55 Quotes by Paul Schrader

Now I see it clearly. My whole life has pointed in one direction. I see that now. There never has been any choice for me.

Film noir is not a genre. It is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood. It is a film 'noir', as opposed to the possible variants of film gray or film off-white.

You think it's a blessing to know what God wants?

I don't think it's very useful to open wide the door for young artists; the ones who break down the door are more interesting.

The clock is impotent; mechanical time does not affect those living in an eternal present.

You can't take contradiction away. Part of the fun of it is that the contradiction never really quite goes away.

You know, when you're in your twenties you use a great deal of symbolism. You somehow think that a character standing beneath a cross is more interesting than a character standing underneath a billboard, but when you get a little older you realize that there's not much difference.

Anything that doesn't bore me I think is doable because it's keeping me awake.

All the animals come out at night.