Quotes By James Caan

Saving a letter from an old friend doesn't exist anymore. Everything is texted or emailed.

I think we have to believe in things we don't see. That's really important for all of us, whether it's your religion or Santa Claus, or whatever. That's pretty much what it's about.

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

Actors have bodyguards and entourages not because anybody wants to hurt them - who would want to hurt an actor? - but because they want to get recognized. God forbid someone doesn't recognize them.

I lost my passion for work. No, that's a negative statement. I just had a bigger passion for something else, for my son, and growing up with him.

Some guys say beauty is only skin deep. But when you walk into a party, you don't see somebody's brain. The initial contact has to be the sniffing.

There are a lot of guys in Hollywood who clap you on the back just a little too hard.

One night I went over to get some dope from some Hollywood tough guy. After I left, my son Scott, who was only fifteen, went over with a baseball bat to kill him. I was laughing out of one eye and crying out of the other. I thought, Who am I kidding?

Unless I love something or hate it, I don't want to deal with it.

I'm here instead of having shoulder surgery. But I'm not sure which is more painful.

What I do quite honestly and seriously and not in any way being humble is not as important as what the garbage collector does. People make actors important.

People wonder why first-time directors can make a brilliant picture, then suck on the second one. It's because they're a little terrified the first time. So they listen to all the experts around them.

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

There's nothing more boring than actors talking about acting.

It's a very charming movie about the mob - a real stretch for me.

You're the only one who's closing your eyes at night. There's no one else who can do it for you.

I never saw my dad cry. My son saw me cry. My dad never told me he loved me, and consequently I told Scott I loved him every other minute. The point is, I'll make less mistakes than my dad, my sons hopefully will make less mistakes than me, and their sons will make less mistakes than their dads.

You have to be very careful when you let someone win.

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

People are always backing up when I'm just going to shake their hands.

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've been lucky. The critics never went out of their way to single me out for doing bad work.

Anyone of my generation who tells you he hasn't 'done Brando' is lying.

I never rode a bull - I'm not that stupid.

My least favorite phrase in the English language is "I don't care."

I play a guy who believes he's a king. He's the most common man in the world; in fact his family, like his suits, are just make-up. It's about dysfunctional people and dysfunctional relationships.

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

There's a big difference between wanting to work and having to work. And I had to learn that the hard way. Now money is very important to me, because I ain't got it.

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 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.