I love [Nikolai] Gogol's great eye for idiot behavior. Gogol said that life is so tragic, so stupendously sad that we'd better laugh a lot and enjoy ourselves. You either get a sense of humor going or you go under.

I'm always stunned when I find out people like Roosevelt and Tolstoy weren't Jewish. How could I love them so much?

One day, God said 'Let there be prey.' And he created pigeons, rabbits, lambs and Gene Wilder.

Why should I waste my good time making a straight dramatic film? The people who can't make you laugh can do that.

Be interested in everything. You don't have to adore it. I don't adore hip-hop, I don't think it's great music, but I'm interested, I listen. I watch a lot of new films, I see everything. I still read, I like books, whether they are old books, new books. I'm interested - you gotta stay interested!

The only weapon I've got is comedy

Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you.