Whatever you do, make sure you want to write more than you want to be a writer. Make sure you want to act more than you want to be an actor. That is what will sustain you.

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.

I grew up in a family where the internalized understanding was that the kids were going to grow up into a better world. I worry, because I don't think my kids are going to have that. The world is very scary. The world would be scary without the choices the current administration made, but they just exacerbated it. And it ticks me off. I want my kids to have a good life.

With the success of a show, you get an opportunity to call attention to things that you believe in.

I identify with this guy's frustration and inability to control his fury at moments. I even identify with the way that this guy covers up a lot with humour. So yeah, it's interesting.

One of the most surreal moments in this election was after the third debate, when I heard a talking head say, Al Gore won on substance, on the issues. But you have to give the victory to Bush because he seems presidential.

Anybody who can dial a telephone can master tennis scoring in about 15 minutes.

Cal Ripken is steady, he focuses on his job, and he's a good guy.

Having an affair with an intern is just an incredibly stupid thing to do.

I can't believe George Bush might be president.

I want to see Bob Dylan do sketch comedy. I'm a huge Bob Dylan fan.

Love means never having to say you're a zero.

Richard Schiff is a really good baseball player. It's surprising because he looks exhausted.

This election ain't no stinkin' TV show.

When you act, you're always playing a version of yourself. You can't bring more to the role than what you are.

You don't want to become one of those Hollywood idiots who is just blathering about anything.

You don't want your credibility banana to turn brown, but you do want to speak out about what you believe in.

You need to be real enough to be believable, but you don't necessarily have to be real enough to be real. There is a distinction.

Aaron is a very passionate, maniacal writer so the scripts really come from him, but he is very open to... y'know, we'll plan ideas and we'll certainly tussle about stuff when the script comes out. So, to a certain extent, he's very interested. If there's some problem or something that doesn't ring true, he wants to know why and he wants to correct it or fight for it.

I am an old, old friend of Aaron Sorkin's, who is the executive producer and writer. He had been talking about doing a political show for a long time and I had been interested in it for a long time. The moment I became available, he called me last year and asked me if I wanted to do it and then I just had to audition for the powers that be, and I got it.