No heirloom of humankind captures the past as do art and language.

I do prefer the stage. It's really the granddaddy of them all.

On the stage you're there, it's live. There's a beginning, a middle, an end. When something is funny you hear it right away.

Right up to the middle of this century all perceptions of the world around us were delivered via the bookshelf or the paper route.

If I have one vanity wish, it would be to direct. It's the only thing I haven't done yet that I would like to.

I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimpse of a Jewish world and the Jews are entitled to a glimpse of the world.

I have always striven to raise the voice of hope for a world where hate gives way to respect and oppression to liberation.