“[Trey Parker and Matt Stone]called me one Saturday morning and said, "Can you do an impression of Conan O'Brien?" And I said, "I don't know." Because that was really... He hadn't been on the air that long, and to be honest, I hadn't watched much of him at that point. So I went to Santa Monica to their studio and said, "Well, what does he sound like?" They said, "Well, just try it one time. Read the copy." And I read the copy one time, and they went, "Okay, that's fine. Thanks a lot, that'll do. That's perfect."” KnowsTryingWellsLongDoeSaidSoundPerfectMorningAirHonestFineStonesOkayStudiosImpressionThanksBeing HonestCopiesOne TimeThey SaidSaturdaySantaMonicaConanSaturday MorningSanta MonicaConan O Brien Author:Brent Spiner
“It wasn't exactly a cattle call. I had an agent, and they were seeing people for the parts, so my agent said, "Here's the script, see if there's anything that speaks to you." And I did, and I called my agent and said, "I think this character Data is kind of interesting," and she said, "Well, okay, I'll get you the appointment with Junie Lowry." I had to read with the casting agent first, 'cause nobody really knew me then. Then after that, I had, I think, six different auditions for the role. And finally it was me [on Star Trek].” PeopleIfsThinkingFirstsWellsKindSaidDifferentCharacterSpeakStarsCausesInterestingRolesSeeingSixOkayScriptsAgentsDataAuditionsCastingAppointmentsCattle Author:Brent Spiner
“Initially I objected to the Data makeup. I said, "Why do I need this makeup? Why can't I just look like me?" In fact, I said to Gene Roddenberry, "Don't you think that by this time in history, they would've figured out how to make skin look like skin?" And he said, "What makes you think that what you have isn't better than skin?" And I went, "Um, okay."” ThinkingNeedsLooksSaidFactsOkaySkinsLike MeDataMakeupGenesMake You Think Author:Brent Spiner
“I try to stay as young as these rookies are.It feels a bit strange not to be anymore the youngster I used to be. But I'm okay with it. Mostly, I enjoy being on the pitch with so many talented players around me.” FeelsTryingYoungUsedBitsEnjoyPlayerStrangeOkayUsed To BeYoungstersRookies Author:Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
“There's no question that to some extent there are structural disadvantages built in, not just for women but for other minority groups who don't hold power at the executive level either at the company or in the industry. My position is not just "Oh, okay, anyone can overcome those." It's just as we work to get more women and people in minority groups at higher levels in positions of power, what are our options?” PeopleLevelsCompanyGroupsPositionIndustryHigherBuiltOkayOvercomingMinoritiesExecutivesDisadvantagesHigher LevelPosition Of PowerMinority Groups Author:Megyn Kelly
“If there's a negative interaction between my child and another child, what I want to know is, how was it handled, what lessons came out of it and of course, is my child okay?” IfsKnowsWantChildrenCoursesLessonsNegativeOkayMy ChildrenInteraction Author:Megyn Kelly
“That was okay [ working with George Clooney]. One of these days I'll work with a good director.” DirectorsOkayThese DaysGood Directors Author:John Krasinski
“My father always wanted me to be president of the United States, and his fallback position was that I not become a ward of the county. I think my father was okay about my going into journalism, though.” ThinkingStatesWantedFatherPresidentUnitedUnited StatesPositionOkayJournalismCounty Author:Kevin Sessums
“Ireland is a place that's beautiful and interesting, but I remember when I went there as a teenager with my parents, I was like, "Okay, I'll go to Ireland with my parents. It's going to be green." I think people underestimate it, in that it's, "Oh, it's green," and then you get there, and it's like, "Wow, it is green!" It's, "Oh, there's Irish music," and then you get there, and you're like, "Oh, this Irish music is amazing!" You underestimate it.” PeopleThinkingBeautifulRememberParentInterestingMusic IsOkayGreenTeenagerWowIrelandUnderestimateRemember WhenIrish Music Author:Jim Gaffigan
“I rang Brian [Mulroney] up. I said, "What's this bloody nonsense. You've got a wheat trade with Iraq and you won't come aboard?" I said, "We've got a bloody big wheat trade too, so get your priorities right." And he said, "Okay, Bob. I'll come." I rang George and he was very appreciative.” SaidBigsOkayTradeIraqPrioritiesNonsenseBobBloodyWheatBrianAppreciative Author:Bob Hawke
“I don't do jokes about elections so that's probably why it went okay for me, except for the crazy people that are hate-crime people.” PeopleHateCrazyCrimeJokesOkayElectionHate CrimeCrazy People Author:Jen Kirkman
“Testosterone makes you completely out of control, but that's okay.” OkayTestosterone Author:Jen Kirkman
“I think I have learned to really get out of the mathematical side of myself that looks at story and story structure and go with, "Okay, well, what would people do in real life?"” PeopleThinkingWellsLooksRealStoriesSidesOkayStructureReal LifeMathematicalI Have Learned Author:Rachel Bloom
“I felt attacked because people rejected me. They didn't say "we can give you money to do something else if you want," they just said "no, this movie cannot be done" and I said "okay, so I'll do it!"” PeopleIfsWantGivingSaidDoneFeltOkayRejected Author:Gaspar Noe
“One of the worst elements of Obama's career, which no one talks about, is that he voted twice for a bill that said, if there is a botched abortion, if the child emerges from the womb alive, it should be okay to kill the baby. We have elected a president - twice! - who agrees with infanticide.” IfsShouldChildrenSaidPresidentCareersAliveWorstBabyElementsOkayAgreeBillsAbortionWombInfanticide Author:Nat Hentoff
“If I'm okay with dying, my son is at least as enlightened as that. If I'm okay with my cancer, my son is at least as enlightened as I am.” IfsDyingSonOkayCancerEnlightenedMy Son Author:Byron Katie
“In order to get past disagreements, you just can't have one person with power decide. In other words, so just because I'm a boss, it would be terrible if I then said, "Okay, we're gonna go do this." That's why, after that thoughtful disagreement, there has to be a process of an idea meritocracy. That means okay, now you have to vote, not that the decision resides with power. And then you vote and move beyond it.” IfsMeanPersonsSaidIdeasWould BePastMovingOrderProcessDecisionTerribleOkayVoteThoughtfulBossDisagreementMeritocracy Author:Ray Dalio
“There is a group of us that met through Howard Klein's class in Los Angeles. Howard Klein is a prominent acting teacher. We got together and did this short Night Music that was such an amazing experience, Guy and I were thinking, 'Okay, what do we do next?' So he wrote this next movie of his, Loulou.” ThinkingTogetherNightGuyNextActingClassTeacherGroupsMetsOkayLos AngelesProminentAmazing ExperiencesActing Teachers Author:Boti Bliss
“If you were running a solar company you may be okay - you may be able to keep growing. The question for physics is: Can you grow fast enough to begin to catch up with the damage?” IfsMayEnoughRunningAbleGrowsCompanyGrowingOkayPhysicsDamage Author:Bill McKibben
“Both [of my granddaughters] Octavia and Lavinia have May birthdays. I've just been birthday shopping with them. But the shopping has a budget. I say, "Okay, if you pick this out, then you'll have how much left?" I wait for them to do the calculation, and they'll say, "$18." And we stand there and talk about, hmm, is that sweater really worth that much? And the girls work it through.Doing that takes away some of the magic of money.” IfsMayGirlLeftWaitingMagicPicksOkayBudgetsWorking ItShoppingCalculationsSweatersHmmGranddaughterLavinia Author:Elizabeth Warren
“I have 90 percent or 95 percent support in the African American community and it's not sort of "Well, he's black, so it's okay. We're not going to say anything even though we're seething." And I hang out with a lot of middle-aged black women, and they're not casual in their support of me. There's a lot of love forthcoming. Partly because they understand the constraints of this society. They know that this is hard.” KnowsWellsHardBlackCommunitySupportMiddlePercentOkayAfrican AmericanHanging OutSay AnythingBlack WomenCasualConstraintsMiddle AgedThis SocietyForthcomingSeething Author:Barack Obama
“Every three years, we have to go to the governments and say, okay, you know you're saving millions of lives and even though your budgets are tight, helping Africa avoid this disaster really is a priority.” KnowsYearsHelpingGovernmentThreeMillionsOkayPrioritiesDisasterSavingBudgetsThree Years Author:Bill Gates
“If someone's performance is down we do not say, 'Hey pick up your things here.' We do not yell and scream at them, we say, 'Are you okay?' The idea of putting our financials goal aside for one minute to express empathy for the human being for that work and saying, 'Are you okay?' That is part of the sacrifice.” IfsHumansIdeasGoalHuman BeingsSacrificeMinutesEmpathyPicksOkayPerformancesHeyScreamOne Minute Author:Simon Sinek
“When people say do you believe in God? what do they mean by it? Do I believe in some spiritual force in the world? In a way, yes. People have thoughts, emotions. If you want to call that a spiritual force, okay. But unless there's some clarification of what we're supposed to believe in or disbelieve in, I can't answer.” PeopleIfsWorldWayWantBelieveMeanI CanSpiritualForceI BelieveAnswersEmotionOkayI Believe InBelieve In GodClarification Author:Noam Chomsky
“I could vanish the silk better than Ben Vereen - that was for sure. So I think maybe they said, "Okay, maybe he has something to offer." Years pass and I get a bit of a career, and Ben Vereen ends up hosting one of my specials where I walked through the Great Wall of China. Things came full circle in kind of an ironic way, when you have that honor of people that have influenced you so much host your show. It's a huge experience in your life.” PeopleThinkingWayYearsKindSaidEndsShowsBitsCareersHugeWallHonorOffersOkayChinaCirclesIronicHostThey SaidSilkFull CircleGreat WallGreat Wall Of China Author:David Copperfield
“For me, it's about risk taking, taking things in new directions. Because every single time, no matter how much you learn, you can never say, "Okay, I did the hardest thing I ever did. I'm prepared now. Now it's going to be easy." Of course it's not easy.” MatterCoursesEasyRiskOkayPreparedHardestHardest ThingRisk-takingNew Directions Author:David Copperfield
“For one of my specials, I said, "I'm going to make an airplane disappear." Okay! And the next day, everything went crazy - it was like breaking the internet before the internet.” SaidNextCrazyInternetOkayDisappearAirplaneNext Day Author:David Copperfield
“[Producers] took me to Chicago at 18 to star in a show that ran for almost a year. And that's when my parents said, "Okay, I guess you can quit Fordham." Of course, when that show closed, as you can imagine, I came to New York and starved for years, but it's never an easy road.” YearsSaidShowsCoursesStarsEasyParentImagineNew YorkOkayQuittingProducersRanChicagoEasy Road Author:David Copperfield
“We've somehow allowed ourselves to think it's okay to neglect and abandon our responsibility to ourselves and to our community. Everything cannot be blamed on the system.” ThinkingCommunityResponsibilityOkayAbandonNeglectOur Community Author:T.I.
“I could be 80 tomorrow and I'd still be okay. It's all the way you think about things.” ThinkingWayStillsTomorrowOkay Author:Shay Mitchell
“I care about the match. I don't care about, you know, other things. It's like if I'm not happy, it's okay. I want just to be happy, you know. If I'm not happy, fine. Have it, you know.” IfsKnowsWantCareFineOkayDon't CareI Don't CareI CareNot Happy Author:Gael Monfils
“How about mandated parental leave.? Oh, okay. Less than 20% of companies in America have it. Most of them think about it as an expense. What's the bigger expense? The bigger expense occurs if women have babies and don't come back to work.” IfsThinkingAmericaCompanyBabyOkayBiggerExpensesParentalBack To Work Author:Sallie Krawcheck
“I don't like gossip stories. Facts are okay. But when gossips begin making items, that's something else again.” FactsStoriesOkayGossipItems Author:Paul Newman
“Mike Pence is simply shoring up the people the Republicans thought they already had. So he is a way for people who thought [Donald] Trump was not really conservative to say, well, okay, here's a conservative guy.” PeopleWayWellsGuyTrumpRepublicanOkayConservativeMike Author:Mark Colvin
“I was just fooling around with the piano and Todd [Phillips] was like, 'Hey there's a great spot in the movie [The Hangover] where we need a little bit of a breath in the narrative. You should write a song and stick it in there.' And I was like, 'Well, what should the song be about?' And he said, 'The tiger.' 'Oh, okay.' So I went off and I wrote this song. I came back and Todd and I tinkered with it a little more and then we shot it right then. It all happened in a day.” NeedsShouldWritingWellsLittlesSaidSongBitsHappenedLittle BitShotsOkayBreathsSticksSpotsHeyNarrativePianoTigersHangoverFooling Around Author:Ed Helms
“[My father] was always saying I'd end up like my grandfather. Okay. My grandfather was an architect, I'm an architect. It's true, certain characteristics are similar.” EndsCertainFatherOkayCharacteristicsArchitectGrandfatherMy Grandfather Author:Paul Laffoley
“I started meditating and as soon as I turned that lens of attention inwards, it was like, okay, game over. This is what I'd been looking for to resolve some of these inner conflicts and pains.” PainGamesAttentionConflictOkayResolveLensesMeditatingInner ConflictGame Over Author:Mark Coleman
“The media has created this environment that is okay to say almost anything about somebody who is, you know, right of Jane Fonda. You know, if you are slightly conservative or even libertarian points of view, especially if you are persuasive and charismatic and funny and effective, you will get called the most appalling things.” IfsKnowsViewsEnvironmentMediaOkayConservativePoint Of ViewLibertarianJanePersuasiveCharismatic Author:Milo Yiannopoulos
“It takes a very long time to read a script. I'll look at a script, but there are so many scripts. I remember once being at the dentist, and the guy was doing my teeth and telling me about the screenplay he'd written and he said, "Will you read it?" And I said "Oh...okay." And it turns out that it was about a dentist!” LooksLongSaidRememberGuyTurnsWrittenLong TimeOkayScriptsTeethScreenplaysDentist Author:Christopher Walken
“Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you have to have that confidence. You have to ask yourself, "Are they looking for a guy my height? My age? I've got a shot." And if there are nine guys auditioning and they're all gorgeous, I have an advantage, because gorgeous guys are a dime a dozen. But if they need someone else - like a goofy guy with bad hair who is just okay - then that's me. And finally, the other 2 percent who audition are geniuses that I could never touch.” IfsNeedsAgeGuyAsksHairGeniusPercentShotsAdvantageOkayCompetitionNineHeightDozenAuditionsGorgeousDimesGoofyBad Hair Author:Tom Hanks
“The idea that all violence in movies is okay simply because it happens is bull. Directors and writers have a responsibility.” IdeasHappensResponsibilityViolenceDirectorsOkayBullsViolence In Movies Author:Julie Taymor
“My mother was okay with me not playing it safe. She made an agreement with my father that I was going to be raised differently than my brother and sister were. My parents went through the whole sixties rebellion with my brother and sister. But I didn't feel like I had to rebel because I didn't have anyone telling me I couldn't do something. I never went into that parents-as-enemies stage.” FeelsMadeWholeMotherFatherParentEnemyStageBrotherSafeOkayRaisedMy BrotherAgreementRebellionRebelSixtyBrothers And SistersPlaying It Safe Author:Julie Taymor
“All the shows we did pre-airdate, and I'd come out - "Rob Lowe!" - and it was [Offers bored applause.] After the show aired? I came out - "Rob Lowe!" - and the place was, like, bedlam. And then the next week, they wouldn't let anyone under the age of 20 into the audience. And I'm going, "So that's how it works! Okay!"” ShowsAgeNextAudienceWeekOffersOkayBoredApplauseNext WeekLowesAge Of 20 Author:Rob Lowe
“One of the things I noticed about the Trump supporters was a lot of projected fear. I can't tell you how many times a conversation went like this: "We've got to stop these immigrants, because it's terrible." I'd say, "Okay, what personally have you observed about this?" And there would be basically nothing in that box. And I'd say, "Where'd you get your information?" thinking they were going to say Fox. But they would always say, "Well, I get my information from all kinds of sources." Fox is kind of center-left to a lot of people now.” PeopleThinkingWellsKindI CanWould BeLeftInformationSourceTrumpTerribleConversationOkayBoxesAll KindsImmigrantsFoxesSupporter Author:George Saunders
“I think the days are over where we were okay with bad guys just doing the pirate laugh and eating kids just for fun. There has to be a goal, you know? They have to have a point, and they have to make sense.” ThinkingKnowsKidsGuyFunGoalLaughingEatingOkayMake SenseBad GuysPirateJust For Fun Author:Mads Mikkelsen
“I started taping my dad's auditions when I was 11, when he was auditioning actors for one of his movies. I would see, over and over again, that there wasn't just one actor for the role. It was really clear that there were a lot of people who could play a character really well, and it would always come down to something kind of weird and non-obvious as to why a person was cast. If you're not right, you're not right, but that's okay.” PeopleIfsWellsKindPersonsPlayCharacterActorsRolesClearDadOkayMy DadCastsObviousJust OneAuditions Author:Bryce Dallas Howard
“I think that fear came from, "Okay, I'm going to have Beyoncé in the title, and people are just going to think, it's Beyoncé poems. It's light and fun." I was kind of super-conscious of that. It's kind of like this weird trick I'm playing, where you're like, "What an interesting, fun cover, and then the name Beyoncé." Then you open it, and it's just about my depression. All of it belongs together.” PeopleThinkingKindLightTogetherNamesFunInterestingConsciousOkayTricksTitles Author:Morgan Parker
“Hard times are really a fire under your ass to prioritize and think, "Okay, how can I challenge myself to put something in the world that wasn't there that can reach other folks and help them to process?"” ThinkingWorldHardHelpingProcessChallengesFireOkayFolksAssHard TimesPrioritize Author:Morgan Parker
“What was fun for me with this book [Lincoln in the Bardo] was to start out with the principle that went, "We're going to fight every day to make this not a novel; make it too short to be a novel." And then with that principle in place, the book sort of starts to say, "Okay, but I really need this. I really need some historical nuggets." And you're like, "All right, but keep it under control."” NeedsBookFightingFunPrinciplesNovelOkayHistoricalToo ShortNuggets Author:George Saunders