Quote of the day by Clint Eastwood: "You have to steal a lot. You have to have a criminal mentality to be a…" - a fascinating lesson on creativity, influence and originality

Clint Eastwood said, 'You have to steal a lot. You have to have a criminal mentality to be a film director.'

The quote, from a 1999 University Press of Mississippi collection, describes studying others' techniques and adapting them into original work.

Eastwood as a young actor watched film sets and directors like Joan Crawford to learn filmmaking.

The 'criminal mentality' is a playful term for absorbing influences and transforming them into something new.