I keep very close in touch with the fans - to see what they like. I'm very in touch with my audience; I get older and they get younger, which I think is the ultimate compliment. I think hitchhiking brought a few of them out! Even though all young people have never hitchhiked, all people my age did at one point in their life, they just don't do it now.

John Waters

It wasn't until I started reading and found books they wouldn't let us read in school that I discovered you could be insane and happy and have a good life without being like everybody else.

John Waters

happiness inspirational life

I like art that challenges you and makes a lot of people angry because they don't get it. Because they refuse to look at it properly. Rather than open their mind to the possibility of seeing something, they just resist. A lot of people think contemporary art makes them feel stupid. Because they are stupid. They're right. If you have contempt about contemporary art, you are stupid. You can be the most uneducated person in the world and completely appreciate contemporary art, because you see the rebellion. You see that it's trying to change things.

John Waters

stupid art thinking

How come there's no terrorism with humor, which is a great way to humiliate your enemy? It's a great time for that.

John Waters

terrorism enemy way

I was as equally influenced by Bergman as I was [low-budget sexploitation filmmaker].

John Waters

bergman filmmaker lows

If you can make someone laugh who's dead set against you, that's the first step to winning them over to your side.

John Waters

your-side winning laughing

My idea of rich is that you can buy every book you ever want without looking at the price and you're never around assholes. That's the two things to really fight for in life.

John Waters

fighting life book

My idea of an interesting person is someone who is quite proud of their seemingly abnormal life and turns their disadvantage into a career.

John Waters

careers ideas interesting

I actually think that my films are intellectual. I think almost everything I do is intellectual, but I would never say that, because that's a compliment. That's up to others to say about me. The same way, I would never say I do art. I think art is up to history. It's up to other people to utter that word. So I try to be humble.

John Waters

humble art thinking

True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks.

John Waters

true-success jerk careers

You should never read just for "enjoyment." Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. More apt to understand your friends' insane behavior, or better yet, your own. Pick "hard books." Ones you have to concentrate on while reading. And for god's sake, don't let me ever hear you say, "I can't read fiction. I only have time for the truth." Fiction is the truth, fool! Ever hear of "literature"? That means fiction, too, stupid.

John Waters

stupid motivational book

Don’t sleep with people who don’t read.

John Waters

sleep people

I love radical theorists. But at the same time, I don't agree with them a lot, but I love their theories. I love how they intellectualize rage, and this inner battle that such a tiny percent of people really care about. I find that the most interesting.

John Waters

battle people interesting

As far as socially redeeming value, I hope I don't have any.

John Waters

redeeming values

People vomitied at my movies; not because of the movie but because they were drunk. I took credit anyway.

John Waters

drunk credit people

To understand bad taste one must have very good taste.

John Waters

good-taste very-good taste

It reinforced everything that I believe. I am an optimist. I believe in the goodness of people.

John Waters

goodness believe people

Without obsession, life is nothing.

John Waters

obsession life-is

So many great people are dead, and so many assholes I know are still alive. Karma's bullshit. I wish it was true, but it ain't.

John Waters

karma bullshit people

When they throw the water on the witch, she says, “Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness”. That line inspired my life. I sometimes say it to myself before I go to sleep, like a prayer.

John Waters

girl prayer beautiful

People that pick up hitchhikers I believe are basically good people that believe in other people and understand problems and don't judge people. That's always the kind of person I'm looking for.

John Waters

judging believe people