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David O. Russell

David O. Russell Quotes

Film director

David O. Russell, born on August 20, 1958, is a renowned film director from the United States. His works are known for their unique narrative style and profound character portrayal, with notable films including 'Three Kings', 'Flirting with Disaster', and 'American Hustle'. Russell's films often delve into the complexities of human nature and the injustices of society, winning the hearts of audiences worldwide.

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Famous David O. Russell Quotes

“The idea that anyone would think their religious ideas make them morally superior is just preposterous.”

Thinking Ideas Religious Superiors

Author:David O. Russell

“It's absurd that we're so quick to criticize Muslims for being fundamentalist when Christians can be just as extreme and fanatical and frightening.”

Christian Extremes Absurd Criticize Frightening Fundamentalist

Author:David O. Russell

“Christianity has been responsible for plenty of horror and death in the world, all supposedly in God's name.”

World Has Beens Names Christianity Horror Responsible Plenty

Author:David O. Russell

“I think audiences deserve the benefit of the doubt. I prefer to be surprised by them rather then just assume they'll react negatively to any new idea.”

Thinking Ideas Audience Doubt Benefits Deserve Assuming New Ideas Benefit Of The Doubt

Author:David O. Russell

“It's my experience that endings are never easy, and I think I'm not alone among filmmakers or writers in this.”

Thinking Easy Filmmaker Not Alone

Author:David O. Russell

“The endings for all my characters seem sufficiently human and messy for me to feel comfortable with them. In some ways they have only moved an inch, but sometimes an inch is a great distance.”

Way Feels Humans Sometimes Character Seems Comfortable Moved Distance Inches Messy

Author:David O. Russell

“Unhappy endings can be as cheap as happy endings.”

Unhappy Happy Endings Unhappy Endings

Author:David O. Russell

“I think that everybody does hustle in order to survive. That doesn't mean lying - it's more about how you handle situations.”

Thinking Mean Lying Situation Hustle

Author:David O. Russell

“I think sometimes you have to handle things delicately at work or at home. You know, you can find yourself in situations that are like opening a closet filled with bowling balls that are going to fall out of it, but if you handle things graciously, then that's not going to happen.”

Thinking Sometimes Home Fall Situation Finding Yourself Bowling

Author:David O. Russell

“Every day, when my feet hit the ground, I have a story that I'm telling myself that I choose to make a positive story. I know people who don't do that, and there's a heavy energy around them. So I guess there's that kind of hustling.”

People Kind Energy Hustle

Author:David O. Russell

“You're not supposed to become something else so you can get more. You're supposed to stay you and get through as yourself, because at least then you can count on that, and you don't have to ask yourself who you are half the time.”

Author:David O. Russell

“In order to reinvent yourself, you have to dig deep and look at yourself. I'd lost my way creatively, and I was humbled, and so I think I got really basic about wanting to depict people in the ways that I find them amazing and funny and emotional and that I can relate to and do from an instinctive, gut place. People trying to survive ... That's what all my movies are about.”

People Thinking Trying Emotional My Way Guts Dig Deep Look At Yourself

Author:David O. Russell

“You know when you're hungry and excited and you feel humble about it? I like that. In the past, when things were not clear, I think I wasn't ... I didn't have my feet on the ground as much, maybe, 10 years ago. So I just feel like this is a good place to be now, to feel that you want to tell stories from this place and that you're excited to tell stories from this place because you know what you love. I know what I love right now.”

Thinking Past Humble Excited Hungry

Author:David O. Russell

“I think any spiritual experience that's worthwhile is not about ego and it will humble you in some way. And also, a Zen monk once said to me, 'If you're not laughing, then you're not getting it.'”

Ifs Thinking Way Said Spiritual Laughing Journey Ego Humble Worthwhile Monk Spiritual Experience

Author:David O. Russell

“I just love real characters; they're not pretentious, and every emotion is on the surface, they're regular working people. Their likes, their dislikes, their loves, their hates, their passions; they're all right there on the surface.”

People Real Character Hate Passion Emotion Surface Likes Dislike Pretentious Real Character

Author:David O. Russell

“That's the most beautiful thing that I like about boxing: you can take a punch. The biggest thing about taking a punch is your ego reacts and there's no better spiritual lesson than trying to not pay attention to your ego's reaction.”

Trying Beautiful Spiritual Sports Pay Attention Lessons Ego Reactions Pay Attention Boxing Motivational Sports Beautiful Things

Author:David O. Russell

“Anything you could ever want or be you already have and are.”

Author:David O. Russell

“I got put on jury duty, which is where I learned how to write.”

Writing Duty Jury Jury Duty

Author:David O. Russell

“I got a nomination for director, which means the world to me; it's just the most exciting thing for me and my family. You do the good hard work, and the rest of it is something you shouldn't get too caught up in, but when it happens - boy! I respect it.”

World Mean Hard Happens Boys Hard Work Directors My Family Exciting Caught Caught Up Nominations Exciting Things Mean The World To Me

Author:David O. Russell

“I think what makes compelling fiction or cinema is when you're basically taking the most intense moments of experience and you're creating a song or a narrative out of it.”

Thinking Moments Song Fiction Creating Intense Narrative Cinema Compelling Intense Moments

Author:David O. Russell

“I was frustrated because I couldn't get going, as I was trying to figure out how to make films. I had various jobs, I taught a SAT class, I was a bartender, I had a day job at an office and was making short films.”

Trying Jobs Film Class Figures Taught Office Various Sat Frustrated Day Jobs Bartender Short Films

Author:David O. Russell

“That's what takes people out of the fight half the time. They get hit and half the reaction is your ego is saying, 'I cannot believe that person just lit me up - how humiliating.”

People Believe Persons Fighting Half Ego Reactions Lit Humiliating

Author:David O. Russell

“The closer you stay to emotional authenticity and people, character authenticity, the less you can go wrong. That's how I feel now, no matter what you're doing.”

People Feels Matter Character Emotional No Matter What Authenticity

Author:David O. Russell

“I feel profoundly blessed. I feel it's a great privilege to make any motion picture.”

Feels Blessed Privilege Motion Pictures

Author:David O. Russell

“There's nothing better than an actor who is really, really hungry to show everything they've got.”

Shows Actors Hungry

Author:David O. Russell

“The Fighter was about a family struggling to overcome and fighting each other sometimes, and I went back and rewrote this script which I had written for my son initially because my son has mood disorder.”

Sometimes Fighting Struggle Written Son Overcoming Scripts Mood Fighter My Son Disorder Fighting Each Other Mood Disorders

Author:David O. Russell

About the Author

Born: August 20, 1958
Known for: Film director
Quotes: 76

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