Lorne Michaels

"The best thing about running a show is watching young talent discover who they are."

"Television is ephemeral, but the impact of a great moment lasts forever."

"I've learned that the people who succeed are the ones who can take criticism and use it to get better."

"The cold open sets the tone for the entire show. If that works, everything else has a chance."

"You can't please everyone. The moment you start trying, you've already lost."

"I believe in the power of a live audience. There's no simulation for that energy."

"The writers' room is where the real work happens. The stage is just where we reveal it."

"Comedy requires empathy, even when you're making fun of someone. You have to understand them first."

"I've always thought that the best casts are made up of people who would challenge each other."

"Television teaches you patience. Nothing happens as fast as you want it to."

"The moment you stop evolving is the moment you become obsolete in this business."

"I don't care about ratings as much as I care about the quality of what we're putting on television."

"Great comedy often comes from pain. The best writers are the ones who've suffered the most."

"I've learned that flexibility is more valuable than a rigid plan when you're doing live television."

"The stage has been my university. Everything I know, I learned by doing."

"Comedy is about finding the unexpected in the familiar. That's what makes people laugh."

"I believe in surrounding myself with people smarter than me. That's how you grow."

"Television is a young person's medium. You need that energy and that perspective."

"The greatest satisfaction is when a sketch that seemed crazy on paper becomes something magical on stage."

"I've never believed that you need to explain a joke. If it needs explaining, it didn't work."

"The pressure of live television is what keeps you honest. It forces you to be your best."

"I've learned that loyalty is more valuable than talent. Talent is common. Loyalty is rare."

"Comedy writing is about finding the pattern and breaking it at exactly the right moment."

"The thing about live television is that you're only as good as your last show."

"I believe in giving people the freedom to fail. That's where growth happens."

"Television has the power to make ordinary people famous and famous people irrelevant."

"The best sketches are the ones that could only happen at that moment in time."

"I've always believed that humor is a way of dealing with hard truths."

"The audience can smell desperation. If you're trying too hard to be funny, you've already failed."

"I don't care how famous you are. If you can't make it work on that stage, you're out."