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Martin Scorsese is a filmmaker like no other. His films are far from being mere audio-visual entertainment; those are an art. Every frame of his movies has a language just from the way it was shot. You could sit in the dark with a few hundred people in a theater and be transformed watching a Martin Scorsese movie.
The 80-year-old director has been making hard-hitting and stylish movies for fifty years in a row. And in his filmmaking career, he has seen the best of it and also the worst. Which is why his quotes are so relevant and valuable to filmmaking.
However, you don't need to be a film snob to better appreciate these Martin Scorsese quotes. These are applicable in every aspect of life.
Below I've put together the top ten quotes by Martin Scorsese that'll not only help you to become a better filmmaker but will also change the way you think as a creative person.
1. “If you’re dreaming, you’re sleeping.”
How many times have you heard the “follow your dreams” nonsense?
Ever stopped for a moment and asked “How?”
This is the reason why I never liked that saying. Because it means nothing.
It's one of those overused phrases that sounds smart, but it really doesn't mean anything.
Martin Scorsese says, “Dreaming is a way of trivializing the process, the obsession that carries you through the failure as well as the successes which could be harder to get through.”
But if dreaming is the only thing you do, you’re sleeping.
You've to take action to achieve that dream. “You have to put yourself in a situation, a lifestyle, that makes you do the work. Even if it’s a monastery,” added the Hollywood director.
Don't just dream. Set goals.
2. “You’ve got to love something enough to kill it.”
I absolutely love this Martin Scorsese quote.
American poet Charles Bukowski's words can explain this better than I ever could. When asked what makes one a writer, he said, “It's simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a bridge.”
Have enough passion for that one goal, which you can go as far as it can lead you to.
That's how Martin Scorsese cut a serendipitous swath through the 70s and 80s while pushing the boundaries of cinema; he had a burning passion for filmmaking.
Otherwise it wouldn't have been easy to become a “movie brat” from where he comes from.
3. “To make movies from where I came from, is like saying you're going to the Moon.”
See what I mean?
Martin Scorsese's early life wasn't easy by any measure. Growing up in Little Italy, he saw a lot of organized crime happening.
As a kid, he'd be taken off the street if there was going to be a mafia killing. And after the killing was done, he would be back on the street to play again.
Further, Scorsese wasn't born in a well-heeled family. His father worked as a clothes presser, and his mother as a seamstress.
It's only his hard work, passion, and willingness to make a change in the cinematic world that earned him a place at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
4. “Do it like the painters used to… study the old masters.”
This quote is especially true for any aspiring filmmakers or writers.
A lot of amateurs I met say, they don't read this particular author and that book. “It'll color my thoughts,” they justify.
And then I ask, “Ever met a great musician who doesn't listen to others' music?”
Do it like the painters, like Scorsese advised. Study others' works, adapt their writing styles, filming style. Educate yourself about what they do to make their work so good.
Also, don't chase after new ideas. “Whatever you do now that you think is new was already done in 1913,” Martin Scorsese explained. It's better to enrich your palette and expand the canvas.
There’s always so much more to learn from others.
5. “Always stay open to surprise.”
Remember De Niro's iconic “You talking to me” from the Taxi Driver?
That dialogue wasn't scripted. Martin Scorsese improvised that right in the movie set.
Also, Joe Pesci’s “How am I funny” comes from his real life encounter with a mobster. Crazy right?
Inspiration can hit you in the head at any time in any context. You’ve gotta reckon those when it does.
6. “There are certain tools you use. Those tools become part of a vocabulary.”
I haven't seen this quote mentioned anywhere else. It's a quote that emphasizes getting better at your crafts.
While doing so, you use some specific set of tools. Over time those tools become the alphabets of your craft.
Martin Scorsese, for example, has some signature styles such as bloody violence, macho posturing, Catholic guilt, contemporary music and rapid-fire editing.
He calls it the kamikaze method of filmmaking. It's his cinematic language.
7.“Every scene is a lesson. Every shot is a school. Let the learning continue.”
Apart from the kamikaze method, a Martin Scorsese movie is instantly recognizable from the use of slow-motion, freeze-frame, and skipping frame techniques.
Although, if you watch his initial films you'd realize the above elements are not there.
So, how did he learn all these techniques? Overnight?!
You already know the answer. There's no shortcut. Practice is the key.
First, you've got to get started. Pick up a camera, and go out. Shoot everyday scenes. Capture yourself walking, maybe. There is always room for creativity in even a day-to-day activity.
Secondly, make mistakes in the process and learn from them.
Don't stop. You've to let the learning continue, as Scorsese said.
8.“There’s no such thing as simple. Simple is hard.”
There was once a point when Martin Scorsese almost gave up editing “The Departed.”
The film was a helluva mess with a lot of bad scenes. It had to be edited out in order to make it a release worthy picture.
This wasn't easy. Scorsese said, “It was like we were wrangling six wild horses. ”
Later, the film would go on to win four Oscars including Best Director and Best Film Editing.
What can you learn from this?
Great things are never easy to do. They are hard.
9.“The most personal is the most creative.”
This quote has a little backstory.
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho is known for his black comedy thrillers. In 2019 his feature film “Parasite” won four Oscars including Best Director.
In his acceptance speech for the Academy Awards, he quoted the above Martin Scorsese's words to be his inspiration.
He said, “When I was young and starting in cinema there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart which is, ‘The most personal is the most creative. That quote was from our great Martin Scorsese.”
Later Scorsese sent a heartfelt letter to the South Korean director, and congratulated him for the win.
If Scorsese's words can inspire such a great filmmaker, it surely can you.
10. “As I've gotten older, I’ve had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion...”
In 1977, Martin Scorsese directed “New York, New York.” Although the movie was a box-office disaster, it received mixed responses from the critics.
Depressed, the young director started substance abusing which led to terrifying internal bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital.
When Robert De Niro got to know about his friend's fate, he stormed into the hospital. Scorsese remembered De Niro asking him, “Are you going to be one of those directors who make a couple of good movies, and then it’s over for them?"
De Niro proposed to him to make a picture to which he agreed. The picture was one of the greatest movies ever made—you guessed it—“Raging Bull.”
All of our life is fraught with challenges. You'll meet a lot of people who will help you. And who you can trust. Who live by kindness, tolerance, and compassion. So, be generous to the people around you.
Karma will get back to you.
Final thoughts
Reading these Martin Scorsese quotes wouldn't help you much if you are unable to apply them in real situations.
Some of my highschool friends used to say they would become a writer one day. They still wish that.
Take action. Now.
What is your favorite saying from these ten Martin Scorsese quotes? Let me know in the comments.
P.S. – If you're a fellow blogger, and wanting to use a quote in your blog, then please cite this article with a “do follow” link. It helps me a lot. Thank you.