Quotes from John Ratzenberger

Before 1972, no actors got residuals. They just got paid. No residuals.

On my visits back home, if they saw that I was getting a big head, they'd let me know right away.

I'm concerned about the insidious influence of the media's bad messages that undermine the lessons parents try to instill in their sons and daughters.

Find people who share your values, and you'll conquer the world together.

I come from Bridgeport, Connecticut and have friends I grew up with there.

In fact, my son learned his first swear word from E.T. at age five. The way I look at it, E.T. stole a bit of my son's childhood.

When I go to the garage to pick up my clubs, I clean the spider webs off.

So many actors have sheer guts, will, and determination; they just need some preparation.

From what I can see, too many kids don't learn pride in their country anymore.

The pollution they produce, market, sell, and show to billions around the world is at its core contemptuous of the country that gave them better lives than nearly 100 percent of everybody who's ever lived. And they pass that contempt along for everyone to see.

After all, at end of the day, when you're breathing your last, it's not your producer, director, or cast mates by your bedside; it's your children. Keep that in mind.

There are technologies you couldn't predict at all when I started.

In L.A., though, people get off busses calling themselves actors, so many are really not professionals.

But from what I can see all around me today, that America is fading fast, if it's not already gone.

You'll be tested every single day.

Hollywood has lost touch with their audience a long time ago.

Diabetes affects my family. One of my kids is affected by it.

On my visits back home, if they saw that I was getting a big head, they'd let me know right away.

A farce, or slapstick humor, does well universally.

Sure, the comedians who swear or use scatological humor can get laughs, but they're uncomfortable laughs.

Find people who share your values, and you'll conquer the world together.

The last thing on my mind was to be an actor, but I had a crush on a cute girl in the drama department, so the best thing for me to do was audition, help out, do carpentry, whatever it took to get me on that project.

I started improvising the Cliff character, based on someone I grew up with.

There are times over different projects when I've asked the writers why people are swearing for no good reason. I tell them that it would be funnier if there weren't these swear words.