“Probably I’m more of a fan of the literary references than the pop-culture references. But I do go to the pop-culture well quite frequently because people, I think, are sort of inherently ready to laugh at that. It’s a free laugh almost. Usually, everybody gets it.”

I get enough of that on the news, so I didn’t want to deal with fundamentalists or any sort of thing like that. I just wanted to keep it as lighthearted as the Cold War was, which obviously it was a fun time for everybody.

I watched a lot of the James Bond movies, certainly, both the old ones and the reboot with Daniel Craig. I watched a lot of the Matt Helm films with Dean Martin, which just have these great car scenes where it’s rear-projected, and they just start making martinis out of a bar in the glove compartment.

If you make a ‘Star Wars’ reference, everybody’s familiar with that. It’s a common reference that most people can relate to – ‘Bartleby, The Scrivener,’ probably not so much.

I think the animation helps divorce the violence from reality. The sex certainly doesn’t look all that realistic. I think the fact that it’s animated, we get some leeway because of that.

Why is it that when political ammunition runs low, inevitably the rusty artillery of abuse is always wheeled into action?

Do you never look at yourself when you abuse another person?

Personally, I love Toronto.

Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.

I’ve had contact with Arsenal and Chelsea, but it’s a bit of a mess.

Your love was more of a funeral of hearts than a union of souls.

You have a “turn” every time you have an opportunity to choose. But most of us only see a tiny fraction of the choices we have.

Never forget that it is the spirit with which you endow your work that makes it useful or futile.