I don't feel the need to direct. I tried to get other people to direct Dances, but they wouldn't do it. They all thought it was too long. One director wanted to cut the Civil War sequence. Another thought the white woman was very cliched.

I wanted very much to do Traffic and at one point it looked like I was going to work on it. And then, of course, Catherine Zeta-Jones had her relationship with Michael Douglas and it suddenly didn't happen... view

By: Kevin Costner

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I've had some movies that have been ridiculed, but that's OK with me. I don't feel that really defines me. Should I change who I am to be popular?.. view

By: Kevin Costner

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We stand our best chance of leaving a legacy to those who want to learn, our children, by standing firm. In matters of style, hey, swing with the stream. But in matters of principle, you need to stand like a rock... view

By: Kevin Costner

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In America, politicians do whatever to get re-elected, and a lot of decisions that were being made at that time by Kennedy were certain not to get him re-elected... view

By: Kevin Costner

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Failure doesn't kill you... it increases your desire to make something happen... view

By: Kevin Costner

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I don't think I'd have been as good as Bruce was. He was a better JFK than I would have been... view

By: Kevin Costner

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One person doesn't have to shoulder all the responsibility for why a film does or doesn't do well... view

By: Kevin Costner

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Lincoln was the greatest speaker and he was ridiculed for how he looked, you know?.. view

By: Kevin Costner

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There are a lot of things that come to bear on movies now that I don't think are good for movies. They're trying to appeal to the biggest demographic and, when they do that, you sometimes flatten out... view

By: Kevin Costner

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When I read Thirteen Days I was moved by it. It was just a great time for the world, in terms of looking back in history and seeing how we got ourselves into trouble and how we got ourselves out of trouble... view

By: Kevin Costner

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I think these movies are as much for people of that time as for people who weren't born. For people who weren't born, they see how leaders must act under a crisis situation, not trying to be re-elected or not trying to check polls, that they go from their gut check... view

By: Kevin Costner

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I believe people who go into politics want to do the right thing. And then they hit a big wall of re-election and the pettiness of politics. In the end, politics gets in the way of the business of people... view

By: Kevin Costner

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