Television Personalities

"He sails on the GC32s, the fastest boats in the world that are the same boats used in the America’s Cup. Now he’s opened a medieval combat club so he does medieval combat. In the end, we look at each other and say, ‘We’re just going to have to accept who we are and pray.'"

"I remember that when on Anno Zero, [Michele] Santoro chose Beatrice Borromeo, beautiful and blonde, they all criticized her. She was not human that could be [beautiful and] intelligent too. Today, after graduating in Italy and in two months at Columbia University, if they do not to say congratulations, a dignified silence, at the very least."

"My film is called Never Children [in Italian, Bambini Mai] because they have no chance of living as children. If they go outdoors, there are shootings, drug-related crimes of every kind, and a network of pedophiles operating in that neighborhood. There were 12 cases in the last two years, and two children died because of that. It’s just a nightmare of a place for someone to be a child."

"Siamo angeli con un'ala soltanto e possiamo volare solo restando abbracciati."

"Politics is something you choose. And you also choose your lifestyle. But you don't choose your belonging to a class."

"I want to find a job to be proud of. One of those jobs you're standing up to at four in the morning because you don't feel like quitting."

"The Church no, I do not like it. [The Pope] intervenes in politics, in things that do not concern him. He did damage that could not be worse than this."

"He is not a Pope, he is a theologian. I do not like him. He has no humanity. It has pissed off the whole Islamic world."

"There is no limit to evil, but Bossi is the limit of what can be ugly in the world."

"It is clear that in my life there are contradictions. There is a contrast between my work life and my family life and that of my partner. Whoever criticizes me has his reasons. I cannot have credibility in the eyes of everyone, but in the end, I am more normal than I look.... The altered reality, the yacht, is much photographed, as well as formal situations in which I accompany Pierre because I’m his partner and should be at his side. But then there is another reality that no one tells. I never go out, I’m always at home in the evening. I have dinner, watch a movie, and go to sleep. If Pierre is not there, it is mostly my friends who keep me company. And I live in Milan, not Monte Carlo."

"This is where the Mafia stockpiles heroin for basically the whole of Europe. It is the place drug dealers go to buy drugs, not normal people. The life of children there is insane. They get recruited very early on, when they are 12 or 13. They turn into lookouts, hide drugs, transport drugs and there is absolutely nothing that saves them."

"Mussolini insists on keeping the memory of her grandfather high. Impossible business. She would do better to distance herself, both politically and humanly."

"I've been promised bail, ladies and gentlemen, by my office. This is John Chancellor, somewhere in custody."

"[[Donald Trump|[Donald] Trump]] would have us believe that these are our only two choices: We can either have smash-and-grab capitalism, where so many hands in the cookie jar has resulted in so many government scandals, and where the top 1 percent have more wealth than the bottom 90 percent, or we can have what’s happening in Venezuela, where the economy has collapsed and humanitarian and political crises have ensued..."

"Trump's dig on socialism means he's scared, [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez|[Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez]] said after his speech. What really scares the pro-plutocrats on both sides of the political aisle about her, Sanders and other democratic socialists is that they have become messengers for a compelling message with an actual vision — the simple idea that it's up to government to intervene and equalize the playing field between the capital that owns the politicians, the system and the rewards, and the general public toiling to provide those rewards."

"Everybody deserves to live a life of dignity, with their bare-minimum needs met in... 'the richest society in history of the world.' It’s an idea whose time has come..."

"Polls show 70 percent of Americans support Medicare-for-all, 74 percent support a wealth tax such as the one proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed 70 percent marginal tax rate finds comfortable majority support. But … socialism! Surely not..."

"The one overlap between Sanders and Warren is their relative appeal to young people. This stands in contrast to Biden, for whom the greatest predictor of support is age. The older you are, the more likely you are to be ridin’ with Biden. This suggests that the progressive tussle between Warren and Sanders is about more than a competition for Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) endorsement; it’s really about the future of the party... Already, progressives are setting the pace for new and popular policy ideas. Reformer, or revolutionary? The policies may be similar, but the results could be dramatically different."

"We really are watching the utter destruction of even assemblance of commitment to the 'international rules based order'. This has collapsed completely in real time. [...] I really do think, and there has been lots of things that you can point to, but in the modern era it really starts to come unglued with the Iraq war and the bullshit pretext we used to go in. It's no accident that [[Vladimir Putin |[Vladimir] Putin]] pointed to the Iraq war and what we did there as his excuse for why it's okay for him to do what he does. [[Benjamin Netanyahu |[Benjamin] Netanyahu]] uses the Iraq war and the toll that took on civilians as his excuse to do what he is doing in Gaza. [...] I'm not going to deny there were horrors that we committed during the Iraq war [...] [but] it really does pale in comparison to what is unfolding in Gaza right now. But we started this started this unraveling in the modern era with the Iraq war and now we have just seen a complete disillusion of even the ability to have a pretext of commitment to these supposed higher values. Is an extraordinary and horrifying thing to watch in real time."

"To state it simply: [[Bernie Sanders|[Bernie] Sanders]] is a revolutionary and Warren is a reformer... [[Elizabeth Warren|[Elizabeth] Warren]] has been unequivocal that she is a capitalist and believes in markets. She identifies this as the most significant ideological split between her and Sanders."

"Sanders’ message of political revolution lands with a thud among those who are comfortable. Warren, Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and “not sure” all outperform Sanders among those earning more than $100,000... It makes sense, though, that those who have struggled the most under our system would be the most receptive to revolutionary change. Why maintain the rules of the current order when those rules have made your life a struggle?"

"While the ruling class may be good at foreclosing on middle class homes, giving closed door speeches to Goldman Sachs, and profiting off of climate catastrophe, they're not always so great at figuring out this whole politics thing. Their ego and undying faith in their own brilliance will never allow them to see what is so patently obvious to all of us: no one outside of your tiny enclave wants you. And your candidacies will only enable and inflame the exact populist movement you are so desperate to quash. Prepare to see many more billionaire tears in the days to come."

"Our implementation of this historic MOU reflects the enduring and unshakable commitment of the President, this Administration, and the American people to Israel’s security. The MOU was negotiated under the previous Administration, reflecting the bi-partisan nature of this commitment. Israel is a valuable and capable ally to the United States that today faces dangerously escalating regional threats, first and foremost from the Iranian regime’s sponsorship of terrorist groups seeking to attack not only Israel but also American interests."

"In the time I've tried to write this, I've had to run up the stairs to A) Put Baby to Bed which included dressing him (Daddy is not allowed he doesn't do it right allegedly SIGH) B) Read 3 stores about Sushi, Dim Sum & Potty Training ( Yes, I read about it but now I want to eat sushi) C) Sit down to continue writing only to be summoned back upstairs due to a Tummy Ache (visit the potty, change a diaper - always the way - kiss the belly, tuck back in).... "Such a Glamourous Life You Lead Meredith...." (said in my best lil ol' Jewish Man voice...) But really, truthfully, am so very blessed."

"​Look I put gold balls in a vase and voila - I’m done right?? Ha ha ha I have to figure out to Tree or not to Tree. I’m torn. That’s the good thing about having a Jewish husband. He won’t care if I say Xnay on the tree…."

"Seth your voice isn’t needed at this time. You aren’t helping. You aren’t being an ally to women. Why do you go and maybe bake a loaf of challah?? Because it is delicious and something one makes to share with others. It was akin to telling a woman to get into a Kitchen. My son is Jewish so nice try there but that’s not gonna fly. Given that I’m married to and have Jewish children nice try to make it about that. I was telling him to get in the kitchen. His misogyny flipped on him. You blinded by your own? Hardly. Sitting here with my Jewish son but nice try. You give him a pass on his blatant misogyny?? Go away troll. Hey winner I’m married into the tribe. Have Jewish kids. Nice try. Deflect his misogyny into some imaginary antisemitism. His misogyny. My crack was telling him to get back into the kitchen. It was dismissive the way he dismissed a sexual assault survivor. If you don’t recognize his misogyny you’re part of the problem."

"You mean the kids wearing the MAGA hats? That’s a rather Nazi take you’ve offered there. MAGA hats = Nazis. Nazis deserve to be punched."

"When presented with an audience or a camera, usually [my stammer] disappeared, but by no means all the time. I can show you some outtakes of Blackadder or The Thin Blue Line when I get to some B's followed by a vowel, which is my real bête noire."

"[The French] are so uncompromising in their view of the world, which is why they are such a fantastically rich source of comedy. They are so relentless and so clear in their view of things, and they won't be shoved off that position by anything. What's also good is that, generally speaking, making jokes about the French appears to be something that nobody really minds. The French don't even care, they just go about their lives regardless."

"Personally I suspect that I am highly unlikely to be arrested for whatever laws exist to contain free expression, because of the undoubtedly privileged position that is afforded to those of a high public profile. So my concerns are less for myself, and more for those more vulnerable because of their lower profile. Like the man arrested in Oxford for calling a police horse 'gay'. Or the teenager arrested for calling the Church of Scientology a 'cult'. Or the café owner arrested for displaying passages from the Bible on a TV screen."

"I cry too much and I find it strange. It must be indicative of some issue within me that I’ve yet to identify. Whether it’s crowds or whether it’s people being nice… Hospitals make me cry very, very easily. Merely entering a hospital – just sensing care, you know. People trying to help others, I find, inspires a very emotional response."

"When I was doing Bean more than I've done him in the last few years, I did strange things; like appearing on chat shows in character as Mr. Bean. I remember going to a book signing as Mr. Bean; it was a Mr. Bean book; and I signed it as Mr. Bean. I just wrote "Mr. Bean" in the book rather than Rowan Atkinson. I was there in costume and in character for the entire time; from arriving in the store till leaving it at the end of the book signing; and it was a fantastically kind of freeing experience, because I could just submerge myself in this character and just behave however I liked. And I didn't care what I did or what I said to anyone; I just became this other person, and it was a wonderful sort of freedom. A wonderful kind of fantasy, where you could just be this thoroughly rather unpleasant, selfish man for an hour; in a totally real context rather than in a fictional context. It was rather extraordinary, actually, and something that I found rather pleasing and rather relaxing."

"The victimisation of individuals or corporations or groups of people is a very dangerous and difficult development. The fact that careers can be ruined and reputations can be savaged without any particular responsibility on the part of those who are doing it… we live in strange times."

"It’s the age-old dilemma of being known for doing a certain thing in a certain way. And even if people think, “Well, we could cast him in this role,” then they say, “He just brings a lot of Mr. Bean baggage with him and would people take it seriously?” I can see myself in some Dickensian role, those sorts of characters. But I think I might have burnt my bridges with the outright silliness of so much of what I’ve done."

"All jokes about religion cause offence, so it's pointless apologising for them."

"It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential. Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous....In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything."

"The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us. And if you're against us, you deserve to be 'cancelled'. It's important that we're exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. So it is scary for anyone who's a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future."

"I am getting older, and [Mr. Bean] naturally has to get older with me, and that's why I've done him very little in recent years. Because I don't particularly want him to get old. I've always seen him as a rather timeless, ageless figure — though, in fact, when we were doing this funeral sketch a few weeks ago, quite a few people said you know there's something about Bean in middle age which feels almost more right; he sort of suits an older outlook."

"[O]ne must know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, so one shouldn't exhibit pride in anything...I don't know...what do I get pride and satisfaction from? I can't think of anything I'm absolutely proud of. If I've done jokes that people liked, then that is pleasing and satisfying. I think probably the thing that I enjoyed in the show, the franchise, the brand or whatever you want to call it, the thing that I found the least stressful might be Blackadder, the sitcom I did in the 1980s. That was good because of this feeling of shared responsibility among a lot of really good actors."

"You have a 16-count indictment … and then within a very short period of time, the case gets dismissed by the prosecution and it gets sealed. Unusual is almost not strong enough of a word"

"I always liked Stephanie. She reminds me of Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka. She’s very intelligent and thank God she is there. Her mind is so into the business."

"Most cooks when they are young tend to overwork their food to hide their lack of confidence and appreciation for Mother Nature. In time they learn that she is the true artist—we're just the the cooks."

"It is only by growing to know yourself that you do things for the right reasons and maybe have a chance to be really happy and realise your true potential as a person."

"Cooking should be a way of life—an extension of oneself—never a job."

"Success is born out of arrogance."

"Great chefs have three things in common. The first is the understanding that mother nature is the true artist and they are the cook. The second is that everything they do becomes an extension of them as a person. Third, they give you insight into the world they came from, the world that inspired them. They show that off on their plates."

"Most chefs, unfortunately, cook by numbers. It doesn't come from within. Molecular cuisine is basically branding food. There's nothing new to it. Its foundation is still classical."

"When I made the decision to retire, I had three options. The first option was, I don't retire, I stay in the kitchen, I continue to work six or seven days a week, I kiss my children goodbye in their beds while they're sleeping in the morning and I kiss them goodnight when they're sleeping in their beds, but I retain my status and my position within my industry. My second option was to live a lie, to pretend I cook when I don't cook, question my integrity and everything I've worked for these 22 years, continue to charge high prices. My third option was to pluck up the courage, give back my stars and abdicate my position and reinvent myself as a person. Those were my options, and one Sunday morning I was fishing and it came to me. I was being judged by people who knew less than me. So what was it all worth?"

"Success is born out of luck. Luck is being given the opportunity, but it's awareness of mind that takes advantage of that opportunity."

"As far as I'm concerned, if someone is paying a huge amount of money to come to your restaurant and eat your food, then you have a duty to be in the kitchen."