If you're going to make a science fiction movie, then have a hover craft chase, for God's sake.

— Joss Whedon

I go to movies expecting to have a whole experience. If I want a movie that doesn't end, I'll go to a French movie. That's a betrayal of trust to me. A movie has to be complete within itself; it can't just build off the first one or play variations.

— Joss Whedon

I hope I’m being clear, I didn’t say I hate feminists, that would be weird. I said I hate feminist. Furthermore, I’m talking about the word. I have the privilege living my life inside of words and part of being a writer is creating entire universes, and that's beautiful, but part of being a writer is also living in the very smallest part of every word.... But the word feminist, it doesn't sit with me, it doesn't add up. I want to talk about my problem that I have with it. ... Ist in it's meaning is also a problem for me. Because you can't be born an is. It's not natural... So feminist includes the idea that believing men and women to be equal, believing all people to be people, is not a natural state. That we don't emerge assuming that everybody in the human race is a human, that the idea of equality is just an idea that's imposed on us. That we are indoctrinated with it, that it's an agenda...... My problem with feminist is not the word. It's the question. "Are you now, or have you ever been, a feminist?" The great Katy Perry once said—I'm paraphrasing—"I'm not a feminist, but I like it when women are strong."... Don't know why she feels the need to say the first part, but listening to the word and thinking about it, I realize I do understand. This question that lies before us is one that should lie behind us. The word is problematic for me because there's another word that we're missing...... When you say racist, you are saying that is a negative thing. That is a line that we have crossed. Anything on the side of that line is shameful, is on the wrong side of history. And that is a line that we have crossed in terms of gender, but we don't have the word for it...... I start thinking about the fact that we have this word when we're thinking about race that says we have evolved beyond something, and we don't really have this word for gender. Now you could argue sexism, but I'd say that's a little specific. People feel removed from sexism. ‘I'm not a sexist, but I'm not a feminist.' They think there's this fuzzy middle ground. There's no fuzzy middle ground. You either believe that women are people or you don't. It's that simple.... You don’t have to hate someone to destroy them. You just have to not get it.... My pitch is this word. ‘Genders.’ I would like this word to become the new racist. I would like a word that says there was a shameful past before we realized that all people were created equal. And we are past that. And every evolved human being who is intelligent and educated and compassionate and to say I don't believe that is unacceptable. And Katy Perry won't say, "I'm not a feminist, but I like strong women," she'll say, "I'm not a genders, but sometimes I like to dress up pretty." And that'll be fine.... This is how we understand society. The word racism didn't end racism, it contextualized it in a way that we still haven't done with this issue. ... I say with gratitude but enormous sadness, we will never not be fighting. And I say to everybody on the other side of that line who believe that women are to be bought and trafficked or ignored...we will never not be fighting. We will go on, we will always work this issue until it doesn't need to be worked anymore.... Is this idea of genders going to do something? I don't know. I don't think that I can change the world. Furthermore, I just want to punch it up a little.

— Joss Whedon

I just thought, ‘Wait a minute, if I’m going to start writing again, I have to go to the quiet place.' And this is the least quiet place I’ve ever been in my life. … It’s like taking the bar exam at Coachella. It’s like, ‘Um, I really need to concentrate on this! Guys! Can you all just… I have to… It’s super important for my law!

— Joss Whedon

I kept telling my mom that reading comic books would pay off.

— Joss Whedon

I'll take crazy over stupid any day.

— Joss Whedon

I love a good romantic comedy.

— Joss Whedon

I loved teaching and I did a lot of work as a teacher's assistant in college, and my favorite experience was basically getting a laugh from a bunch of people because they had just understood something.

— Joss Whedon

I never write anything without humor, just because I like humor, but at the same time, it is a way for anything fantastical to become relatable.

— Joss Whedon

In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer.

— Joss Whedon