Lorne Michaels

“The show doesn't go on because it's ready; it goes on because it's 11:30.”

“If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.”

“My life is a series of deadlines.”

“I think the highest-level comedians are always the ones who are just a little bit sad.”

“The only way you can do a show is if you've got a cast that you're in love with.”

“We look for people who are not quite ready.”

“The show has changed, but the sensibilities are the same.”

“Comedy is so hard to do, and it's so easy to miss.”

“Part of the discipline of being a writer is to learn to be patient.”

“I'm not in the business of nostalgia.”

“You can't be a legend in your own lifetime.”

“It is a writers' show. And the head writer is the person who's in charge of the show.”

“There's an innocence to the moment you're playing a song for the first time.”

“I think the good thing about the show is that it's a meritocracy.”