Derek Cianfrance Quotes

Understanding is a two-way street.

You cannot shake hands with a clinched fist.

Negotiating is a little like jazz. You improvise on a theme. You know where you want to go, but you’re not always sure how to get there.

It ought not to be beyond the intelligence of even the most hidebound local politician to see the benefits of imaginative compromise.

There is no fun in getting into a debate or a contest of wills. If something important comes out of the conversation, okay. If not, that's okay, too.

If you would convince others, seem open to conviction yourself.

Life is about compromise - in relationships and at work.

If you're operating from strong principles, you can compromise when the person on the other side is operating from principles you respect.

I've got my own mind, and I'll talk about it, but I'm willing to listen. I'm very balanced like that. If you don't want a guy who's balanced, who wants to win, and can bring people together well... I don't know.

I believe in, 'I do it my way, and you do it your way, and then see what works' pattern. I think that comes with me having worked as an assistant director earlier, which I really enjoyed.

Cooperation - To get cooperation, you must give cooperation. Always seek to find the best way rather than insisting on your own way.

Solutions must be based on compromises.

I don't think 'my way or the highway' works, that mentality. And that's what the Tea Party has done: drawn a line in the sand. I'm sorry - that doesn't work in business, that doesn't work in your family, it certainly doesn't work in government and our Congress.

Businesses that run well are almost like marriages. Everything has to be up for discussion, or there will be real problems.

I believe you can work with anybody.

I'm just not a purist. You set goals and you have to work with everyone to figure out how to get what you can.

You cannot work with men who won't work with you.

You know, I've always been very open to any project.

Never accept ultimatums, conventional wisdom, or absolutes.

Democracy demands trust. It demands that sense of mutual understanding. And - it's a two way street. You've got to give - as much as you take.

Bipartisanship helps to avoid extremes and imbalances. It causes compromises and accommodations. So let's cooperate.

In politics, you must let the other person have your way.

I just love to collaborate with people who take my ideas real serious, and they don't put up walls around them.

Conciliation is not capitulation, nor is compromise to be deemed equivalent to imbalanced concession.

Sometimes a little compromise isn't a bad thing. You don't need to be precious about it.