Quotes from Matt Lauer

I like fishing as much when I don't catch anything as when I do.

I'm one of these people who tends to think that the ordinary people are more fascinating than the celebrities and even the politicians.

If I feel like I've done a great job during an interview with the president of the United States live in the Oval Office, it doesn't give me a tenth of the good feeling of going to the school play and making eye contact with my kids as they're onstage delivering their lines. Nothing compares with that moment of connection.

Mostly, I think of myself as having great common sense. I've always been proud of that. Was I a terrific student? Absolutely not. But put me in a roomful of people, and I don't think I'm ever going to embarrass myself.

I kid my friends who are golfers, and I say, 'If you ever hear me complain, hit me in the butt with a putter' because I have no reason to complain. Even on days when you don't like what you see in the paper, I have no reason to complain.

I was one of these people, especially early in my career, who balanced the equation too much in favor of my job; I spent most of my life focusing on that. But becoming a dad gave me back perspective; it brought balance into my life.

It's rare when suddenly a window opens up, and you see a side of a celebrity you've never seen before, good or bad.

I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. I thank them for their patience and grace.

Does anyone want to see a person who's making the money that the newspapers say I'm making complaining, 'Woe is me, my life is terrible, and people are being unfair?' No one would've had any patience for that. I wouldn't have any patience for that.

My mother is a strong woman. Her strength comes from being tested by life's unpredictability. It comes from soldiering on for her children, even when she might rather have given up. I know it hasn't always come easily, but I also know it's her greatest gift.

Times are harder there right now. I think it's been well publicized. We are - the show is not where I want it to be right now. The ratings are not where I want them to be. I want to make it better.

In this business, the minute you start feeling comfortable about the show you're doing or the ratings you're getting, you're in big trouble.

In some ways, being No. 2 in the ratings is a real shot in the arm, a kick in the pants.

There are some harsh realities about this business, and they've been beaten into my psyche. But I'm more of an optimist than a pessimist.

There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry.

When you feel your family is being threatened and hurt, you speak up. And then you put your head down and go back about your business.

If I buy something new - a piece of clothing, a tie, a shirt, a suit - something old has to go. That's the way I avoid clutter, crammed closets and drawers. It keeps things in balance, and it really works.

I take the harsh criticism along with the compliments.

If you are the person who gets the lion's share of attention in good times, guess what: you get the lion's share of attention in bad times.

I probably would do over the Tom Cruise interview because I've thought of so many things I would have said in hindsight.

I'm glad to know that I can host the 'Today' show for 16 years and not be a trending topic. And all the sudden I'm on 'Royal Pains,' and I'm a trending topic. There's something a little strange about that.

I learned more from my dad by osmosis than by any talk we ever had. He was the most reliable person I've ever met.

Over the course of 20 years that I've been at NBC, I have never seen the amount of money I make reported correctly by the media.

Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can't remember what they are.