The first amendment ensures not that speech will be fair, but that it will be free. It cannot be both.

Films have degenerated to their original operation as carnival amusement - they offer not drama but thrills.

The Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and judge those they have elected to stand above them (much, perhaps, as in bygone days, an election celebrated the same).

Every scene should be able to answer three questions: "Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?"

When the three branches of government have failed to represent the citizenry and the mass of the media has failed to represent the citizenry, then the citizenry better represent the citizenry.

Forget narrative, backstory, characterisation, exposition, all of that. Just make the audience want to know what happens next.

It is the writer’s job to make the play interesting. It is the actor’s job to make the performance truthful.

Opportunity may knock, but it seldom nags.

We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.

People may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want.

Being a writer in Hollywood is like going to Hitler's Eagle Nest with a great idea for a bar mitzvah.

Taylor Martinez is to Nebraska what iPad is to Apple.

It takes twenty years to become an overnight success.

Civility is a desire to receive civilities, and to be accounted well-bred.

Cinema is a territory. It exists outside of movies. It's a place I live in. It's a way of seeing things, of experiencing life. But making films, that's supposed to be a profession.

It's weird, It's really weird to be called a breakout star. And some people are referring to my show as the new 'Friends', which I can't really even wrap my head around

All writers are liars. They twist events to suit themselves. They make use of their own tragedies to make a better story... They are terrible people.

Now that the 90's are over and more time has gone by, the 80's sound fresh again.

I don't use the techniques I learned at NYU much anymore.

I'm just somebody who tries to write things that entertain people. And if I can do it in a way that makes them prefer to emulate the good guy than the bad guy, I'm happy.

Do not quarrel with the world too soon; for, bad as it may be, it is the best we have to live in, here. If railing would have made it better, it would have been reformed long ago.