Errol Morris's Quotes

Certain kinds of intimacy emerge on a phone call that might never occur if you were sitting right next to the other person.

Despite all of our efforts to control something, the world is much, much more powerful than us, and more deranged even than us.

Do I like tawdry, sleazy stories? Yeah, I do.

Ecstatic absurdity: it's the confrontation with meaninglessness.

First of all, tabloid stories are some of the richest and most important stories that we have. There's nothing wrong, per se, with tabloid stories.

I feel as if I became a documentary film-maker only because I had writer's block for four decades. There's no other good reason.

I like to think that I'm nonjudgmental, that I can listen and be engaged by almost anything.

I taught my son to read with tabloids. We would sit to read the 'Weekly World News' together.

I think an interview, properly considered, should be an investigation. You shouldn't know what the interview will yield. Otherwise, why do it at all?

I think calling someone a character is a compliment.

I used to work as a private detective years and years ago.

I've been writing a lot more, I believe, because of the Internet. I've been posting stuff that I've written and I've just been writing.

I've never made any money off of any of my films. Statement of fact. So without commercial work, I would be in big trouble.

If everything was planned, it would be dreadful. If everything was unplanned, it would be equally dreadful.

If you think you're going to create an unposed photograph, think again. There is no such thing.

Interviews, when they are just simply an exercise in hearing what you want to hear, are of no interest.

My advice to all interviewers is: Shut up and listen. It's harder than it sounds.

My stuff always starts with interviews. I start interviewing people, and then slowly but surely, a movie insinuates itself.

There is nothing wrong with becoming more ambitious along the way, but I think what the government has asked the council to do is a perfectly good starting point.

We do recognise the need to move towards the publication of information showing the progress made by pupils from one stage of their education to another.

Where the private sector, or anyone else, has skills, knowledge and resources that can help to deliver a high quality of education and to raise standards, we should use them.

I think film is a very powerful advocate and message carrier.

At different times I taught humanities, social sciences and pre-vocational education.

Headteachers and governing bodies run schools and that won't change.

I am confident that the vast majority of teachers will work with us towards achieving that goal.

I do recognise that, where recruitment difficulties persist, teachers can be put under great pressure.

I taught for 17 years in an inner city comprehensive schools.

I want to give producers more financial security.

I was head of the Sixth Form Centre when I left the school.

This government has always said increasing pay is something for something.

What politicians want to create is irreversible change because when you leave office someone changes it back again.

You have got to attract the brightest and the best, but the brightest and best won't stay unless they see real career options.

Before this government came to power, many failing schools were simply allowed to drift on in a pattern of continuing failure. The government is determined to break that pattern and is successfully doing so.

By creating useful job descriptions and making clear what qualifications should be expected, the Department aims to help improve schools' ability to recruit the right people.

However, the Government has made it clear that we do not encourage the recruitment of teachers from developing nations where there may be an adverse effect on the economy.

I know there are things I did in education that will never be reversed. I have not done that in film yet because I have only been here for about nine months.

If bringing up the next generation is important, why aren't they the best qualified, the best paid? Why aren't we as concerned about their career progression as we are about those who work in the education or health services?

If we can modernise the workforce, make them better qualified, have this framework of qualifications, then I think they have a very good case for more money.

If you invent the Mini Cooper, pour all your energy and passion into it and it gets made, you should be on a roll. In the film industry you have to start again the next day.

In the 21st century when few of us stay in the same job all our lives, I would like to think there was flexibility so teachers could become social workers, or foster carers become teachers.

It is a very unusual sector and the one thing I would ask of them is to understand that for most of them one-third of their films are being financed by the taxpayer and that carries huge accountability and responsibility.

My Department has already recognised this and has been working specifically on the technical support issue since January and will offer advice to schools during the Autumn term.

My focus and that of all members of the Government responsible for delivering services to the public is to make sure that the public sector can use all the skills it needs to do the job the public wants it to do.

OFSTED has made large cuts in the paperwork which schools are asked to provide and further steps to reduce the bureaucratic burden will be introduced in September.

The need for improved technical support in schools has expanded as the Government and schools have increased their investment in information and communications technologies.

There is a shortage of teachers but the January 2001 schools census showed that teacher numbers were at their highest level than at any time since 1984 - and 11,000 higher than 1997.