Quotes By Spike Lee

It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.

Violence is a part of America. I don't want to single out rap music. Let's be honest. America's the most violent country in the history of the world, that's just the way it is. We're all affected by it.

First of all, what in this world does not revolve around money? But money is a big part of film, unlike a lot of other art forms.

'Do the Right Thing' was my first union film. I looked at the rosters, and for the most part, it was white males. Especially the Teamsters. So we had some conversations.

I don't like acting; not in front of the camera.

I think that every minority in the United States of America knows everything about the dominant culture. From the time you can think, you are bombarded with images from TV, film, magazines, newspapers.

People of color have a constant frustration of not being represented, or being misrepresented, and these images go around the world.

If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they're killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We'd not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism.

I had a great education. From kindergarten to John Dewey High School in Coney Island, I am public-school educated.

I'm blessed, I can afford to send my children to private school.

For me, I believe in God, God is real.

Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City, something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do.

Since the days of slavery, if you were a good singer or dancer, it was your job to perform for the master after dinner.

I don't think I'm a total pessimist, so I think you can find hope in all my films.

I get offered to do stuff where the money's nice but it's not something I want to do - I get offered a lot of commercials too.

I'm just trying to tell a good story and make thought-provoking, entertaining films. I just try and draw upon the great culture we have as a people, from music, novels, the streets.

Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith.

I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully.

I think it is very important that films make people look at what they've forgotten.

People think I'm this angry black man walking around in a constant state of rage.

I think people who have faults are a lot more interesting than people who are perfect.

And one thing Hollywood does well is sequels.

A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movies you didn't intend to be there.

What's the difference between Hollywood characters and my characters? Mine are real.

I live in New York City, the stories of my films take place in New York; I'm a New York filmmaker.

Don't think that because you haven't heard from me for a while that I went to sleep. I am still here, like a spirit roaming the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest.

There's a lot of Americans, black and white, who think that we've arrived where we need to be and nothing else needs to be done and affirmative action needs to be dismantled.

I think it would be very boring dramatically to have a film where everybody was a lawyer or doctor and had no faults. To me, the most important thing is to be truthful.

Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.

I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable.