I've never had guys sit me down and say this is what you've got to do. It's my personality that makes me one of a kind, and I believe that.

Alan King, a comedian I adored, was considered society, and I was considered the Jewish kid from the neighborhood.

When I first went to Vegas, there were just high-rollers and gamblers and the wise guys treated you great.

You got to have a lot of courage. Secondly, whatever it is you're doing you have to believe in it wholeheartedly. Thirdly, you have to be able to stand up in front of people and know that they'll laugh.

Everything I do on stage, I made up in saloons. I started doing it in front of people, and that became my performance. I never had writers.

I think they [Martin Scorsese, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra] liked my honesty. My personality. For that, they always treated me great. I, in turn, treated them great. No secret about it. My being who I am - that is that.

Half the battle is that people have to like you before you say one joke, one bit of humor.