"Writing's deeper function is to serve as a way to find shapes and names for the world as you have come to know it; to find on paper what you know and feel."

“You can make a good show, but you still need some magical alchemy to get people to watch.”

“One of the cool things, obviously there's 'Scandal,' 'House of Cards,' there was 'West Wing.' Other than that Jack Lemmon/James Garner movie about ex-presidents, no one's ever done anything in this area, whereas a lot of times, we do a story where someone goes, "Oh, yeah, they did someone sleeping with a Secret Service agent on 'House of Cards.'"”

Source : "Here's what comes next after last night's surprising 'Veep' finale". Interview with Alan Sepinwall, uproxx.com. June 27, 2016.

“I think a lot of times, people don't want to do what their parents do because they want to be their own person.”

“The only prayer which a well-meaning man can pray is, O ye gods, give me whatever is fitting unto me!”

“The income tax is flawed for a number of reasons - it discourages economic growth and encourages a bloated government.”

“I hope to go into a poem sober and come out a little drunk. And if I do then that's a real poem.”

Source : "Susannah Herbert on Dannie Abse, the poetry judge". www.theguardian.com. September 29, 2014.

“The condition in New Orleans was changing every day. I said, why don't we appropriate another $10 billion, come back and look at the situation, and do another $10 billion every week, or every 10 days?”

“I take every job on its merits.”