John Singleton

“I didn't want to make 'Boyz n the Hood' a black film. I wanted to make it a film about a place.”

“I've always been a person who is not afraid to speak my mind.”

“You have to be a little bit of a hustler to be a filmmaker.”

“I want to be a champion for the people. I want to be the guy who is fighting for the underdog.”

“Violence in the movies is not the problem. It's the violence in the streets.”

“If you're a black man, you're always going to be a black man. That's just the way it is.”

“The worst thing that can happen to a filmmaker is to get a reputation for being fast and cheap.”

“My films are always about family, and the bittersweet bonds of family.”

“I don't think you should make a movie until you have a story to tell.”

“I want to do for screenwriting what hip-hop did for music.”

“I think every storyteller is a propagandist.”