31+ David Lynch Quotes From The Iconic Surrealist Filmmaker
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David Lynch is an American filmmaker, painter, writer, actor, and musician.
He has been labeled as "the first popular Surrealist" by critics. He received the Academy Honorary Award in 2019.
Director of iconic surrealist movies such as 'Eraserhead' (1977), 'The Elephant Man' (1980), 'Blue Velvet' (1986) and, 'Mulholland Drive' (2001), Lynch has received many laurels such as three Academy Award nominations, winning two Palme d'Or awards at Cannes and being termed "the most important film-maker of the current era" by a panel hosted by 'The Guardian'.
David Lynch was also the creator of the hugely popular television series 'Twin Peaks'.
His other artistic endeavors include studio albums such as 'BlueBOB' (2001) and 'The Big Dream' (2013), along with painting, photography, and writing books such as 'Images' (1994) and 'Catching The Big Fish' (2006). Here are a few famous David Lynch quotes that all his fans are going to love.
Keep an eye out for some David Lynch 'Catching The Big Fish' quotes and David Lynch 'Rabbits' quotes.
If you enjoy this article, be sure to check out these 'Twin Peaks' quotes and filmmaking quotes too!
David Lynch Movie Quotes
David Lynch is famous for his fascinating, and occasionally controversial, scripts. He has never been hesitant to incorporate dialogues that embrace the surreal. Here are some beautiful quotes from his films that will surely stay with you.
1. "We've met before, haven't we?"
- Mystery Man, 'Lost Highway', 1997.
2. "This whole world is wild at heart and weird on top."
- Lula Pace Fortune, 'Wild At Heart', 1990.
3. "In Heaven, everything is fine. In Heaven, everything is fine. You've got your good things. And I've got mine."
- Lady In Radiator, 'Eraserhead', 1977.
4. "I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I... am... a... man!"
- John Merrick, 'The Elephant Man', 1980.
5. "Lumberton, the town where people really know how much wood a woodchuck chucks."
- Radio broadcast, 'Blue Velvet', 1986.
6. "I have your disease in me now."
- Dorothy, 'Blue Velvet', 1986.
7. " So, let's just say I'm driving this buggy. And, if you fix your attitude, you can ride along with me."
- Cowboy, 'Mulholland Drive', 2001.
8. "Hey, pretty girl, time to wake up."
- Cowboy, 'Mulholland Drive', 2001.
9. "What's the number for 911?"
- Dorothy, 'The Straight Story', 1999.
10. "I've been going around, meeting my new neighbours. I think that it is important to know one's neighbours. To say 'hello!' to them."
- Neighbor, 'Inland Empire', 2006.
11. "Disappeared where it's hard to disappear."
- Devon Berk, 'Inland Empire', 2006.
12. "Some men change. Well, they don't change—they reveal. They reveal themselves over time, you know?"
- Nikki, 'Inland Empire', 2006.
13. "I got the pool, she got the pool-man."
- Adam Kesher, 'Mulholland Drive', 2001.
14. "It'll be just like in the movies. Pretending to be somebody else."
- Betty Elms, 'Mulholland Drive', 2001.
15. "Mr X: Well Henry, what do you know?
Henry: Oh, I don't know much of anything."
- 'Eraserhead', 1977.
16. "Am I a good man? Or a bad man?"
- Dr Frederick Treves, 'The Elephant Man', 1980.
17. "My life is full because I know I am loved."
- John Merrick, 'The Elephant Man', 1980.
David Lynch Book Quotes
Apart from films, David Lynch has also authored many books. Here are some inspiring Lynch quotes for the fans.
18. "Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper."
- David Lynch, 'Catching The Big Fish', Introduction, 2006.
19. "Desire for an idea is like bait. When you’re fishing, you have to have patience. You bait your hook, and you wait. The desire is the bait that those fish in—those ideas."
- David Lynch, 'Catching The Big Fish', Chapter 11, 2006.
20. "Little fish swim on the surface, but the big ones swim down below. If you can expand the container you’re fishing in—your consciousness—you can catch bigger fish."
- David Lynch, 'Catching The Big Fish', Chapter 12, 2006.
21. "Life is filled with abstractions, and the only way we make heads or tails of it is through intuition. Intuition is seeing the solution—seeing it, knowing it. It’s emotion and intellect going together. That’s essential for the filmmaker."
- David Lynch, 'Catching The Big Fish', Chapter 21, 2006.
22. "What you’re reading here is basically a person having a conversation with his own biography."
- David Lynch, 'Room To Dream', Introduction, 2018.
23. "You keep your eye on the donut not the hole."
- David Lynch, 'Room To Dream', Chapter 7, 2018.
24. "Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful."
- David Lynch, 'Catching The Big Fish', Introduction, 2006.
More David Lynch Quotes
David Lynch is an inspiration for all budding film-makers worldwide. Here are some David Lynch quotes on film, storytelling, and life.
25. "All the movies are about strange worlds that you can't go into unless you build them and film them. That's what's so important about film to me. I just like going into strange worlds."
- David Lynch, 'The Making Of Dune', 1984.
26. "I don't think about technique. The ideas dictate everything. You have to be true to that or you're dead."
- David Lynch, 'Dark Lens On America', 14 January 1990.
27. "In film, life-and-death struggles make you sit up, lean forward a little bit. They amplify things happening, in smaller ways, in all of us. These things show up in relationships. They show up in struggles and bring them to a critical point."
- David Lynch, 'Lost Highway' interview, 6 March 1997.
28. "I found the world completely and totally fantastic as a child. Of course, I had the usual fears, like going to school. For me, back then, school was a crime against young people."
- David Lynch, 'Lynch On Lynch', 1993 - 1996.
29. "A film is its own thing and in an ideal world I think a film should be discovered knowing nothing and nothing should be added to it and nothing should be subtracted from it."
- David Lynch, BBC interview, 1999.
30. "To me, a story can be both concrete and abstract, or a concrete story can hold abstractions. And abstractions are things that really can’t be said so well with words."
- David Lynch, interview By Matt Diehl, 7 January 2012.
31. "Life is very, very complicated and so films should be allowed to be too."
- David Lynch, 'The Los Angeles Times' interview, 20 April 2003.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for David Lynch quotes then why not take a look at these Steven Spielberg quotes or Wes Anderson quotes for more interesting quotes?
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Master of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies
Srija ChandaMaster of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies
An aspiring media professional, Srija is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Mass Communication at St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, after completing her degree in journalism. With experience in PR and social media, she has also honed her leadership skills through her participation in a youth parliament. Srija's interests include devouring books, watching movies, and exploring new places through travel.
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