Quotes from Frank Capra

Film is one if three universal languages, the other two: mathematics and music.

My films must let every man, woman, and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other.

No saint, no pope, no general, no sultan, has ever had the power that a filmmaker has; the power to talk to hundreds of millions of people for two hours in the dark.

Compassion is a two way street.

If you want to send a message, try Western Union.

Whenever a situation develops to its extreme, it is bound to turn around and become its opposite.

I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.

Friend, you are a divine mingle-mangle of guts and stardust. So hang in there! If doors opened for me, they can open for anyone.

I made some mistakes in drama. I thought the drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.

Film is one if three universal languages, the other two: mathematics and music.

Someone should keep reminding Mr. Average Man that he was born free, divine, strong; uncrushable by fate, society, or hell itself; and that he is a child of God, equal heir to all the bounties of God; and that goodness is riches, kindness is power, and freedom is glory. Above all, every man is born with an inner capacity to take him as far as his imagination can dream or envision-providing he is free to dream and envision.

Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream, it takes over as the number one hormone; it bosses the enzymes; directs the pineal gland; plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to film is more film.

In these days of wars and rumors of wars, haven't you ever dreamed of a place where there was peace and security, where living was not a struggle but a lasting delight?

I want to put into your heads that the world is not all evil. Yes, we do have nightmares, but we also have dreams. We do have villainy, but we also have great compassion among ourselves. That's all I'm here for, really, to try to tell you that there's good in the world. And that it's wonderful.

It was a magic carpet - woven with the coils and ringlets of a wondrous peel of limber plastic, whose filaments carried the genetic code of all the arts of man, and from which the abracadabra of science conjured up the hopes, the fears, the dreams of man - the magic carpet of FILM!

I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.

In our film profession you may have Gable's looks, Tracy's art, Marlene's legs or Liz's violet eyes, but they don't mean a thing without that swinging thing called courage.

One man, one film.

Automatic simply means that you can't repair it yourself.

My advice to young film-makers is this: don't follow trends, start them!

Automatic simply means that you can't repair it yourself.

War to me is the stupidest way of settling anything. The whole damn thing goes to pieces.

Scriptwriting is the toughest part of the whole racket... the least understood and the least noticed.