There's no job in show business that's harder than any other job outside show business.
Penn JilletteWhereas you have someone like Houdini, who works really, really hard to get really, really famous, and then has actual intellectual ideas that he puts into the culture that stay there.
Penn JilletteBarack Obama is way smarter than Bush - so way, way smarter than me. Obama is way more charismatic than me.
Penn JilletteTechnology adds nothing to art. Two thousand years ago, I could tell you a story, and at any point during the story I could stop, and ask, 'Now do you want the hero to be kidnapped, or not?' But that would, of course, have ruined the story. Part of the experience of being entertained is sitting back and plugging into someone else's vision.
Penn Jillette