James Caan

“I really believe that you grow up a certain way in New York. There's a New York morality, a sense of loyalty. You know how to win and lose. There's a thousand kids outside, you know who to push and who not to push. There's a sixth sense you develop just because it's New York.”

“What's the difference between sex and love? I have four wives and five kids. I apparently don't know the difference.”

“It's always the guys who have absolutely nothing to give that start screaming and yelling about their makeup and trailers. It's a diversion so you don't pay attention to them, because they stink!”

“I'm sort of a Walter Mitty. I got fewer brain cells than most people, so when I got friendly with cowboys, I started rodeoing. When I was calf-roping, there was something about the dirt that made me feel clean.”

“I was very fortunate in the '70s to work with the best actors, the best directors, the best cinematographers.”

“I won't mention names, but in my career, the most talented people invariably are the easiest and nicest to get along with.”

“No matter what heights you achieve, even if you're Brad Pitt, the slide is coming, sure as death and taxes.”

“I loved 'Funny Lady' for whatever reason. People say they didn't know I could sing and dance. Well, nobody ever asks me - it's always, 'Punch this guy.'”

“I went to a shrink once, but I caught him going to a fortune-teller so I quit.”

“My big thing is that I always get typecast.”

“Showing up every day isn't enough. There are a lot of guys who show up every day who shouldn't have showed up at all.”

“I turned down 'Cuckoo's Nest' four times before Jack got it.”

“People say, 'Gee, you do a lot of mafia movies.' I think I've done two, out of 60.”

“I'm an ultra-conservative.”

“I didn't have parents I could take a million dollars from. We were a lower-class family.”

“To get over my divorce, I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while.”

“I never did anything else. In college I switched majors every two weeks, and acting was the only thing that held my interest.”

“I remember at 16 years old, growing up in Queens, we were punks, but hey, when we went to the theater, we wore a shirt and tie! Similarly, I believe that to keep movie theaters in existence, they're gonna have to make 'em an event, have a couch, a table and drinks or something. Otherwise, there's no reason to get out of your bed!”

“I always thought of myself as some sort of athlete until I started playing golf a couple years ago.”

“My acting technique is to look up at God just before the camera rolls and say, 'Give me a break.'”