I've always wanted to tell a story about Lincoln. I saw a paternal father figure; I saw someone who was completely, stubbornly committed to his ideals, to his vision.

My movies more often are told through pictures, not words. But in this case, the pictures took second position to the incredible words of Abraham Lincoln and his presence [...] I was less interested in an outpouring of imagery than in letting the most human moment of this story evolve before us.

The bones of the story of 'War Horse' is a love story. That's what makes it universal.

[The way Stanley Kubrick] tells a story is antithetical to the way we are accustomed to receiving stories.

There's no better way to test a person than to put them in the middle of a war. That's clearly going to show what kind of a character you're telling a story about.

When I don't have a story to tell, I'm a terror to live with.