Originally, with all the shows, we went looking for belly laughs. Norman Lear More Quotes by Norman Lear More Quotes From Norman Lear I stop and look at traffic accidents. I won't hang around, but when I hear something is terrible, as bad as it is, I've gotta look at it. Norman Lear traffic terrible looks But it also became the experience, or was the experience, of the writers who were attracted to this kind of humor. They're all men or women who come from the same kind of experience in their own lives. Norman Lear humor kind men What happens at the average church or synagogue or mosque is that I don't know many priests or ministers or rabbis who say to their congregation, 'go home and talk about the religion at the kitchen table with your kids...talk about God, talk about what this is all about.' They say in general, come back on the weekend, we'll talk to you about it. Norman Lear weekend home kids I never met who I really wanted to meet, and that was Charlie Chaplin. Norman Lear chaplin mets wanted I wanted to work with Bert Lahr [the 'Cowardly Lion' in 'The Wizard of Oz'], and I did. Norman Lear wizards lions wanted I wanted to meet Bob Hope, and I got to know him pretty well. Norman Lear wells bob wanted I looked at enough of American Idol in the first weeks, and they're all about humiliation. I listen to Rush Limbaugh because I find it so repulsive. There are people with a little less sophistication who watch a lot of it, because we allow things to appeal to our baser instincts. But at the same moment, give me a little choice, and I'll make a better decision, because I have that ability too. And so does everybody else. Norman Lear idols giving people I think if you're feeling great about where you are, everything that led up to it had to be terrific. Norman Lear feeling-great feelings thinking When I got married for the third time, and I had children from my other marriage there, that's what I said when it came time in the ceremony for me to say something. I said, "I'm grateful to everybody that participated, everybody that participated in my life that got me to this moment. And everything was dead-right because everything is right now." Norman Lear married grateful children In my 90-plus years, I have lived a multitude of lives. Norman Lear multitudes plus years I was writing for live television. And I said to myself, someday, soon as I can, I have got to do a situation comedy. Norman Lear comedy writing television I was the laziest white kid my dad ever met. Norman Lear dad white kids I think somehow I got a sense of the foolishness of the human - my favorite phrase, the foolishness of the human condition. Norman Lear my-favorite phrases thinking If there was a sense of - a bigger sense of responsibility in the various leadership positions in America, things would be not as grotesquely overly done as they are now. Norman Lear responsibility would-be america I don't know how you can look back with regret if you're at a moment when everything seems fine. Norman Lear regret moments looks When I countered that Archie Bunker didn't have to put down a race of people to say that, he replied, 'and you're the dumbest white kid I've ever met.' Norman Lear race white kids In one question you are expressing a world of opinion. Because it is you who thinks that America has been mistakenly starting these conflicts. I happen to agree with you, and I will repeat what your question suggested...we have mistakenly gotten into one fracas after another. Why we do that [United States has insisted on keeping up a string of enemies, and the wars associated with creating those enemies], I think it's because we're afraid to look in the mirror and understand who we are. Norman Lear mirrors war thinking Archie Bunker used to call me 'the laziest white kid he'd ever met.' Norman Lear used white kids The movies had a slogan at the time, to distinguish themselves from TV, that said 'movies are better than ever.' Norman Lear slogans tvs said As a matter of fact, when people ask where my 'point of view' comes from, it was there in one of the first sketches we wrote for [Dean] Martin and [Jerry] Lewis. Norman Lear matter views people
