As far as songwriters, I've always been a fan of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin; those guys mean a lot to me.

You want to be as smart as you can about being stupid.

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

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

I started with [Leo] Tolstoy and I was overwhelmed. Tolstoy writes like an ocean, in huge, rolling waves, and it doesn't look like it was processed through his thinking. It feels very natural. You don't question whether Tolstoy's right or wrong. His philosophy is housed in interrelating characters, so it's not up for grabs.

I'll accept bad taste in a minute, as long as there's some great comedy minds and performances.

Never retire! Do what you do and keep doing it. But don't do it on Friday. Take Friday off. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, go fishing...Then Monday to Thursday, do what you've been doing all your life. My point is: Live full and don't retreat.