My money buys me the freedom not to be a member of the corporate structure. And I certainly don't feel guilty or hypocritical about that. The way our economy is set up, if you don't want to be a corporate moron and you don't want to be enfeebled in the streets, you must earn enough to know that you'll never have to go to them for money.

If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.

One thing leads to another? Not always. Sometimes one thing leads to the same thing. Ask an addict.

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Most of the note-taking happens while I'm watching television. It's a broad window on the world, and a lot of things are already established in my mind as things I say, things that I'm interested in, things that are fodder for my [stand-up] machine. And when I see something that relates to one of them, I know it instantly and if it's a further exaggeration and a further addition, or an exception - if it plays into furthering my purpose, I jot it down.

Is there another word for synonym?

The good lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage.