Francis Ford Coppola

“I don't think there's any artist of any value who doesn't doubt what they're doing.”

“You ought to love what you're doing because, especially in a movie, over time you really will start to hate it.”

“My family were symphonic musicians and in the opera. Also, it was my era, the love of radio. We used to listen to the radio at night, close our eyes and see movies far more beautiful than you can photograph.”

“Listen, if there's one sure-fire rule that I have learned in this business, it's that I don't know anything about human nature.”

“I was never sloppy with other people's money. Only my own. Because I figure, well, you can be.”

“I used to love going into local hardware stores, to look at little things they made locally. Nowadays it's harder, though you can still do it in Vietnam.”

“It is a little disappointing to see that your legs are not as strong. But I like the idea of growing old, and the thought of approaching death is not particularly daunting to me.”

“I had an older brother who was very interested in literature, so I had an early exposure to literature, and and theater. My father sometimes would work in musical comedies.”

“I have much to learn from my daughter Sofia. Her minimalism exposes my limitations: I'm too instinctive and operatic, I put too much heart into my work, I get lost sometimes in bizarre things - it's my Italian heritage.”

“When I was 13, I worked for Western Union. When the telegrams came in, I would glue them on the paper and deliver them on my bicycle.”

“Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. It was a little bit of a father and son thing, and you kind of worked your way up.”

“I live near San Francisco in the most beautiful spot on earth and enjoy myself in many ways. Yes, I love to work, which for now is to think and read and write, so it's all a dream come true.”

“We support each other in the Coppola family. We love the idea of everyone getting his place in the sun.”

“Being a former theater student, of course, there is a part of me that is fascinated with stage crafts and what you can do with illusions and working within the confines of the studio.”

“Films and hotels have many aspects that are the same. For example, there is always a big vision, an idea.”

“Anyone who's made film and knows about the cinema has a lifelong love affair with the experience. You never stop learning about film.”

“I've been offered lots of movies. There's always some actor who's doing a project and would like to have me do it. But you look at the project and think, 'Gee, there are a lot of good directors who could do that.' I'd like to do something only I can do.”

“I like to work in the morning. I like to sometimes go to a place where I'm all alone where I'm not going to get a phone call early that hurts my feelings, because once my feelings are hurt, I'm dead in the water.”

“I had a number of teachers who hated me. I didn't do well in school.”

“Movie-wise, there is nothing I wouldn't do again. It's not possible to make one perfect movie every time.”