So often I read scripts and am like 'This would never happen in real life. It's not trying to be funny. It's trying to be serious.'

It's sort of an action flick. You can't be that funny trying to steal diamonds.

I'm one of those hovering mothers and I know it's really important to have an independent child so I'm trying to back off but it's hard. I love him so much and he's so funny and cute to me.

The misconception is that standup comics are always on. I don't know any really funny comics that are annoying and constantly trying to be funny all the time.

Women's humor seems to be a little more supportive. It's just kind of trying to make the other one laugh through funny voices and kind of talking about other people. I respond to that. I feel less like I'm going to get beat up in a room full of women than I do in a room full of guys.

We sit in a room for months trying to think of funny things.

I listen like mad to any conversation taking place next to me just trying to hear why this is funny. Women's restrooms are especially great. I wash my hands twice waiting for people to come in and start talking.

Especially with a comedy you've got the clear cut goal of trying to make a scene funny. It's not like drama where you're trying to achieve some kind of emotion or trying to further the story along. You're trying to figure out what's the funniest way to do something.

With improv it's a combination of listening and not trying to be funny.

I think a lot of humor is about distracting yourself. Pretend you're not trying to make it funny. Because for some reason the effort to be funny smells like sulphur in our culture.

I sometimes lie awake at night trying to think of something funny that Richard Nixon said.

I was a hop-around. I hung out with the rockabilly crew the guys who were trying to be rappers the funny kids.

As soon as you are trying to be funny or dramatic that's when things start feeling fake and boring.

I quit therapy because my analyst was trying to help me behind my back.

By trying we can easily endure adversity. Another man's I mean.

Caring for but never trying to own may be a further way to define friendship.

The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other always using friendly and sincere words.

The two most misused words in the entire English vocabulary are love and friendship. A true friend would die for you so when you start trying to count them on one hand you don't need any fingers.

It seems to me that trying to live without friends is like milking a bear to get cream for your morning coffee. It is a whole lot of trouble and then not worth much after you get it.

We must guard against the overreaching hand of big government trying to take away our freedom. And we must always protect the environment in a manner consistent with our values.

I do believe that freedom isn't free - but today the corporate and political right wing is trying to cheapen this truly American value. They've been cynically using the word 'freedom' to rally the American public against its own best interests.

I believe in trying to get a balance between individual freedom on the one hand and social responsibility on the other.

If you scratch below the surface and ask what really makes me tick it's the liberalism of trying to promote freedom and opportunity. Promoting social mobility is one of the keys to that.

All the characters in my films are fighting these problems needing freedom trying to find a way to cut themselves loose but failing to rid themselves of conscience a sense of sin the whole bag of tricks.