My first lessons in comedy, how to construct a joke, I learned from Eileen Brennan, who had unbelievable timing.

Random Roles? Oh, I saw Virginia Madsen do this the other day! You see? I'm paying attention!

I think my thing is that I try and pick up on things that other people have maybe not picked up on.

The umbrella that I live under is that you must be truthful with everyone except when to do so would injure them or others.

So I came to the realization: Nothing in life is unfair. It's just life.

Actually, if I had to do it over [leaving the show the West Wing], I'd do the same thing, because lost in the shuffle of it is that Aaron [Sorkin] left the same year I did. And I would not have wanted to be on The West Wing with somebody else writing it.

Fake confidence on the outside often trumps truthful turmoil on the inside.