“See, behind all my tough, rough exterior is basically a marshmallow, maybe a pussycat. But not a wimp!”

My mother is a strong, wonderful woman. I could never be anything she didn’t want me to be.

To me, it’s offensive. A bouncer likes to get physical, likes to put his hands on people.

Why am I here? I’m not lucky. That’s God.

Life guided me to being a bodyguard, protecting people, then in the movies, so I’m happy with everything because basically all I ever wanted to do was be a good son and take care of my mother.

When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn’t afford to pay attention.

Stay humble and be concerned for the less fortunate.

I pity the fool who just gives up.

When I’m ready to fight, my opponent has a better chance of surviving a forest fire wearing gasoline drawers.

This guy Clubber Lang, I’ve been him all my life. He’s mean and hungry just like me.

I could talk all day, T stands for talking, T stands for tender, T stands for things that don’t even rhyme with T.

If you can’t read, the only thing you can do is enjoy the pictures, not the whole story.

My reputation grew because I was a professional. I did my job, and I was courteous – a no-nonsense guy.

I try to motivate people. I try to inspire them.

I was mischievous. I wasn’t bad. I stole food so we could eat. My mother didn’t know.

My mother told me, ‘Son, nobody else but God knows.’ And that’s what I’m about – reaching out to the people, crying with them, giving them hope.

Everybody has done something that we wish we didn’t say or do and wish we could take it back.

For ‘Conan,’ I had to eat boiled chicken breast and work out all the time and basically eat like a bird every two hours and stay ripped.

WE HAVE HAD OUR LAST CHANCE. THE PROBLEM NOW IS BASICALLY THEOLOGICAL, AND INVOLVES SPIRITUALITY AND IMPROVEMENT OF human CHARACTER. IT MUST BE OF THE SPIRIT IF WE ARE TO SAVE THE FLESH.

When I say ‘hip-hop is dead,’ basically, America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead.

You learn real early to make a film and then duck, and basically that’s how I go about it.

I’ve stopped wanting a home, I think, because I’ve been on tour all my life, basically.

I’m rather secular. I’m basically Jewish. But I think I’m Jewish not because of the Jewish religion at all.

The Arctic is an ocean. The southern pole is a continent surrounded by ocean. The North Pole is an ocean, or northern waters. It’s an ocean surrounded by land, basically.

Basically, I wear sandals, like Jesus. When it gets cold in Chicago, the snow way up to my knees, I still wear my sandals. But that’s me.