Quotes by Roberto Benigni

“Its a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.”

“They told me its a very dangerous subject, but when you fall in love something, you must be brave, courageous, and, yes, I was scared, ... But because when you are in love or you are naked, you feel vulnerable.”

“We live with this horror and are surrounded by this horror.”

“I would like to tell that I was really loved, with the simplicity, ... What is more simple than to tell to a little boy, This is not the truth, it is a game?”

“This is an homage to the master, because I love this movie, and, of course, making a movie -- a comedy about concentration camp, I watched this movie a lot of time,”

“The first part of the story is very funny and very full of gags ... then the second part is not a comedy (and) is exactly a real tragedy. This, to me, was wonderful, the balance.”

“If you make a direct argument against the war, it bounces back at you, ... While certain modern works on [wars] go to the head or are powerful as documentaries, this I think goes to the heart... And that is more dangerous, stronger.”

“Now theyve cut our dreams.”

“To cut dreams is difficult, but they have managed to do it,”

“[Culture confers dreams,] and you dont touch dreams, ... Now theyve cut our dreams.”

“There is nothing has brought them to the world like cinema has, ... Im grateful to the United States for the art of cinema.”

“My father was a farmer and my mother was a farmer, but, my childhood was very good. I am very grateful for my childhood, because it was full of gladness and good humanity.”

“I remember in the circus learning that the clown was the prince, the high prince. I always thought that the high prince was the lion or the magician, but the clown is the most important.”

“My mother brought me magicians and witches, because I was very ugly, really revolting. So she thought somebody had put a spell on me - this is the truth - so she made me drink some horrible terrifying potions, for year.”

“My duty is to try to reach beauty. Cinema is emotion. When you laugh you cry.”

“When I first saw a Fellini movie, I came out of the movie theatre and decided to become a lawyer! I thought to myself, its impossible to make something so beautiful!”

“Fellini belongs to nature.”

“In Italy, the country where fascism was born, we have a particular relation with the Holocaust, but as a turning point in history it belongs to everybody in the world. It is a part of humanity.”

“For me, Fellini was like a watermelon. It is there. A watermelon cannot die.”

“I am overjoyed and extremely grateful to receive this extraordinary honor. These awards fill my heart with happiness, knowing that people throughout Europe have been touched by our film.”