de Niro: "I think Hollywood has a class system. The actors are like the inmates, but the truth is they're running the asylum."

de Niro: "I always tell actors when they go in for an audition: Don't be afraid to do what your instincts tell you. You may not get the part, but people will take notice."

de Niro: "You draw on whatever's relevant to the part you're playing; it makes it more personal."

de Niro: "You never know what you do that could be totally out of left field, which actually might work and give something fresh to the whole scene, to the character, whatever. If you have that with a director who then knows how to shape it, either in the direction, in the moment, or in the editing, then that's good."

de Niro: "In acting, I always try to go back to what would actually be the real situation, the real human behavior in life."

de Niro: "I'll work with a director if I think I'm going to get into a comfortable situation, and if it's someone I respect and who respects me, even if they're not so well known. Movies are hard to make, and you have to work toward a common ethic and do your best."

de Niro: "The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you."

de Niro: "I don't get into these long-winded heavy discussions about character - do we do this or that or what. At the end of the day, what you gotta do is just go out there and do it."

de Niro: "There is a certain combination of anarchy and discipline in the way I work."

de Niro: "I've never been one of those actors who has touted myself as a fascinating human being. I had to decide early on whether I was to be an actor or a personality."

de Niro: "The talent is in the choices."

de Niro: "I always go back to how people behave. If you watch how people actually behave in a situation, it's very simple and honest and contained. You don't need to use as much expression, as much feeling. Some characters will boil over, and that's another thing, but a lot of times I think you can just do very, very little."

de Niro: "Time goes on. So whatever you're going to do, do it. Do it now. Don't wait."

de Niro: "I love to find new people. It's not for the sake of their being new; it's because if you find someone who perfectly fits a part, that's such a great thing."

de Niro: "One of the things about acting is it allows you to live other people's lives without having to pay the price."

de Niro: "I go to Paris, I go to London, I go to Rome, and I always say, 'There's no place like New York. It's the most exciting city in the world now. That's the way it is. That's it.'"

de Niro: "You learned the two greatest thing in life, never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut."

de Niro: "I didn't have a problem with rejection, because when you go into an audition, you're rejected already. There are hundreds of other actors. You're behind the eight ball when you go in there."

de Niro: "You'll have time to rest when you're dead."

de Niro: "When you make a drama, you spend all day beating a guy to death with a hammer, or what have you. Or, you have to take a bite out of somebody's face. On the other hand, with a comedy, you yell at Billy Crystal for an hour, and you go home."

de Niro: "My definition of a good hotel is a place I'd stay at."

de Niro: "I spent lunchtime in a grave during the filming of 'Bloody Mama.' When you're younger, you feel that's what you need to do to help you stay in character. When you get older, you become more confident and less intense about it - and you can achieve the same effect."

de Niro: "There's nothing more ironic or contradictory than life itself."