Quotes from Lauren Graham

As I've gotten older, I've gotten more liberal, and my father is increasingly conservative. It's so shocking to me because I always thought we had the same politics. The day I realized we voted for different presidents, I practically fell out of my chair.

I always saw myself as a comedic actor and wacky best friend.

Because I have no consistent schedule as an actor, it was difficult to develop one as a writer. Ideally, I'd like to write first thing in the morning, every day. But sometimes I'm called to set before the sun comes up, or I've worked late the night before, or I'm on a plane.

Belly buttons are cool!

As an actor, you have to maximize your time, because you don't know what's going to happen in your 50s and 60s and 70s. It's like the career of an athlete: For many people, it ends at a certain point.

Like my dad, I have a Christmas party most years. I like to celebrate and see as many people as possible.

You want the story to end when it's supposed to and not be squeezed for somebody's financial gain.

My mother had lived in London since I was little, so she never got to see my school plays and stuff.

All my references are 50 years old-when somebody shot J.R., you know? Oh my god, I'm 100!

There's nothing more important than a good story.

Some people think my father was a spy, because of working for that government agency in Vietnam, but he can't find his car keys, much less keep a national secret.

I take the no-doughnut pledge, and then I break it.

When the creator of the show is gone, the actors end up being the people who have been there the longest.

One of the things I like about the show is it redefines the idea of what it is to be a mother, which at its most basic level is to take care of a child. It doesn't mean you have to look like the ladies in the Lysol commercials.

We moved in 8th grade, so 7th grade I was doing okay, and then 8th grade, everything fell apart. I had no fashion sense to speak of. We only had a couple of hair care products back then. We didn't have all these things to tame your hair. I had glasses; I had braces. I had it all.

What I remember about coming to L.A. is that suddenly work was as big a presence in my life as my life itself.

Perspective is the most important thing to have in life.

These days I have to be extra nice in stores. It never fails that whenever I look as bad as I can possibly look or I am sort of cranky because the store is out of something, that is precisely the time when someone one will recognize me and say: 'I really like your show.'

Acting is the most bizarre profession. You can stay in it for years and not really be in it and be waiting for someone to give you an opportunity. It's like when I watch 'American Idol' and see people who have been told to believe in themselves at all costs: It's not always a good idea.

I've made out more this season on a family-friendly show than ever in my actual life.

I love doing the 'New York Times' crossword puzzle, even on the days I can't finish it.

I've dated people who I thought were going to be a big deal in my life, and I've also spent long periods by myself.

Sometimes I'll think, 'That was a really nice day. I ate well, I exercised, I called some friends, wasn't working too hard,' but I rarely have one of those.

The thing about good writing is it has a music to it.