Matt Quotes

A lot of our writers, like Conan O'Brien, moved on to other things.

Humor does depend on surprise, and the things that people remember as the funniest things in the world, you look at later and you go, "What? What was that all about?"

I think in daily newspapers, the way comic strips are treated, it's as if newspaper publishers are going out of their way to kill the medium.

I always say that 'Futurama' is real, and 'The Simpsons' is fiction.

Cartooning is for people who can't quite draw and can't quite write. You combine the two half-talents and come up with a career.

Most TV shows don't reward you for paying attention.

Ned, have you considered any of the other major religions? They're all pretty much the same.

I have less to do with 'The Simpsons' every season, but I stick my nose in here and there. Basically, it's just trying to keep the characters consistent and making sure the show has a soul.

Do my worst, eh? Smithers, release the robotic Richard Simmons." --Mr. Burns

Being a good embalmer is a thankless job.

Knowledge is finite. Wonder is infinite.

I don't think some athletes understand how big it is to be an athlete, what they can do with just a simple gesture of shaking a kid's hand. It can make a fan's day. It can make a fan's life.

I started going gray in my early twenties.

I'm not in a rush to do anything. And I wouldn't say I pick and choose. When it comes to producers picking people for roles I don't think it's between me and Tom Cruise, do you know what I mean?

I think this [Gnomeo & Juliet] is the closest I ought to get to Shakespeare to be honest.

I get so used to saying what I think people want to hear, I forget they might just want the truth sometimes.

Did people waste time before the internet existed?

I'm not brave at all.

I just want my kid to not hate and to be a good human. That's what you try to do. You hope that they are the next evolution of your thing.

I love the pursuit of songwriting, and I've seen what songs can do in people's lives. Some of the stories that come back from songs flying around the globe are so encouraging.

Anthony Skinner has a fire in his heart to worship God, and to encourage and equip others to do the same.

Our minds have been built by selfish genes, but they have been built to be social, trustworthy and cooperative.

Trade is 10 times as old as farming.

Seven thirty in the morning is too early for a man of my standing.

I have two vintage typewriters. One just about works and the other hasn't a hope in hell, bless it. But they're both beautiful, and they'll stay with me just as long as there's a roof over my head.

I once knew a girl who didn't know where anywhere was in the world. Not a clue. I asked her if she knew where Africa was and she answered, 'Is it the orange one on a map?'

I can't abide small talk.

I think my ultimate directorial style is 'play.' In reference to theater, it's called a play - I believe in that noun, and the verb that goes with it.

A lot of acting requires you to be a charming version of yourself.

If everyone thinks you're bizarre and creepy, then you play bad guys. If everyone thinks you're beautiful and wants to kiss you, then you play the lead role.

I am a fan of a bright sock. They're bold.

I think expectations of Doctor Who should always be high, because it's a show that must always progress and get better and better.

I think Jennifer Saunders would be great in 'Doctor Who.'

I used to love ninja movies. That was my thing.

There are great disciplines from being a sportsman that you can transfer into being an artist. The preparation, the sacrifice, the constant desire to improve.

The storytelling in 'Doctor Who' is quite universal.

I am a terrible sleeper.

It's very rare that I play cool people. I'm not sure what that says about me.

I have removed a lot of negative influence in my life and try to surround myself with positive people. I have a much more simple life than the old days.

We are entertainers. We're trying to entertain people.

Sometimes I wish I could get fired.

Like wars, forest fires and bad marriages, really stupid laws are much easier to begin than they are to end.

In modern American politics, being the right kind of ignorant and entertainingly crazy is like having a big right hand in boxing; you've always got a puncher's chance.

Comparing your family budget to the sovereign debt of the United States is a little like comparing two kindergartners tossing a paper airplane to the Apollo 11 mission.

Everyone tries to research your background. I have a real fear of celebrity and exposing my real self.

I never understood the low art/high art distinction.

I never saw the point in listening to only one thing. The low art/high art distinction comes from the establishment telling me how I'm supposed to think.

You and I are stymied in our own creativity. We can only create as sub-creators, and even then our best work is only sub-creation.

Blood doesn't satisfy cravings. It magnifies them.

Skinny jeans were only good if you had skinny genes.