Spike Lee quotes

Spike Lee is a celebrated American filmmaker, author, and activist. Born on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia, Lee is known for his thought-provoking movies that tackle social and racial issues. With an extensive filmography spanning over four decades, he has received critical acclaim for films like "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X," and "BlackKklansman," which earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Lee's unique cinematic style, often using vibrant colors and kinetic camera movements, has made him a trailblazer in the industry. Beyond filmmaking, he is a vocal advocate for social justice, tackling systematic racism through his documentaries and speeches. With his indelible mark on cinema and powerful storytelling, Spike Lee remains a powerful force, using his art to ignite meaningful conversations.

My cousin Malcolm Lee is also a filmmaker.

- Spike Lee

I always give the example, if you turn on the radio today, black radio, Lenny Kravitz is not black. Bob Marley wasn't black: in the beginning, only white college stations played Bob Marley.

- Spike Lee

Don't think that because you haven't heard from me for a while that I went to sleep. I am still here, like a spirit roaming the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest.

- Spike Lee

I'd like to state that Spike Lee is not saying that African American culture is just for black people alone to enjoy and cherish. Culture is for everybody.

- Spike Lee

If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they're killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We'd not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism.

- Spike Lee

Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith.

- Spike Lee

I'm just trying to tell a good story and make thought-provoking, entertaining films. I just try and draw upon the great culture we have as a people, from music, novels, the streets.

- Spike Lee

Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City, something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do.

- Spike Lee

Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.

- Spike Lee

It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.

- Spike Lee

I think people who have faults are a lot more interesting than people who are perfect.

- Spike Lee

A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movies you didn't intend to be there.

- Spike Lee

I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully.

- Spike Lee

We grew up in a very creative environment and were exposed to the arts at a very young age, so it's not a surprise that all of us are in some form of the arts.

- Spike Lee

A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.

- Spike Lee

Fight the power that be. Fight the power.

- Spike Lee

Violence is a part of America. I don't want to single out rap music. Let's be honest. America's the most violent country in the history of the world, that's just the way it is. We're all affected by it.

- Spike Lee

I think it is very important that films make people look at what they've forgotten.

- Spike Lee

I get offered to do stuff where the money's nice but it's not something I want to do - I get offered a lot of commercials too.

- Spike Lee

There's a lot of Americans, black and white, who think that we've arrived where we need to be and nothing else needs to be done and affirmative action needs to be dismantled.

- Spike Lee

I think it would be very boring dramatically to have a film where everybody was a lawyer or doctor and had no faults. To me, the most important thing is to be truthful.

- Spike Lee

I like to work with the same people when I can, and you want to get people with the same interests that you have, and the same aesthetic.

- Spike Lee

Since the days of slavery, if you were a good singer or dancer, it was your job to perform for the master after dinner.

- Spike Lee

I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive.

- Spike Lee

I live in New York City, the stories of my films take place in New York; I'm a New York filmmaker.

- Spike Lee

There's an unwritten law that you cannot have a Jewish character in a film who isn't 100 percent perfect, or you're labeled anti-Semitic.

- Spike Lee

Everything I do is always scrutinised. But that's all I'll say about that.

- Spike Lee

All directors are storytellers, so the motivation was to tell the story I wanted to tell. That's what I love.

- Spike Lee