I'm an entertainer. I don't go round saying I'm a paragon of virtue, so that is clearly not in the public interest. Steve Coogan More Quotes by Steve Coogan More Quotes From Steve Coogan I'm not Mother Teresa. But I'm not Frank Bough, either. I am getting older and a bit more sensible. I'm not going to be popping up in dungeons every six months. If you catch me preaching fidelity while I am shagging chickens then throw the book at me. Otherwise, leave me alone. Steve Coogan mother leave-me-alone book The fundamentalists are insistent that they know best. It's a dictatorial attitude towards personal morality, which is a modern creation that came about in the 19th century. Steve Coogan morality creation attitude The British often shy away from any cinematic interpretation of real sex. They sometimes have what I call "subtle sex," which is really introspective and has soft music in the background. Either that or it's played for comedy. The British are kind of hung up about sex. They find it kind of titillating and they make jokes about it because they're nervous. Steve Coogan shy real sex There are conservative values where certain lifestyles are imposed and everybody should have 2.4 children and a dog and a cat and a house and you should feel like God and you should believe in God and you should be a capitalist. I don't buy any of that. Steve Coogan dog believe children I like to do movies that provoke rather than reinforce conservative values. Steve Coogan conservative-values provoking conservative What tends to happen in most movies is that strip clubs are used as a short hand for unsympathetic, sleazy people. And that's just a lazy cliché. Steve Coogan lazy hands people A woman wearing a revealing dress will always be sexier than a naked woman. Steve Coogan naked revealing dresses Look at all those American preachers who got caught with their pants down. They say one thing and they are doing another. I try to be more honest about it, both in my thinking and my behavior. Steve Coogan trying looks thinking I don't apologize for my behavior anymore. Whatever I do or don't do shouldn't matter. Moral certainty is dangerous. Moral certainty is what makes people go to war unnecessarily and illegally. Morality, as any halfway intelligent human being would tell you, is a very subjective thing. Steve Coogan intelligent war people There were days when we used to say, what was in today's paper is tomorrow's fish-and-chip paper.When I became successful, I enjoyed myself a little. Steve Coogan paper successful littles Depending on which side of the fence you're on, you could argue that the sexual liberation of the late '60s, led to women being emancipated in some ways. That they found a voice during that time, with feminism. It's complicated. Steve Coogan feminism voice way The rest of Europe tends to be very comfortable with sexuality. The British and the Americans are kind of hung up about it. Steve Coogan sexuality kind europe Look at the 18th century. There was a lot more freedom going on. Steve Coogan 18th-century century looks When Americans talks about Europeans, they are thinking Britain and the rest of Europe. When we [ Britains] talk about Europeans, we talk about everywhere else. Steve Coogan britain europe thinking I am not a politician going around bragging about family values or putting myself on some ridiculous virtuous pedestal. I write comedy. And I am an actor. I am not going to solve the nation's problems. I don't actually spend my life in the way the tabloids like to think I do. I actually spend 95 percent of it writing comedy. Sober. Well, nearly sober anyway. Steve Coogan pedestal writing thinking The important thing is not to be defined by what others think of you. Steve Coogan think-of-you important thinking I enjoy comedy but it can become wearisome. Steve Coogan comedy enjoy No one has a monopoly on wisdom, and even for people who aren't religious, you can learn things from religious people. Steve Coogan monopoly religious people That's what gives people hope - that you can still love someone from afar and you can still have those feelings across an ocean. Steve Coogan ocean giving people The one thing that gives you faith is the fact that people can be apart physically but they can still have an emotional connection. Steve Coogan emotional giving people