“Because real thoughts come from outside and travel with us like the noodle soup we take to work; in other words, inquisitors burn books in vain.”

I expect them to tell me things about myself I don’t know.

Eleanor Roosevelt doesn’t ever do anything that is going to hurt her husband. She tries things out on him. She gets permission to do things.

A symbol of the eternity that preceded human thought, a free fire, a gift from heaven, a living sign of the elements unnoticed by the world-weary pedestrian, a fire in the ditches of Prague warming the wanderer’s eye and soul.

It’s interesting how young poets think of death while old fogies think of girls.

Because when I read, I don’t really read; I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop.

Lily Tomlin…I used to watch reruns of Laugh-In and she was always my favorite part. She’s this very unique talent and the way she does things has been a very big influence on me.

My theory about comedians is that their greatest fear is other people laughing at them. So comedy is an attempt to control and manipulate the thing they find most frightening.

You can’t laugh and be angry, you can’t laugh and feel sad, you can’t laugh and feel envious.

Sometimes you’re not getting the laughs you want or at the place you want but that doesn’t mean it’s not funny. It means you haven’t explored it enough.

But filming is good for you, because the crew isn’t allowed to laugh. You can’t get addicted to getting the laugh.

I like to make myself laugh. When I’m just sitting with a sketchbook and trying to make myself laugh or trying to come up with ideas, I try not to worry about aim right away. I’m just sort of shooting in all directions.

They say God laughs when you make plans, that’s why I make appointments and sometimes reschedule.

Laughter keeps you healthy. You can survive by seeing the humor in everything. Thumb your nose at sadness; turn the tables on tragedy.