The State trained us to make other people's terrible jokes work, which is the other part of the game when you're here.

If you can learn to be incredibly passionate about your work without fighting for it just because it's yours, that's a huge thing.

There are a huge amount of people who sell a TV pilot, every year, but most of them never get produced. It's very easy to make a living and never get anything produced.

You have to be willing to throw [writing] stuff away and replace it.

Not taking criticism of your writing personally is an enormous step towards surviving the studio system.

When somebody would come in with a sketch that was not so good, you figured out in a room how to make that sketch work.

For a living I write stuff that I know is gonna sell to a studio and make a lot of money at the multiplex.

I liked writing, and I loved movies, obsessively loved movies, but I had never made the leap of thinking I would actually come out here and write stuff.

Probably your first agent is going to be some guy who also handles dog acts.

What the war did to dreamers.

Naughty children have to be protected. Even if it's just from themselves.

I've been so blessed to be part of a family that has dedicated its life to public service.

The thing I noticed about Jack was when we did a reading of the script, just to warm up.

If Michaelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci were alive today they’d be making Avatar, not painting a chapel.

If a man has knocked out the teeth of a man of the same rank, his own teeth shall be knocked out.

This only is charity, to do all, all that we can.

Believe in yourself, then others will believe in yourself.

The whole background of 'Avian' is rain. I was just playing with textures and realizing you can touch music.

Perhaps I have no talent, but all vanity aside - I do not believe that anyone makes an artistic attempt, no matter how small, without having a little - or there are many fools.