“It’s not an epitaph. I felt I could look back at my life and get a good story out of it. It’s a picture of somebody trying to figure things out.”

Working on The West Wing was similar in many ways to my experience on M*A*S*H, because you had people willing to work late at night to get it just right.

I’m not trying to create some impression about myself. That doesn’t interest me.

My relationship with science is as someone who’s curious and hungry to know, hungry to understand. So all I have to offer is my ignorance and my curiosity, which is a good combination, as long as they come together.

You wouldn’t want to be called a sell-out by selling a product.

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.

Everybody’s on their toes and focused on what we’re about to do, and then there’s this moment where you relax because you see that everybody is there to do the best that they can.

I’ve never tried to manipulate my image.

Really top-notch directors, I’ve often worked with them just to see how they work.

Our lives depend on good communication. Good communication helps personal relationships, it helps bosses and employees get along better. We rely on it.

Don’t ever aim doubt at yourself. Laugh at yourself, but don’t doubt yourself.

All these things you expect meaning to come from, and sometimes it comes when you’re not expecting it.

It isn’t necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It’s only necessary to be rich.

For me, I find that even though I’ve accomplished a few things in my life, looking back on accomplishments doesn’t give me a sense of satisfaction.

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while or the light won’t come in. If you challenge your own, you won’t be so quick to accept the unchallenged assumptions of others.

When I’m writing, I want to try to be seen as a good writer.

artists try to say things that can’t be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling.

White has always been an exclusive definition. I think one of the challenges for white people is to figure out how to have a more inclusive picture of who their families are, of who they are.

And then once I figure out who they are I can figure out what they want and once I figure out what they want I’m able to put obstacles in the way of that desire, and that’s where plot springs from.

I couldn’t figure it out… then Michael told me that he had told Eric I had cancer and two months to live…

Too often boring players have been pushed forward as great by figures alone. For sheer entertainment, he will keep cricket alive.

By definition a sequel can’t be original. So you’ve got to figure out what worked the first time around.

A boat is the hardest think I know of to put into perspective. It is so much like a human figure, there is something alive about it.

I had to figure out how to bring the world into my work.

They want to let the audience figure things out and let the reaction shot get the laugh.