Quotes from Judd Apatow

I think a lot of Hollywood is in retreat right now trying to figure out how to make money and make the safest bets.

I don't know if you can be a born-again virgin.

My way of dealing with the world has always been to make fun of it and observe it but not take part in it. That's how I became a writer. But when you have kids, suddenly you have to be part of things. It leads almost to a breakdown because your whole defense mechanism is now really destructive.

If I've learned anything—anything—getting older, it's the value of moment-to-moment enjoyment.

Life is ridiculous, so why not be a good guy?" That may be the only religion I have to this day.

you have to have a dream before you can execute it. That the people who succeed are the ones who think through what the next stages of their careers might be, and then work incredibly hard, day after day, to attain their goals. They don't just flop around like fish. They have a vision, and they work their asses off to make it a reality.

Jerry: If you always want less, in words as well as things, you'll do well as a writer.

There's very little work where the work and the reward are simultaneous, and comedy is that.

Mel, if you're going to go up to the bell, ring it.

They say certain people aren't good soldiers because if they're in a foxhole all night—you know, if you're creative and smart, you're thinking about all the different ways someone is going to blow your head off. But if you're not that smart, you're just like chilling out. And I feel like that in life. I'm just in the foxhole all fucking day thinking about everything that's going to go wrong in every possible way.

Judd: I like to be here until people really want to leave. But that's kind of how I am as a person. That's why my movies are too long. That's why I eat too much.

If life only has the meaning you bring to it, we have the opportunity to bring rich meaning to our lives by the service we do for others. It's a positive thing.

Sometimes I actually have a phobia of feeling good.

I'm trying to fuck my kids up just enough so they'll want to get a job.

No one really knows anything about comedy. We know a little bit about what we're doing, but as far as the industry—the exec branch—they don't know how it happens.

Don't be a jerk. Try to love everyone. Give more than you take. And do it despite the fact that you only really like about 7 out of five hundred people.

Amy: I still think that all the time. It's not that I feel like what I'm doing is so amazing, but it's pretty good compared to what other people are doing.

That's the greatest thing about comedy. If you've got talent, it's unmistakable. No one misses it and you don't have to wait around for a break. It's very easy to get a break. It's very hard to be good enough.

Harold: Serenity is an illusion, but if anything is possible and I can do anything, then there's a limitless capacity to do good.

As Nora Ephron said once: "Well, I feel terrible about the metaphor, but what can I do? It's like the whale, you know?" And

Marc: Why are we so afraid of joy? Judd: That's the question. And I've thought about it a lot, and I think it's because we think right behind joy is a knife that will cut our throat if we really feel it. It's almost like a laugh—your chin goes up and your throat is exposed. If I laugh too loud, someone will slit my throat. That's the terror of joy.

Jerry: I think anyone should do whatever they like. I don't think there should be any rules. Judd: As long as it gets laughs? Jerry: If it doesn't get laughs, you're not gonna get work, and you're not gonna be a comedian. So the audience ultimately decides. It's a very democratic system.

And since leaving, what has been the best part of not working that busy schedule? David: It used to be really fatiguing, the fact of doing it every day. Now when I do something, I think, Wow, this would be great if I could do something like this once a month. You still get the little jolt, and the hope of self-esteem, but you're not in the makeup chair every day

Amy Schumer: I did an interview with Jerry Seinfeld the other day. Judd Apatow: You did? Did you know him at all? Amy: We met a bunch of times at the Cellar, but I didn't know him well. He picked me up in a Ferrari, and then it broke down on [the] West Side Highway. It was a real piece of shit. It was smoking, it was real scary. Judd: