Norman Lear

We had two African American writers [Eric Monte and Michael Evans] on the show ['Good Times'] that knew Cabrini Green inside and…

— Norman Lear

But it also became the experience, or was the experience, of the writers who were attracted to this kind of humor. They're…

— Norman Lear

We all [Ed Simmons,Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis] started together, so there were no rules - anything we wrote became television.

— Norman Lear

I wanted to meet Bob Hope, and I got to know him pretty well.

— Norman Lear

At great, great remove sit the head of General Electric, the head of News Corp, the head of Viacom, or the head…

— Norman Lear

'All in the Family' took ten weeks to take off in 1971, and we were lucky to start in January, because if…

— Norman Lear

It seems to me that any full grown, mature adult would have a desire to be responsible, to help where he can…

— Norman Lear

As a matter of fact, when people ask where my 'point of view' comes from, it was there in one of the…

— Norman Lear

Ratings translate into corporations, corporations that need a profit statement this quarter that's larger than the last.

— Norman Lear

If there was a sense of - a bigger sense of responsibility in the various leadership positions in America, things would be…

— Norman Lear

Archie Bunker used to call me 'the laziest white kid he'd ever met.'

— Norman Lear

I looked at enough of American Idol in the first weeks, and they're all about humiliation. I listen to Rush Limbaugh because…

— Norman Lear

We are a country of excess. So it's not the violence, per se, but the exacerbation and constant repetition.

— Norman Lear

Even when they don't know who Nixon was, these shows will continue to play.

— Norman Lear

I started by writing, with my partner Ed Simmons, a monologue for Danny Thomas, that he performed at Ciro's nightclub in Los…

— Norman Lear

Life is about having a good time, and it was a good time. We did some things well and some things poorly,…

— Norman Lear

I think for television generally, the question that often arises is, "Does television lead, or does it follow?" You know, does it…

— Norman Lear

We had a Judeo-Christian ethic hanging around a couple thousand years that didn't help erase racism at all. So the notion of…

— Norman Lear

Next up [new TV stars] was [Dean] Martin and [Jerry] Lewis on 'The Colgate Comedy Hour.'

— Norman Lear

You know, you throw rocks in the lake and scientists will tell you you're raising the level of the lake, but all…

— Norman Lear

Originally, with all the shows, we went looking for belly laughs.

— Norman Lear

I guess the story that best defines us [with Bud Yorkin] and our relationship goes back to the [Dean] Martin and [Jerry]…

— Norman Lear

Power is the goal of religion in general.

— Norman Lear

The establishment uses that rationale all the time, and that's why we do what we do. But leadership requires some understanding that…

— Norman Lear

Nobody doubts my partisanship, but a lot of the activity is nonpartisan.

— Norman Lear