George Saunders Quotes

A person must have a certain amount of intelligent ignorance to get anywhere.

My advice to young film-makers is this: don't follow trends, start them!

I think it's the responsibility of a designer to try to break rules and barriers.

To be a truly conscientious artist, you have to look at what's not working and challenge it. You riff on things.

I love when people have their own creative vision, when a person stands out and tries different things.

Not many architects have the luxury to reject significant things.

It is so important for designers not to run scared, and not to be too worried about what's safe and what's commercial.

Young players need freedom of expression to develop as creative players... they should be encouraged to try skills without fear of failure.

I have a real interest in pushing some of the limits of things that studios don't want to make.

And I hate to see artists who are real safe. I love to see artists swing for the fences sometimes.

I love it when the director says, 'Rebel, just do whatever you want.' I'm, like, 'Yes!'

Good and bad ideas both come from the same fountain of speculation and experiment.

If you look at the scientists who really make a difference, they think boldly. They're not afraid to question what they see.

I'm good at thinking outside the box, so much that you realise it's not a box to begin with.

Leadership requires that we challenge the conventional wisdom.

There's a reason why start-ups, especially disruptive start-ups - like Google or Amazon or Uber - are full of young people. That's because young people are not as wedded to the old fashioned ways of doing things.

I'm the kind of director, at any given moment, an idea occurs to me, I'll just do it.

All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I'm feeling at the time, whatever direction I'm heading in.

I've really pushed the limits of what you can get away with at big studios, and I've been extremely well-supported.

I keep a band of great young people around me, and we're not musically restrained. It's not about 'Let's do it correct' but 'Let's do it right.'

With Gaga - she's not afraid to take chances. You get these dynamic projects because of it. She's completely unafraid.

The best students are ones that are willing to take intellectual risks and challenge conventional thinking.

I wanted to have a creative director crazy enough to say, 'Sure, I'll do a collection in five days.'

I choose my work based on what is offered to me. If I see if my role can change the way the show will shape up, I come on board. If me being there in a show will make no difference, then I won't bother being part of it. I am inclined to do things that I haven't done before.

In subsidized theater, you are encouraged to take risks. It's about being imaginative and artistic. That's the priority. It might not be a success, but let's try.