Sidney Buchman

“We in America were worried about many problems dealing with economic inequality and political inequality. The Communist Party seemed to be the only political force, both concerned and willing, to take action to stop the threat of fascism abroad and to work for economic and political reform in this country.”

“I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if behind them they didn't have a little bit of plain ordinary everyday kindness, and a little looking out for the other fellow, too.”

“Hollywood as a whole has recently been made aware of the Negro's true position in America and our responsibility toward the subject.”

“Capra's great passion was Dickens. As soon as he had some money, he bought some of the rarest and most extraordinary editions of Dickens's work, and he was very proud of his collection.”

“In the morning, Capra would arrive with twenty-or-so pages in which he'd written down all of his ideas. Most were terrible, then all of a sudden there would be one which was astounding.”

“It is repugnant to an American to inform upon his fellow citizens.”

“Anyone who assumes that this country is standing still is not a good American, or rather, he is an apathetic and dead one and makes no contribution to the society.”

“To begin to know the philosophy of socialism, in backward countries where the class differences are great, very great, and terribly exaggerated over the conditions we know in this country, to overcome this, the theory of revolution, of force and violence, was necessary within those political conditions. It couldn't be anything else.”

“I have seen the face of this country change in 25 years or 30 years. I have seen a equalization begin to develop - in inheritance laws, tax laws, laws for favoring trade unions, protecting them, and so forth. All these are social changes.”

“Capra always wanted a screenwriter with him, even on the soundstage. The writer had to be there at his side.”

“Riskin went into directing and made a film with Cary Grant which applied to the letter all the ideas which had made his comedies famous. It had everything except that little something - and the film was a failure.”

“If there were no mystery left to explore life would get rather dull, wouldn't it?”

“Communism seemed to be an ideal experiment in trying to achieve a state where all persons have greater democracy. I might add, like other persons here and elsewhere, I found myself concerned with the problem of increasing need for greater economic and political democracy for greater numbers of people.”

“I consider the philosophy of the Communist Party as not applicable to our American way of life.”

“If the condition of Government stands still, it just makes no sense and must die, so, therefore, the improvement within that democracy must be the greater and greater equalization of rights and opportunities to the people as those people grow up.”

“I have always been opposed to illegal changes of our Government or the overthrow of its institutions, whether by force or other illegal means. I have always believed in the democratic processes.”

“I am a man who has made a great deal of money, and I haven't got a great deal. This is because I give it no value, and a certain Christian precept is something to be lived by, and so forth.”

“I told you, the dopes are gonna inherit the earth anyway.”