Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.

A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society.

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.

Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.

We are Indians, firstly and lastly.

You know, in the film making business no one ever gave you anything.

I always do makeup touch-ups myself, especially for blood, wounds, and dirt. It saves so much time.

You have to not listen to the nay sayers because there will be many and often they'll be much more qualified than you and cause you to sort of doubt yourself.

I was always fascinated by engineering. Maybe it was an attempt maybe to get my father's respect or interest, or maybe it was just a genetic love of technology, but I was always trying to build things.

I try to live with honor, even if it costs me millions of dollars and takes a long time. It's very unusual in Hollywood. Few people are trustworthy - a handshake means nothing to them. They feel they're required to keep an agreement with you only if you're successful or they need you.

I mean, you have to be able - you have to have made the commitment within yourself to do whatever it takes to get the job done and to try to inspire other people to do it, because obviously the first rule is you can't do it by yourself.

It took me a long time to realize that you have to have a bit of an interlanguage with actress. You have to give them something that they can act with.

To convince people to back your idea, you've got to sell it to yourself and know when it's the moment. Sometimes that means waiting. It's like surfing. You don't create energy, you just harvest energy

I do an awful lot of scuba diving. I love to be on the ocean, under the ocean. I live next to the ocean.

Building upon the world we created with 'Avatar' has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In writing the new films, I've come to realize that 'Avatar's world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen.

I think people had somehow gotten the sense that we have explored everything, when that isn't the case. We so know so little about the ocean, and so much of it is being destroyed.

The magic doesn't come from within the director's mind, it comes from within the heart of the actors. 

What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death?

The film industry is about saying 'no' to people, and inherently you cannot take 'no' for an answer.

It'll be all of our efforts together. It won't won't ever be exactly the way I imagined it. And that is, I think, an important lesson as well, is that in any group enterprise it's going to be the sum total of the group.

It'll be all of our efforts together. It won't won't ever be exactly the way I imagined it. And that is, I think, an important lesson as well, is that in any group enterprise it's going to be the sum total of the group.

People call me a perfectionist, but I'm not. I'm a rightist. I do something until it's right, and then I move on to the next thing.

I'm a storyteller; that's what exploration really is all about. Going to places where others have not been and returning to tell a story they haven't heard before.

The snake kills by squeezing very slowly. This is how the civilized world slowly, slowly pushed into the forest and takes away the world that used to be.

Every time you give, you hope you'll see something new - some new species. Sometimes the ocean gives you a gift, sometimes it doesn't.

There are many talented people who haven't fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith.

If you're looking for the safe choice, you shouldn't be supporting a black guy named Barack Obama to be the next leader of the free world.

He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana.

When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.