Sincerity and insincerity -- how much or how little do you need of these?

These are subjective. Because if I believe in something, I can be Elmer Gantry. If I don't believe in it, I will not allow myself to fake it, I don't know how to fake things.

And the power of persuasion?

I have great power of persuasion when I believe in something. I have none when I don't believe in it, and that goes for everything.

Do you need to have connections to powerful people?

You don't need it. It doesn't hurt. I've always had it. I've had connections to people of power, but I've had it all my life. I didn't have power, I gained power through giving. I've gained power for inventing things. It was never handed to me. I gained power by meeting people of power through giving as well as taking. I've always believed in giving more than taking. That to me is power.

Also, power is being remembered; that's far more important than money. And don't take yourself too seriously. In order to have power, you should be able to make fun of yourself and be self-deprecating. People who aren't sure of themselves boast. People who are very rich don't talk about their money.

I think self-deprecation is one of the greatest attributes in the world. I'm that in my own way, because I have a lot to be self-deprecating over. I'm a lousy businessman, I'm a bad executive. I don't live by the rules, I live to break them.

Should you really be going on the record as saying you live to break the rules today, when the news is filled with the terrible fallout from so many people breaking the rules?

There are different ways of breaking rules. I'm not speaking of breaking the rules by being dishonest; I'm speaking of breaking the rules about your own habits and how you live your life. I mean, I've been married four times and I've never paid $1 of alimony for one reason: Every wife ended up making more money than me. And I helped them make it.

Are they paying you alimony?

No, but we're all great friends. Breaking the rules also is showing up at work at 2 in the afternoon, and getting the job done better. Breaking the rules is in my contract. I never, ever had to go to any awards or events, I would only go to what I wanted to. I didn't believe in a social life, I believed in making films. This is my contract. Breaking the rules is going and giving up my job unless I had total autonomy. That's what I call breaking the rules. Breaking the rules is a celebration of the individual.

How important is it for people to develop a personal sense of style? You've got one -- the clothes, the glasses.

I don't believe in labels. I don't believe in wearing Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein; I certainly wouldn't wear pants with their name on the outside. I mean, that's not me. I'm like Popeye the Sailor, I am who I am, that's all that I am.

That's not today's world.

Well, it isn't, but it's mine.

We're talking about all this stuff, success and style and how people react to you, how you treat people. Any thoughts on Michael Ovitz and his seeming meltdown in a recent issue of Vanity Fair?

I have no opinion of it, I don't wish to give an opinion of it.

Any opinion of people who talk out of school?

I don't want to know them. One thing I've learned, I learned this from a very important guy, my godfather, Sidney Korshack. Continued silence is the greatest insurance policy for continued breathing.

What gives you great pleasure in life?

The greatest pleasure is to see a woman blossom. So many women underestimate themselves because they make the wrong choices. To give them the opportunity in making the right choices and see them blossom is a great feeling for me. And I helped make that happen for many, because I like women. Most men don't. They like to lay them, parlay them, relay them, have them on their arm. I like a woman's brain, I like a woman's instincts, I like a woman's focus and I like a woman's strengths.

Do you think you've figured women out?

Any man who thinks he can read the mind of a woman is a man who knows nothing.

Any regrets?

The second half of my life. A lot of it. I went from royalty to infamy in one day. Royalty pays and infamy stays. So I'll live the best in the world of infamy and enjoy it.

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