Quotes By Matt Groening

It's a funny show. The characters are surprisingly likable, given how ugly they are. We've got this huge cast of characters that we can move around. And over the last few seasons, we've explored some of the secondary characters' personal lives a bit more.

We've been running a little behind schedule. But only by about 15 years or so.

Because good writing in a TV cartoon is so rare, I think the animation on The Simpsons is often overlooked.

I don't have to be careful, I've got a gun.

I draw a weekly comic strip called Life in Hell, which is syndicated in about 250 newspapers. That's what I did before The Simpsons, and what I plan to do for the rest of my life.

Well, most grown-ups forget what it was like to be a kid. I vowed that I would never forget.

Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.

'The Simpsons' is an especially collaborative show.

I think 'Family Guy' and 'American Dad' have definitely staked out their own style and territory, and now the accusations are coming that 'The Simpsons' is taking jokes from 'Family Guy.' And I can tell you, that ain't the case.

I'm a writer who just happens to draw.

When authorities warn you of the sinfulness of sex, there is an important lesson to be learned. Do not have sex with the authorities.

Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun.

A lot of people believe that if everybody just did what they were told - obeyed - everything would be fine. But that's not what life is all about. That's not real. It's never going to happen.

Since I was there in the very beginning, I know the history of the characters. So, I make comments about the tone and sometimes remind the writers that we've done that before.

Eat my shorts!

One of the things I would like to do is make up stories that I would have enjoyed when I was a kid. So, if I'm thinking about an audience, it's usually a younger version of myself.