I would say on a creative level I put a lot of pressure on myself.

The payment for sins can be delayed. But they cant be avoided.

You can make a good show, but you still need some magical alchemy to get people to watch.

I'm perfectly happy to color within the network lines when I have to.

I still feel driven to try to make great shows and to make each episode great.

Obviously there are different standards and practices that are allowed on cable versus network. You just have to embrace what your network is going to allow.

The worst thing you can do is end up with a network show on cable or end up with a cable show on network.

I've always read a lot of historical books and I'm a big fan of documentaries, and I've always thought of ways to do it.

I think the bar is higher these days in terms of audience expectations of authenticity.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what the audience would want. That's my job, is to anticipate ahead of the audience.

There will always be economic pressure to make hits, identify hits, and then exploit hits. And you're going to exploit them with as many episodes as you probably can.

Marriage should be a duet - when one sings, the other claps.

I don't like losing at anything. Why should I?

And this is the way a novel gets written, in ignorance, fear, sorrow, madness, and a kind of psychotic happiness as an incubator for the wonders being born.

Men come of age at sixty, women at fifteen.

You can't become a leader in one conference.

I couldn't care less if they [the media] say I'm pregnant with twins by my brother.

Rest with the glittering stars, George Michael. You've found your Freedom, your Faith. It was your Last Christmas, and we shall miss you.

I said to the almond tree, 'Sister, speak to me of God.' And the almond tree blossomed.

The sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all.

I know something quite sure. We'll never have peace with this Syrian regime. They'll never give us relief, and we'll never forget that.