Spike Lee Quotes

I’m not going to let anybody mess with my culture.

I don’t think about my movies as being political.

The funny thing is, whether you’re a celebrity or not, you never know what’s around the corner.

There’s nothing different about my movies except they haven’t been seen.

If we don’t start putting some real money into the black artists, we’re gonna see more films where we’re in the toilet bowl looking up.

I don’t think people understand that being chosen was their decision, not mine.

I always think about the audience.

I’ve always been at war with my image.

I’ve always chosen subject matter that has appealed to me.

Great acting comes down to the performance between the actor’s ears.

I think that we’ve had so many films about drug addicts, and I’m tired of seeing them, and I don’t want to do that.

I don’t have to do a Spike Lee film. I can do a Spike Lee joint.

Education will save you.

Anytime I hear the word ‘Hollywood,’ I reach for my wallet.

I just think, as an artist, like, any time you do something where you walk away and feel you did the best job you could do, that’s all you can ask for.

Black cinema has a Black audience.

I think that the popularity of zombies is due to the fact that zombies are here to stay.

I think people don’t think I take anything seriously, but there are things that strike me as absurd.

I just try and tell a story, and I try and make it as best I can and as passionate as I can, and I don’t always hit the mark, but I give every… film everything I’ve got.

It’s not just that Denzel [Washington] is a great actor, but because of the type of person he is.

I’m always criticizing myself, and my father always criticized me.

I’m not in this for the short haul.

Artists can’t be nonaligned or nonpolitical.

I don’t think I can be accused of being racist.

I think most people understand inclinations are natural for them.

I’m not fighting with what I can’t change.

That’s the greatness of art and artists – that we all interpret it differently.

There’s not necessarily a direct relationship between how many people go to the theater and the quality.

I stand by everything I’ve done.

I’m not responsible for what reviews come out. I’m involved in film from the beginning to the end.

If I didn’t know I had the power to kill a film, I wouldn’t be doing the films I’ve been doing.

People should not put their personal biases into what they write.

I’m not a Hollywood director.

I don’t see the difference between the quality of a film that had a bad opening and one that had a good opening.

I’m not doing things to outsmart my critics.

I’m not trying to hurt anybody’s feelings.

I’m not just saying anything because I know people are watching.

I don’t go out of my way to let people know what’s happening in my personal life.

I’m not in this for the money.

I think I’m highly critical of myself, but I also think I’m a decent human being.

I’m just trying to tell stories that I feel haven’t been told.

I’m not a pessimist. I’ve always been an optimist.

I don’t think there’s anything I’ve done in my career that would require me to go to mass every day.

I would never want anyone to think that I’m not enjoying my life.

I’m not interested in being labeled as an ‘activist’. I’m just a storyteller.