STEVEN SEAGAL

I was born in Detroit, in an all black neighborhood.

I love Russia. Some people love Africa, some people love Mexico, some people love purple, the color purple. I love Russia, and I'm not scared to say it.

I want to make a movie that can grab people by the heartstrings.

I think we're living in a world where society is very difficult.

I don't consider myself a martial-arts star. I'd be offended and disappointed if I got a reputation as a martial-arts star.

It doesn't work if the bad guys kill his mother's uncle's friend's neighbor's pet dog. You've got to make the stakes high.

I was born with a serious spiritual consciousness and for many years studied different paths.

I've been a police officer for over 20 years, and I've investigated murders and all kinds of different crimes.

Most of the kids that I meet in the street are serious hardened criminals that I meet in the street, never had a mother and a father to love them, to protect them, to teach them right from wrong and lead them out of crime and gangs and stuff like that.

Everybody struggles to come up with stuff that no one has ever seen before. It's a fine line between trying to get creative and doing something that's new, fresh and different - yet, for me, something that's based in reality that would actually work in these situations. These are the keys to great fight scenes and action sequences.

I was a very religious kid. I was raised as an Episcopalian.

Aikido is not merely about fighting and the development of the physical self but the perfection of the spiritual man at the same time. It has very harmonious movements, very beautiful to watch and beautiful for your body to feel.

Try to find the path of least resistance and use it without harming others. Live with integrity and morality, not only with people but with all beings.

I've always tried to avoid politics because most politicians that I know are quite dirty in terms of human dignity, ethics and morals.

My philosophy is that the most important aspect of any religion should be human kindness. And to try to ease the suffering of others. To try to bring light and love into the lives of mankind.

I would only ever be involved in a reality show that was about real life and had lots of action.

I have no fear of death. More important, I don't fear life.

You do 1,000 interviews, 20 percent of every one is not what you said, or is twisted a little. If you multiply 20 by 1,000 you've got a lot of inaccuracies out there.

There was a time when I thought I was doing a good thing with good guys for a good cause. Looking back, I think I really wanted to be a warrior.

All the movies that I have done I have not been in control of. Sometimes there is a contractual situation where you go to the studio, and they kind of tell you which ones they want you to do.

Any great warrior is also a scholar, and a poet, and an artist.

I want to be able to work on a project that will give people around the world the chance to represent their own people, their own culture, their own stories, rather than just Hollywood - really, you know, dominated Hollywood. And that's a dream of mine.

Believe it or not, there are some things that I have written that would be kind of a dream to make. Hopefully, I will get to finance them... There is something that I wrote called 'Demon's Flare' which would kind of be a dream come true.

I've been a musician since childhood, and music is my first love. I love it.

My CIA godfather told me he'd never heard any American speak Japanese so well.